Seun Kuti: “Social Media Is Not As Powerful As Many People Think”
Seun Kuti believes many people give social media far more credit than it deserves.
The Afrobeat singer recently argued that online activism often creates noise without delivering lasting results.
According to him, years of digital campaigns have shown that public attention on social media does not always lead to meaningful action.
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.
Seun also claimed that platforms exercise significant control over the content users see. He pointed to his own experience, saying one of his recent videos lost its audio while another post faced restrictions.
For the singer, the issue goes beyond algorithms. He believes Nigerians continue to repeat the same strategies despite seeing limited success in the past.
That belief led him to revisit the “Bring Back Our Girls” campaign, which dominated public discussion for years after the Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction.
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.
Seun Kuti argued that the campaign highlighted a larger problem, saying social media can raise awareness but cannot guarantee change on its own.
His remarks have sparked renewed debate about whether online activism can achieve its goals without sustained action beyond social platforms.
