The Digital World Explained

The Digital World Explained

The Digital World Explained

Opening Scenario

Amina sells second-hand clothes at Gikomba Market in Nairobi — the largest open-air market in East Africa. She has a smartphone. She uses it to call suppliers, send money via M-Pesa, and watch videos on YouTube when business is slow. She does not think of herself as a technology user. Technology, in her mind, is for people who work in offices or went to university.

But Amina processes more digital transactions in a single market day than many office workers do in a week. Her business already runs on technology. What she lacks is not access — it is the understanding that would let her use that technology more deliberately, more safely, and more profitably.

This module is the foundation. By the end, you will understand how the digital world actually works — and why that understanding matters for your life and your work.

How the Internet Actually Works

The internet is, at its core, a global system of connected computers that can share information with each other. That is all it is. Understanding this removes the mystery — and the mystery is often what makes technology feel like it belongs to other people.

Here is what happens when you load a webpage or send a WhatsApp message:

Your phone sends a request — a small packet of data — through the nearest mobile tower or Wi-Fi router.

That request travels through cables (many of them undersea — including the TEAMS and SEACOM cables that connect East Africa to the rest of the world) to a server: a powerful computer that stores the website or processes the message.

The server sends the information back — as data packets — through the same network of cables and towers.

Your phone receives those packets and assembles them into the webpage or message you see on your screen.

This entire process typically takes less than one second.

The internet is not a place. It is a network — a system of relationships between devices. Your phone, the server in Nairobi's data center, the cable under the Indian Ocean, and the server in California where Google stores YouTube videos are all part of the same network. When you watch a YouTube video, data is physically traveling from a server thousands of kilometers away to your hand in milliseconds.

Africa has 17 major submarine cable systems connecting it to the global internet. The TEAMS cable runs from Mombasa to Fujairah in the UAE. The SEACOM cable connects East Africa to Europe and India. Together, these cables carry the majority of Kenya's international internet traffic.

Source: Submarine Cable Map (submarinecablemap.com); Africa Telecommunications Union — State of African Internet Infrastructure Report (2023)

Wi-Fi vs. Mobile Data: Understanding the Difference

This is a practical distinction that affects every decision about how and where you use technology.

Mobile data (3G, 4G, 5G) uses your phone network — Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom — to connect to the internet through radio towers. You pay for data bundles. Coverage depends on tower proximity. In urban Kenya, 4G coverage is widespread. In rural areas, 3G or even 2G may be the only option — which means slower speeds and lower-quality video streaming.

Wi-Fi connects your phone to a local router, which is itself connected to the internet via a fixed cable or satellite link. Wi-Fi is typically faster and cheaper per megabyte than mobile data — but requires physical proximity to a router. Many Kenyan shopping malls, universities, and coffee shops offer free Wi-Fi.

Practical implications:

Download large files (apps, videos, documents) when connected to Wi-Fi — it saves your data bundle and is faster

Check whether an app uses data in the background — many apps consume data even when you are not actively using them. Go to Settings on your phone, find 'Data Usage,' and see which apps are using the most.

Compress images before sending via WhatsApp to reduce data usage — WhatsApp's built-in compression does this automatically, but sending original-quality photos uses significantly more data

MTN, Airtel, and Safaricom all offer data monitoring features in their apps — use them to understand and control your data costs

Why Digital Access Matters for Economic Participation

This is not an abstract point. The relationship between digital access and economic opportunity in Africa is measurable, documented, and growing stronger every year.

Here is what digital access makes possible that was not possible before:

Price discovery: A farmer in Kakamega can check maize prices in Nairobi before deciding whether to sell locally or transport to a higher-value market. Without internet access, that information required expensive travel or trusted middlemen who often extracted value from the price gap.

Market access: A tailor in Eldoret can sell on Instagram or Jumia to customers in Mombasa, Nairobi, or the diaspora — without a physical shop in those cities.

Financial services: M-Pesa, MTN MoMo, and Airtel Money have brought formal financial services to people who were entirely excluded from the banking system. Over 80% of Kenyan adults now have access to mobile money — one of the highest rates in the world.

Learning: Khan Academy, Coursera, ALX Africa, and YouTube make educational content available to anyone with a data connection. A student in Kisii can access the same MIT lecture as a student in Boston.

Employment: Platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and Andela allow skilled Kenyans to earn income from clients globally — without leaving Kenya.

Mobile internet penetration in sub-Saharan Africa reached 28% in 2022 — meaning roughly 300 million people remain unconnected. The GSMA estimates that closing the mobile internet gender gap alone (women are 37% less likely than men to use mobile internet in sub-Saharan Africa) would add $700 million to the region's GDP.

Source: GSMA — State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report 2023; GSMA Connected Women Programme