This year, RNW asked the question “How do you surf?” to dozens of young people (generally age 18-35) from around the world. Using photographs in conjunction with the answers, the group published a series of interactive portraits of young netizens in their natural surfing habitat. The project was made possible using the ThingLink platform.

From Africa, we find images from South Sudan, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Egypt, and Morocco.

South Sudan

Samir: “The greatest thing invented by humans is the computer, then comes the internet and then Facebook.”

Gortel: “We are dispersed, but through Facebook I keep abreast of what is going on in my home region.”

Stella: “Because many woman in South Sudan are not able to read I ask readers to pass the message on.”

Nigeria

Evelyn: “My speed is around 0.96 MBps, and I pay around $200 per month. The amount I spend on the internet is outrageous but being online is just a part of me.”

Samson: “The internet has become a database for everything and anything. There literally isn’t anything you can’t find. It is an amazing playground for learning.”

Zimbabwe

Grace: “The internet drives my life socially and economically. As a journalist, I work online and also socialise with my online connections from across the world through Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and LinkedIn.”

Givemore: “I am on Facebook, but I rarely visit it. My friends told me to open an account, but I don’t see the benefits. I am just not interested.”

Egypt

Waleed: “People steal my designs after I have uploaded them to my shop’s Facebook page. It annoys me but I cannot do much about it.”

Mai: “Nature is my home. I hardly spend any time in my house, I find my relaxation in walking and listening to music. It makes me feel like I’m living on a different planet.”

Abdallah: “A few books are always with me…But for the rest, my whole life has turned digital. The only reason I sometimes buy a newspaper is to check how my cartoon is published.”

Wael: “I receive a lot of threats because of my political stances. It is driving me crazy, but I try to keep living normally. If I give in to these fears, I cannot even buy food or see friends anymore. But online I know how to protect myself.”

Morocco

Ahmed: “Medication for animals is very expensive, it’s very hard to buy all we need. That’s why we call for solidarity and generosity from the local community, enterprises, veterinary and international organizations, also on our Facebook page and website.”