06 January, 2014

Digital Or Analogue ?

While for the rest of the world this two terms refer to technology in Kenya they have taken a new meaning ! Before i attempt at explain the new meaning/common understanding that the term has taken in Kenya , its best to understand the general/traditional meaning of the two terms Analog & Digital.

 I have searched online for the most layman terms to put the definition of analog in an understandable format and this seemed the easiest definition:
  •     Analog: Adjective Measuring or representing data by means of one or more physical properties that can express any value along a continuous scale. For example, the position of the hands of a clock is an analog representation of time.


  •      Digital: Adjective  Displaying information as numbers/Digits rather than by a pointer moving over a dial
President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President Ruto(donning an Analogue Watch....)
Interestingly following the 2013 Presidential Campaigns in Kenya and a recent appointment of Parastatal  Chiefs the term Digital /Analogue is being used to refer to" a generational gap/Age "between the youth and old leadership in Kenya.

However in the new usage of the term, the question still remains what is the cut off date when referring to who is a youth in the digital divide and who falls in the analogue generation.Its interesting that the President and Deputy President who campaigned on the Digital vs Analogue meaning the old versus the young have gone ahead to appoint persons well above the 55 year retirement age ,some of whom served in the first post colonial Government headed by the current President's father His Excellency the Late Jomo Kenyatta.Apparently the Digital Government works on analogue resources.

Question then is who truly is of the digital /analogue age? In a shifting posture ,the Deputy President claims its with reference to technology,(hah hah ...interestingly he is seen in the above photo donning an analogue watch) or is it really? Or is Digital/Analogue a state of mind? Language is generated and shaped by society and not the other way round .Kenyans are readily shaping the use of this terms,perhaps the rest of the world may take cue .So are you Digital or Analogue? Ask Kenyans....

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