Algorithmic Gatekeeping and the Visibility of Marginalised Voices in African Digital Media: A Case Study of Minority Africa

AbstractThis paper examines how digital storytelling platforms contribute to the visibility, representation, and advocacy of marginalized communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, including women, persons with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, and asylum seekers. Focusing on narratives produced by Minority Africa, a pan-African digital publication amplifying underrepresented voices, the study draws on 2024 audience survey data (n = 121) and qualitative insights from organisational practice. Grounded in critical algorithm studies, feminist media theory, and postcolonial digital scholarship, the analysis demonstrates that while digital platforms create vital spaces for representation, they also reproduce structural inequities through algorithmic suppression, linguistic exclusion, and geopolitical hierarchies. The findings identify three interlinked dynamics: (1) digital storytelling as a site of resilience and identity affirmation; (2) platform-level constraints shaping reach and visibility; and (3) community-driven strategies that counter marginalisation through localised, multimodal, and translingual storytelling. The paper concludes with recommendations for inclusive digital design, cross-regional solidarity, and further research on intersectional minority digital cultures. Keywordsdigital storytelling; minority representation; Sub-Saharan Africa; algorithmic bias; advocacy media; disability; gender; LGBTQ+; asylum and migration; African media studies Methods noteMixed-methods: audience survey (n = 121, 2024) and qualitative analysis of Minority Africa editorial practice and platform analytics. Data availabilityThis article reports aggregate insights from internal audience research; no individual-level data are shared. Competing interestsThe author is/was affiliated with Minority Africa. The analysis and conclusions are the author’s own. Obadjere, Ewomazino. (2025). Algorithmic Gatekeeping and the Visibility of Marginalised Voices in African Digital Media: A Case Study of Minority Africa(preprint). Zenodo. doi.org.      This work was researched and authored by Gloria Ewomazino Obadjere.