Social media side-ups: Should online opinions affect real-life consequences.
We are in the era of social media, so many years ago communications and relationships were not the way they are now. We had more communal
Living and people related with one another one a very personal basis before the inception and take over of social media and since then communication has never been the same again. A lot of people are now on social media dishing advice and creating all manner of contents while the rest are feeding off their fingers both good and bad.
Social media has its advantages and its disadvantages as does every other thing. And while alot of people are enjoying the advantages of social media, there are one or two repercussions we see here and there. The social media space is seen as a place where everyone is free to drop their comments and opinions and all of that had been going on for like ever. In our country, we are said to have freedom of speech but the question remains how free is this freedom of speech?
Are we really allowed to air our genuine opinions in our space if it didn’t encroach on other people’s privacy or it there an probability of being punished through an expulsion from school or a sack from our work place due to the things we put out there on social media? I was talking with a friend of mine who was telling me about a very popular story that trended online three months ago about a Nigerian corp member who went online and was lamenting on how the NYSC allowance they are being paid was not enough to take care of them as corp members. The government has promised to increase their monthly allowance and it’s been months since the promise yet nothing has been done about it even though the prices of things has been skyrocketing.
She went online to call out the government but I learnt that in a bid to express herself or use her freedom of speech, she abused the president and said some not good things about the government. Well, the video went viral and many people were dropping their comments and thoughts. Some were with here for speaking the truth and some were against here for abusing the president. It was a battle of words on the internet. Well, this go to the point where the NYSC officials of her state called her and threatened her to bring down the video that it was too unbecoming of her as a corp member.
She recorded their threats and also put it on social media. She was threatened that she won’t pass out of the program is she didn’t bring down the video. So what was supposed to be a voicing out of one’s thoughts almost cost her her service year. Well, when she put the threats online, another wave of words banter began. It was a serious thing. Finally, the government had to increase their salary as they promised but it came as a risk. Someone bore the risk.
Comments or social media which is supposed to be a free space is no longer free. Alot of people have lost their jobs and relationships due to bad comments. Freedom of speech now can be free or not depending on who is talking, on the platform and on who is being talked to. In all we do, we should just try to strike a balance so that we won’t be victims of what should have been a blessing turning into a curse.
Posted Using INLEO
Social media is no longer a safe space for sometime now and for our wellbeing or safety, it's important that we are very careful of the things we say because even when you are right, you can still be accused of saying the right thing.