5Ws and H as determinants of culture-driven internet search queries in West Africa: A critical information-seeking discourse analysis from Google Big Panel Datasets (GBPD)

Since the advent of the internet on January 1, 1983, people from all over the world have had the chance to communicate without the constraints of earlier times. This is largely because established methods of communication have evolved. Despite the advantages of the internet, many people around the world are still unable to access and effectively utilize it due to issues like poor infrastructure and the high cost of data subscriptions. Scholars and professionals are still battling issues like the digital divide and inequalities several years after the internet was first created. The 15 West African countries are a part of the Global South’s countries that have experienced and continue to experience digital inequality and divide. Numerous scholars have studied these difficulties; however, none of the studies has specifically constructed big panel datasets using public search queries from Google Trends considering relevant constructs or elements of information-seeking, cultural dimensions and reasoned action and planned behaviour theories. Analysis suggests that how people use the 5Ws and H as search techniques when using search engines, particularly Google, depends on the national values and norms of each country as well as socio-economic and political factors. The countries colonised by the French and the ones colonised by the British differed significantly from one another. According to our study, the ongoing digital gap and inequality in West African countries are caused by a variety of factors, including varying cultural characteristics and informational demands, in addition to poor infrastructure and expensive access to digital platforms. The study also proposes a digital and information seeking cultural discourse (DISCD) framework, owing to the empirical evidence that emerged from the critical linkage that exists between the adopted theories and the cultural discourse studies framework, for further understanding of culture-driven information-seeking and use in other African regions and countries in the Global South. © 2025 selection and editorial matter, Anna Gladkova, Elena Vartanova and Shi-xu; individual chapters, the contributors.