Scrolling Away Ubuntu: Social Media’s Silent Disruption of Communal Ethos among Young People in Limuru, Kiambu County in Kenya

John Herman Kimboi, Violet Nekesa Simiyu & Jennifer Wangari
The Catholic University of Eastern Africa
Email: barakakimboicm@yahoo.com

Abstract: This study explored how social media is silently but significantly disrupting Ubuntu—a core African value system grounded in community, respect, and human interconnectedness—among young people in Limuru, Kiambu County, Kenya. Guided by Cultural Globalization, Cultivation, and Uses and Gratifications theories, the research adopted a phenomenological design to examine how the frequency, content, and style of social media use are reshaping moral and communal behaviors. Data from focus group discussions and interviews with 52 youth revealed that platforms like Facebook and TikTok are fostering individualism, promoting superficial content, and replacing respectful, communal communication norms with informal, fragmented interactions. Traditional expressions of Ubuntu, such as respectful greetings and interdependence, are being displaced by the pursuit of online validation and personal branding. While some youth demonstrated conscious efforts to preserve Ubuntu values through intentional use of platforms like WhatsApp, the overall trend points to a weakening of social bonds and communal ethos in favor of digital convenience. The study concludes that social media is not inherently destructive but exerts a silent, cumulative pressure on Ubuntu through altered communication practices and value priorities. To reclaim this cultural foundation, the study recommends integrating Ubuntu into digital literacy efforts, recalibrating social media algorithms to highlight culturally meaningful content, and encouraging youth-led and intergenerational initiatives that reinforce communal identity in digital spaces.