News fatigue pushing audiences towards lighter digital content – MFWA

The Programmes Manager of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Kwaku Krobea, says growing fatigue with hard news and political discussions is driving some audiences towards lighter and more entertaining digital content.

Speaking on Joy Prime's Money Making Monday, Mr Krobea said the constant coverage of wars, deaths and political disagreements was leaving some people looking for content that offers a break from difficult news topics.

He cited reports on the Russia-Ukraine war, tensions between the United States and Iran, and political debates involving the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as examples of issues that could contribute to audience fatigue.

"People get tired. And so then they want to consume certain forms of content," he said.

Mr Krobea described the trend as escapism, explaining that some audiences turn to comedy, skits, dance videos and other light-hearted content to take a break from the pressures of following current affairs.

"People want to escape from all those tiring political conversations, so let's take something that is light, maybe somebody dancing, a content creator creating jokes, a skit maker," he added.

He said the shift reflected changing audience preferences, with some people seeking entertainment alongside their consumption of news and other information.

Mr Krobea also said the growing use of digital platforms was no longer limited to younger people.

He noted that although younger audiences were initially quicker to adopt new technologies, more older people were becoming comfortable with smartphones and social media platforms such as TikTok.

According to him, this was gradually narrowing the gap between younger and older audiences in the consumption of digital content.