The digital urban frontier: Disparities in social media activity between consolidated and newly urbanized areas in Africa
Published in Applied Geography, 2025
In the 21st century, urban spaces are both physical and digital, and digital presence is increasingly important for the competetiveness and livability of cities. But is this digital presence evenly distributed within cities? This study reveals a significant and hitherto undocumented digital urban divide in rapidly growing settlements in Africa.
Key Findings:
- ๐ ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐: We found compelling evidence that online visibility, specifically measured through geotweet density, is significantly higher in older built-up areas compared to newer built-up areas across many sites in African cities. In other words, the โsocial media frontierโ often lags behind the physical frontier, the built-up expansion of urban landscapes.
- ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐: This disparity varies across geographic regions, being most pronounced in West Africa and least frequent in Northern and Southern Africa. Possible factors include higher internet penetration and slower urbanization rates in some regions.
- ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ: Settlements with a higher โintensity of plannednessโ (IoP) tend to show lower digital disparity. The two-dimensional structure of settlements, particularly built-up fragmentation, is also linked to the magnitude of this digital divide. These first findings can guide further research that considers the very diverse urban planning histories and processes across Africa.
These findings are crucial for urban studies and policy, emphasizing the need to consider digital perspectives in research and strategies for Africaโs urban development and digital transformation. Africa is where we can find the current โurban frontierโ, with rapid urbanization and much urban potential still to be realized. And it is crucial to ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ต๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐.
Recommended citation: Mast, J., Sapena, M., Debray, H., Inkoom, J. N., Lemoine-Rodrรญguez, R., Geiร, C., & Taubenbรถck, H. (2025). "The digital urban frontier: Disparities in social media activity between consolidated and newly urbanized areas in Africa." Applied Geography, 181, 103687.
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