The trails of the frails of social media

It’s been a while, and I was jerked back to writing after one of my connections reached out to find out why I stopped writing. Sherifat, why did you stop writing? And I suddenly realized how long I had written about pressing issues around me. Anyways, many thanks to you as I could find time amidst my very busy schedule (these days, when the kids have exam I also do ☹) to put together my thought around this serious issue, a ticking time bomb.

The advent of social media brought significant progress in many aspects of our lives. Social media has grown tremendously emerging from a tool used for expressing personal interest, communication means with faraway family and friends, lifestyle showcasing, gossips and getting information and news to a tool used by businesses for brand awareness, sales promotions, user awareness and education, information and updates and even customer engagement. In most companies, social media has created many more reaches to and engagement with customers than traditional marketing and in others it helped determined amazing market research. The use of social media even in criminal investigations and background checks, humanitarian services, personal or career support, relationships are other positive uses of social media.

However, despite the many advantages of the tool, its downsides continue to create unfavourable circumstances that reduces the chances of successful recognition of its effectiveness. Many people use social media for different purposes.

It is alleged that a lot of people not only celebrities use social media to portray a luxurious lifestyle which they clearly cannot afford or are yet to afford. The effectiveness of this is in promoting their personal brand can only be described by people who do this. In other cases, social media has been used for fake job adverts and fake medical advice such as alternative measures to treatment. Why would someone go to social media for medical treatment or advice especially from an unknown source? The current use of social media in Nigeria is quite disturbing. I would focus on 3 main incidents in Nigeria and will also like to hear the various perspectives my readers have on these issues.

Firstly, a sad incident on the popular third mainland bridge in Lagos, Nigeria where a lady jumped off the bridge committing suicide was quickly shared on social media which spread like wild fire and the families of the lady were reached in no time. On the other hand, and most unfortunately, hours later, another lady’s photo was shared instead as the suicide victim. The poor lady had to go to facebook to announce that she wasn’t dead and she didn’t jump off the bridge. Apparently with social media, it’s easy to get pictures and use as we deem fit.

On another note, a fake news abetted by social media was spread quickly where a major Nigerian news outlet ran a story claiming that Danladi Circoma, a leader of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, said the attacks in Plateau, a state located approximately in the center of the country were revenge for the loss of 300 cows. As a result, there was three days of violence which left more than 200 people dead in the country. Do the originators of the fake rumors and those who spread it understand the impact of their actions?

Finally, there was a sad incident on a Lagos bridge last week where 9 people were reported dead. It was alleged that some of the dead, may their souls rest well where trying to make videos from the scene of a truck which lost its control while carrying 33000 litres of highly flammable gasoline, petrol. While this is incredible to believe, the role of social media in spreading the different stories from the scene is very disturbing. I have read a version of a commuter bus blocking the way of the truck and the truck while avoiding collusion fell. Another said it brakes failed and it started to roll back. Whichever the case, I think it is wrong for people to sit and assemble a fake story either for cheap popularity or increased traffic to their social media page or blogs.

Some factors which I conclude are the reason for this predicament include,

1. Ease and affordability of sophisticated technologies in producing fake contents for obvious reasons.
2. Level of exposure of fake news carriers, or else, how would you explain sharing of pictures of incidents that occurred in 2011 from a story of domestic violence as one related to recent political attacks?
3. Ease of obtaining a social media account. All social media accounts are free. So, the speed of creating different accounts at very fast rate is a factor.
4. Cheap availability of pictures and other personal information readily on social media.

Feel free to add to these while we continue to sensitize our friends and family on the trails of illegitimate use of social media.