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Seun Kuti Questions Impact of Social Media Activism, Says Real Change Requires More
Afrobeat singer Seun Kuti has shared his thoughts on the growing reliance on social media activism, arguing that online campaigns alone are often insufficient to bring about meaningful societal change.
In a recent video, the outspoken musician suggested that many people place too much faith in the influence of social media, despite several high-profile campaigns failing to achieve their intended goals.
Drawing from Nigeria’s recent history, Seun pointed to past advocacy movements as examples of how public attention on social platforms does not always translate into concrete action or lasting solutions.
According to him, Nigerians frequently repeat the same methods of protest and awareness campaigns while expecting different outcomes, even when previous efforts have yielded limited success.
“If you remember clearly, during the previous administration, we kept shouting ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ every day. From Jonathan to Buhari, the slogan continued. Even when Buhari came into office, the girls were still not returned. It later became a situation where if you bring it up, people will attack or insult you. As usual, in Nigeria, we keep repeating the same approach and expecting a different result. Social media is not as powerful as many people think it is. If social media truly had the power people believe it has, governments would not allow unrestricted access to it. Social media is regulated and controlled. Algorithms can suppress content. My last video had its audio removed, and I returned to post again, but the post was restricted. So, in reality, what we think we are achieving by simply making videos online is not enough,” he stated.
Seun further argued that the structure of social media platforms limits their effectiveness as tools for sustained activism, noting that content visibility can be influenced by moderation systems, platform policies, and algorithms.
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