Publish at February 25 2025 Updated February 25 2025
The rise of social networks has amplified the phenomenon of "influencers". Through their outlets, they want to achieve an ever-increasing digital presence in order to make an impact on young people, who in turn are desperate to follow the path of influence, because they want to "succeed" and make a name for themselves. What can we say?
Over the past 10 years, there has been an explosion in the use of social networks worldwide, and in Africa in particular. While Facebook, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram have gradually gained momentum, the new TikTok social network has added another dimension to this trend. The number of users of these networks rose from 25% in 2021 to 35% of the African population in 2024. In the same vein, in Cameroon, we went from 2.9 million users in 2018 to 5.05 in 2024. Content creators, notably influencers, surfed on this growth to position themselves.
When we talk about influencers, we often refer to people operating in an industry. Given their notoriety, they are solicited by various platforms to attract customers through their image, which is associated with products and services. In recent years, Cameroonian artists are increasingly associating their image with advertising content to influence the choices of their followers. These influencers have inspired young people who in turn are embarking on a path that is not always mastered, since the most important thing is to make a name for oneself and generate income by whatever means. A shortcut to success in life, when in reality they sometimes lack critical perspective on the content they share. In their turn, they're getting into the buzz business...
From the outset, it's important to know that through their YouTube, TikTok or Facebook accounts, young people want to generate as many views as possible to attract brands. To do this, they collect news items and share them on their platforms, giving their opinion, occasionally vehemently, to provoke a reaction from their subscribers.
Basically, they are by no means professional content creators. Given that they are followed by young people on social networks, they manage to achieve their goal, as fledgling companies, in need of visibility and lacking fortunes to invest in conventional forms of advertising, generally turn to these people to at least communicate about their work.
In fact, young people exposed to social networks have a real tendency to react more to this type of content than to more educational content such as informative articles, training courses or conferences. In reality, it's a context where "buzz" reigns, a context in which young people are more interested in light, entertaining content. As a result, they start to share information that moves the web, as part of a dynamic of influencing other young people.
Renowned Cameroonian cardiologist and author Jean Bahebeck, in his book "Le hamburger c'est quoi? Tome 1: sept prérequis pour un jeune qui veut réussir sa vie", the famous Cameroonian cardiologist and author Jean Bahebeck believes that to succeed in life is "to achieve, by the evening of one's life at the latest, at least half of the essential objectives that one would have set oneself at maturity according to one's reasonably appreciated assets". These assets should be developed on a daily basis by imposing an iron discipline on oneself to achieve one's objectives, because nothing is won in advance.
To succeed in life, then, requires a little more commitment and perspective in a booming, fast-changing world, and implies regular personal investment, hard work and ongoing training. With this in mind, the same author, addressing young people, outlines the path to success in these terms:
"what is expected of us is the good will and efforts to reduce the volume, frequency and intensity of the lightnesses on the one hand; and, on the other, to increase the volume, frequency and strength of the virtues." p 35.
In this logic, a young person who succeeds will also be able to influence his contemporaries, because his journey will speak for him.
Illustration: image generated by Meta AI
Sources
Influencers: a toxic model for young people?
https://hashtag-infos.fr/2021/09/13/les-influenceurs-un-modele-toxique-pour-la-jeunesse/
Web influencers: not always a good influence!
https:// pausetonecran.com/influenceurs-et-influenceuses-web-pas-toujours-une-bonne-influence/
Social networking in Africa
https://www.visibrain.com/fr/blog/l-usage-des-reseaux-sociaux-en-afrique
Social networking figures in Cameroon from 2018 to 2024
https://histoiresdecm.com/2024/02/07/chiffres-reseaux-sociaux-cameroun-2018-a-2024/
Cameroon: stars, brands and advertising
https://www.camer.be/amp/42639/11:1/cameroun-les-stars-les-marques-et-la-pub-cameroon.html
Cameroun-Tribune: when gossip makes the buzz on social networks.
https://www.capnews.cm/?p=3159
Jean, Bahebeck, (2024), what is a hamburger? Tome 1: sept prérequis pour un jeune qui veut réussir sa vie, Éclosion,
Franco declared the BIG BARACK and NYANGONO of Cameroonian influencers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zTqkRiT9Qo
https:// www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082997427422&mibextid=ZbWKwL
Cameroonian influencers: who are they selling the dream to?
https://www.wutsi.com/read/66978/les-influenceurs-camerounais-a-qui-vendent-ils-le-reve?
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