Ghanaian singer Gyakie has questioned the importance of artistes following fans on social media, saying meaningful interactions matter more than the follow button.
Speaking on Hitz FM’s morning show, Daybreak Hitz, she told hosts Doreen Avio and Kwame Dadzie that she did not consider the issue a big deal when asked about her reasons for not following people on social media.
“I really want to know how much of a big deal it is [for an artiste to follow their fans on social media]. Because for me I said it to someone in one of the posts that what is really important is that the people that love me are not complaining. Those that are talking about it, I feel like they don’t know me. People who know me, they understand me.
I interact with my people more; you may even think that I know them personally. I really do know my fans a lot; their names, their faces. I am able to see them and spot them. I speak to them in their dms. There are bigger connections happening than tapping the follow button,” she said.
In recent weeks, some social media users have heavily criticised Ghanaian musicians for asking for support while not following anyone on social media.
The debate began after Fameye said in an interview that too much attention had been given to only three top artistes in the country. Mr Drew later reiterated Fameye’s sentiments in a separate interview.
Netizens angered by the comments continued to criticise the artistes and others, arguing that musicians who do not follow their fans on social media have no business asking them to patronise their music.
Some of these social media users cited Shatta Wale, who follows a large number of people across his social media accounts and regularly engages with them.
During her interview on Daybreak Hitz, Gyakie also spoke about the growing toxicity on social media, saying it had made the platforms boring.