POWER TO THE PEOPLE

The truth is there is nothing like democracy, at least not in this part of the world. This is something I have always said in the past and everyday I see reasons to believe what I say is true. Another truth is that the only place there is a very high level of freedom of speech is social media. This is why a lot of people use it so much to err their not so useful opinion. But then again those that are wise know how to use social media as a tool to fight corruption. I follow some activists who I have seen in some ways use social media to turn the tides in not just politics but even the tides of the nation.

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Social media is a place that never forgets, a place that you never want to be known for the wrong reason, Because if you do not have a strong mind, it will definitely eat you up. I have seen and heard of people who committed suicide because they could not handle the banter and pressure that came from social media.But then again, the government and those in politics are people built differently. In this part of the world, I will say the politicians and those in government sacrificed their conscience a long time ago and do not care how the world see them.

I have seen social media influence governmental decisions in world power countries, I have seen governments listen to the concerns of the majority on social media, I have seen large organizations in sports change big decisions because the majority fans in social media insist on something. So it’s fair to say that social media can be a strong tool to influence government decisions and the politics of the state in a true democratic government. But unfortunately, my country isn’t as democratic as a lot of nations who are truly democratic. In the past the government has tried to shut down social media or control it somehow, because they see its power. When unable to succeed, they simply turned a deaf ear and allowed all hell to be let loose.

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In my country, power belongs to only one place, the government. And that has been how it has been until recently when the government policies were challenged on social media. The government had earlier announced that corp members would be paid a certain amount but had refused to initiate it until the matter went viral on social media. Turns out the government had taken a loan to that effect and didn’t deliver and were forced to live up to their words because it would have been an international catastrophe if it wasn’t treated. Now my worry is what if it wouldn’t have any repercussions, what if it was just a matter of pleasing the people, would the government have yielded. I really doubt so, when I look at countries like North Korea and alot of African countries, I see that indeed social media might have power, but it’s still a tug of war between the government, and the people.

THIS IS MY RESPONSE TO HIVE LEARNER'S PROMPT FOR WEEK 162 EPISODE 1