Transformation of Traditions in the Digital Era: Evaluation of Marriage Rites among Anaguta Ethnic Group of Plateau State, Nigeria

Background: The advent of digital technology has brought about significant changes in the way people live, interact, and practice their cultural traditions. The proliferation of digital media, such as social media, smartphones, and the Internet, has transformed the way cultural practices are performed, transmitted, and consumed.In Nigeria, the Anaguta ethnic group of Plateau State has a rich cultural heritage, with marriage rites being an essential part of their traditional practices. However, the increasing influence of digital technology on Anaguta culture raises important questions about the transformation of their traditional marriage rites in the digital era. Objective: This study evaluated Anagua marriage rites in the digital era. The specific objectives of the study were to identify Anaguta traditional marriage rites; ascertain Anaguta of Plateau State’s level of exposure to the digital era and evaluate Anaguta marriage rites in the digital era. Method: The study, premised on the assumptions of the Symbolic Interactionism theory employed qualitative research design with Focus Group Discussions guide as the instrument to sample the opinions of 30 discussants on Anaguta traditional marriage rites in the digital era. Results: The study found that the core traditional Anaguta marriage rites include exchange of gifts between the families to show acceptance and commandership, open and honest communication between the two families as well as payment of bride price and dowry in form of goats, kola nuts among other items. Findings also indicate that the level of Anaguta people’s exposure to digital media is appreciatively high. Empirical evidence from the study reveal that the digital era has altered Anaguta marriage rites in many ways, both positively and negatively. Conclusion: The study thus concludes that the digital era has so impacted Anaguta marriage rites that there are concerns about the difficulties connected with preserving the cultural validity of traditional marriage rites. Unique contribution: The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex relationships between digital technology, cultural traditions, and social change in Nigeria. It is hoped that these deeper insights will benefit policy makers, future research, members of Anaguta ethnic group and the larger human society. Key recommendations: The study recommends, among others that Anaguta community should invest in digital literacy initiatives and training to improve their ability to communicate using digital media while also retaining traditional marriage rites.