By Teryila Ibn Apine
The importance and usefulness of the social media in contemporary society, Nigeria and Benue State in particular can not be over emphasized.
The social media is a sets of web or internet based platforms or applications that enable people to create, exchange and share information, ideas, pictures, videos and content.
Examples of such social media applications include Facebook, twitter, whatsapp, badoo, Nimbuzz, BBM , youtube and blogs to name but few.
Instructive is the fact that social media platforms provide avenues for people to meet and interact other than meeting physically.
The social media is viewed and approached differently by different people, some tap into the advantages of the social media which include;
entertainment, mobilization, education, socialization, Advertisement, public announcement etc.
During the 2015 general elections, the social media became a veritable too for candidates and political parties to sell their candidates to Nigerians. The consciousness and awareness in most Nigerians today can be attributed to the social media.
Again, the mobilization of the Bringbackourgirls campaigners is done mostly on the social media.
The activities of the save Nigeria group and several others got wide readership on the social media.
That the social media has been abused is simply stating the obvious.
In Nigeria and Benue, there are no laws or regulations guiding the use of the social media, as such a lot of aberrations have crept in.
One of such aberrations is the use of pseudonyms or fake names to hurl insults and abuses on others. Most especially during the campaigns for the elections a lot of names cropped of solely for this purpose. Theirs was to abuse all those who held contrary views or supported rival candidates or political parties.
The most disturbing is the influx of pornography . Erotic sexually explicit pictures and videos have become a recurrent decimal on social media. This is disturbing as it is condemnable. It has no place in out religious, ethnic, cultural and social values.
Another is the inability to respect each others point of view. A lot of people hold dear and fanatical to their views and absolutely become hard and unreasonable with contrary views. This leads to the exchange of hot, abusive and insultive language when faced with a contrary view.
Another is making. Sensational and divisive posts catapulted at maligning or painting other in bad light. Such posts are made simply to defame or denigrate the character and reputations of persons or institutions
Disrespect for elders on social media is also another disturbing phenomenon. Respect in our culture is sacrosanct and should be applied in our engagements with older people on the social media.
It has dealt a deadly blow on the reading culture and performance of students in schools. People hardly read any post more than two to three paragraphs.
Dating on social media has brought good and bad to some people.
The social media activism can be channeled toward societal development.
President Buhari, on May 29th 2015, acknowledged the power and usefulness of the social media with deep gratitude. Infact he singled out the social media for commendation.
The governor
of Sokoto state Hon Aminu Tambuwal has created a directorate of social media in government house.
Our own Governor Samuel Ortom also had Mr Nathaniel Ikyur as his social media director in his campaign organisation. Today, he has the ICT unit headed by Tahav Agerzua with a special social media component.
It should not just stop at creating a social media office. It must include harnessing the views and reactions of Benue people no matter how hard they are painted. In every nonsense there is a sense.
This underscores the fact that the social media has become as real and important as the air we breath.
Anyone, governments, organizations and institutions that underestimates the social media does it at her peril.
In my considered opinion,Every society has rules and regulations that govern it, even if they are not clearly written out, members fashion out a code of conduct in their minds which govern them. Within our own world of the social media. We must also have principles guiding us. Which must be based on respect for each others views. We must be conscious not to post things that will insult the religious or moral beliefs of others. Decorum and civility in our interaction and engagements must become our hallmark.
Very importantly the admins of the several groups must be alert to remove all divisive, sensational and pornographic posts from these groups.
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