There have been and will continue to be great and tremendous benefits of social media, but the dangers are also there – sometimes subtle, but real. We are all subject to programming, reprogramming and indoctrination via social media.
Have you noticed that everyone on social media seem successful? But is that really true? Is that the real situation with us?
For example, you see someone “Feeling happy for gaining admission…” But you don’t know how long, how many times the person tried before and the underhand deals done before succeeding?
Or the person who got promoted – do they tell us the real story behind the promotion – what illicit deeds they did and pains they suffered before getting promoted?
Or the Yahoo Plus boy posing with that car – can he tell you what he really did to get the car?
Someone goes to eat at one big eatery, but did not tell us how many days s/he went without food or had to beg for food from family and friends and sometimes from foes.
There is the subtle, yet real pressure to be successful without educating us on/about the pains and rough roads that leads to success. Without such education – the average person on social media thinks that things are always sweet, smooth and dandy – and when the real things happens in life – we start to panic; seeking comfort and success at any cost, including ritual killings, stealing and other vices, and when that is unattainable – some resort to suicide!
On another hand, we all are at different stages of live, passing through different things, but while that is that, someone innocently or out of sheer arrogance puts up a post that seems to lift your mood or support your line of thought that is strange to your upbringing and beliefs – you accept it and change your belief with deep-seated conviction that makes you fickle.
Be it known that many on social media are seeking relevance and attention and a way to vent out their frustrations – they pour out the garbage that was cooked up in their heads and someone gullibly imbibes that doctrine (teaching)!
When you read or see anything on social media, ask yourself some real and hard questions – think deep beyond the surface, because the writer may just be venting hidden pains and anger on one hand or genuinely glad, but unable to tell the real truth behind the success.
I am more concerned about the young folks out there, how they have shown or not showing restraint and displaying lost values on social media because someone they respect did some silly things without deep thinking.
I have seen that the seed is usually harder than the fruit. In other words, the generation after yours will take things a notch higher than what you teach them – good or bad.
My summation; before you put anything out there, think about it and share not just your success, but your struggles and pains leading to that success, and for the readers and those who imbibe stuff on social media – know that what you read or see on social media is a fraction of the real story, as a matter of fact, many stories you see or/read are falsehood and deception – so, don’t be deceived.
I know people on social media, projecting themselves like everything is smooth and dandy, but are really struggling. Please, don’t be fooled by the falsehood and half-truth you read and see on social media – people have issues and struggles before and possibly during the successes they project in our faces. Don’t get pressured, indoctrinated and programmed into thinking that life is all about success – it is a lie.
Also, people write and post mostly based on the current state of their minds or what they want people to believe is their current state of mind and affairs, which could be a lie – the onus is on you to sieve through people’s writing and posts, try to see through the writings so as not to be indoctrinated, programmed or reprogrammed by someone who is having an emotional imbalance (negative or positive).
- ‘Yemi Adeyemi-Enilari
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