Abstract
The Fourth Industrial Revolution has had a major groundbreaking influence on the digital age and has consequently fast-tracked the co-evolution of humans with technology. However, throughout history, there have been disparate implications for the industrial revolutions in the Global South, specifically in Africa. Scholars have commented on the influence of the "co-evolution" between humans and computers in the digital age as a time of "great promise or potential peril". In Africa, South Africa is a leader in media and technological development and communication scholarship, and the incorporation and influence of new 4IR technology is evident. However, disparities in online access and digital representation remain, despite the rapid increase in access to the Internet over the last decade. By consulting existing literature, this article attempts to shed light on some challenges that influence online representations and experiences of Africans as they adjust to the rapid influx of new media technologies in their everyday lives-founded primarily in Western societies and premised on similar ideas.