Digital Belonging and Cultural Identity in Southwest Nigeria: Urban–Rural Dynamics of Digital Communities
Keywords:
Cultural identity, Digital communities, Southwest Nigeria, Urban–rural divide, Yoruba cultureAbstract
Online communities are transforming the cultural existence in Nigeria (Southwest), where technology meets tradition and identity. This study discusses a difference in the ways urban and rural societies interact with digital resources in the negotiation of the Yoruba identity. According to the recent statistics, Nigeria has more than 107 million internet users as of 2025, which is equivalent to the penetration rate of 45.4%, though there are severe inequalities: only 51% of urban households in the Southwest have home internet access versus only 20% of rural households. These rifts influence the visibility, participation, and change of cultural practices. Cities such as Lagos and Ibadan use digital media to stream festivals, record oral traditions, and market Yoruba music to the rest of the world, whereas rural communities often have little access to and use digital media, limiting their reach in general. When digital belonging is placed in these opposing contexts, the study exposes the available opportunities and challenges. The Internet offers Yoruba communities, even diasporas, with novel means of identity negotiation, but concerns authenticity, commodification, and exclusion. The paper states that digital technologies can be seen as new village squares, which allow the cultural expression and transmission between generations, as well as enhance inequalities. It is essential to have policies that will make rural areas more connected, cultural custodians more digital-savvy, and preserve cultural authenticity is preserved. Results emphasize the fact that digital belonging in Southwest Nigeria is not a break with tradition, but a change.
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