For stories, adverts, & ENQUIRIES, wHATSAPP US @ +2347036240302
Why Your Circle Doesn't Matter Anymore in Becoming Rich These Days
Why Your Circle Doesn't Matter Anymore in Becoming Rich These Days
OPINIONBLOG
James Ede
9/27/20263 min read
In 2021, I did something that made people around me think I had lost my mind. I deleted every friend's phone number from my phone.
Not a falling out. Not a quarrel. I looked at that contact list and realized something: these people came from the same place I came from. Same background. Same struggle. Not a single number could help me find a better job. Not a single person could give me startup capital. Not a single one knew a "big man" somewhere.
We were all struggling. And all we could offer each other was our shared struggle.
Back then I was still an employee. Commuting every day. Clocking in. Waiting for that small salary at the end of the month. Until I decided to take the digital space seriously. Not as a "side hustle." Not as a "hobby." As my only way out.
Because I noticed a difference: my physical circle expected things from me but rarely delivered. The digital space expected nothing from me except my commitment.
That difference changed everything.
The Truth About Poor People's Circles: It Is Not Laziness, It Is Structural Isolation
Sociology has a concept called "strong ties." Granovetter's classic 1973 study showed that poor people, when looking for jobs and opportunities, rely too heavily on their immediate strong ties — family, neighbours, close friends — and end up locking themselves inside a closed network, cut off from outside opportunities.
Not because they are unintelligent. Because their strong-tie network contains no one who controls resources.
Briggs later drew a sharper distinction between "bonding social capital" (emergency help from close relations) and "bridging social capital" (relationships from wider networks that open new opportunities). The poor are not lacking in bonding capital — family and friends do help each other. What they lack is bridging capital.
A study of low-income job seekers in American cities put it even more bluntly. Sandra Smith, in her book Lonely Pursuits, surveyed 105 low-skilled Black job seekers and workers and found something uncomfortable: most employed people were unwilling to refer friends or relatives to their own employers because they feared damaging their reputation. Job seekers, meanwhile, refused to ask for help because they feared being belittled. The result was a culture of "going it alone" that is self-destructive in a labour market built on personal referrals.
When I deleted those phone numbers in 2021, I was not thinking about these theories. I was thinking something simpler: these people cannot help me, and I cannot help them. The calls between us were just mutual confirmation that "we are all still struggling."
The Digital Space Is Different
The digital space does not ask where you come from. It does not ask who your parents are. It does not ask how "connected" your circle is.
Nigerian data is proving this. The country's creative economy is expanding rapidly. In 2023, Nigeria's creative economy was valued at approximately ₦7.2 trillion, with the arts, entertainment, and recreation sector growing at 5.9 percent — faster than the broader economy. The sector employs an estimated 4.2 million people, making it the second-largest employer after agriculture.
This is not theory. This is an economic shift already underway.
Consider the fintech space. Nigeria is now Africa's fintech leader, with over 200 fintech companies and $2.2 billion in total funding raised as of 2026. These companies are not looking for your pedigree. They are looking for skills. A young person from Enugu who learns data analytics online can get hired by a Lagos fintech — or a London one — without knowing a single person in either city.
The digital space has no "gatekeeper" checking your network at the door. It checks one thing: what have you built?
The Physical Circle Has Not Disappeared, It Has Simply Stopped Dominating
I do not think the physical circle is useless. Family, friends, and neighbours still provide emotional support, emergency help, and basic survival security.
But for "climbing up," the physical circle can offer less and less.
That "business idea" you posted three times in your WhatsApp group and nobody responded to? On TikTok, a hundred strangers might tell you exactly what is wrong with it. That relative you are afraid to ask for a loan? On Upwork, a stranger might pay you in dollars. That question of "who do you know?" becomes, on LinkedIn, "what is in your portfolio?"
The digital space does not require you to be "worthy" of its help. It only requires you to show up, commit, and see what happens.
This is what I sensed but could not articulate in 2021 when I deleted those phone numbers: the physical circle measures you by "who you are." The digital space measures you by "what you have done."
For people without privilege, the former is fate. The latter is opportunity.
About James Ede
James Ede is a graduate of English & Literary Studies, UNN with 15 years of impactful experience in research, writing, and strategic positioning. He is the Creative Director of Younaiverse Limited (grant & proposal, technical documentation, & branding company), the Founder, Eha-Amufu Narrative Forum (an organisation that tells stories about Eha-Amufu), and the Chief Writer, The Nigerian Record.
He writes about personal development, community development, politics, and finances. His writing styles heavily revolve around story telling, data insights, and analogies. You can reach him through WhatsApp + 2347036240302.