At the All-Africa Media Leaders’ Summit, which was held here in Nairobi, David Omwoyo who is the current President of the Media Council of Kenya (MCK), highlighted how crucial it has become to use digital platforms in interacting with different and changing audiences. He pointed out that digital technologies have gone beyond physical boundaries because people can now easily get news and information using their smartphones now.
The deep influence of the digital shift was pointed out by Omwoyo where he noted that it was not just about creating more content, but also reaching people who were not accessible before because of language barriers in the past. Back in the day, news used to be translated into different African languages; however, with advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), content delivery becomes more personalized according to individual language preference.
Additionally, Omwoyo asked media leaders to focus on collaboration rather than competition when using technology. He stressed that working together in media outlets not only brings better results but also improves how well they work and make money from it.
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the President of the African Development Bank also believes media has an important part to play in democracy, freedom of speech, and including everyone in society. He understands how COVID-19 made things difficult for media due to the changing ways as people now consume it digitally.
Adesina also pointed out how there has been a sharp rise in the use of the internet and social media, especially by young people. If predictions are true that many people around the world will have smartphones in 2030, it is important for media organizations to change as per this changing situation, he akcnowledged.
Yet, with the rise of digital channels, Adesina also warned about an increase in the spread of fake news as well as deep fake news. He stressed that journalistic honesty was crucial in a time when the boundary between truth and fantasy can be unclear.