What Changed Nigeria: Social Media Vs Politics

I’ve watched the transformation happen before my very eyes here in Nigeria. There was a time, back then, when all political campaigns was all about was rallies, posters, and loudspeakers mounted on vans. But today, with one tweet, one picture or one video, a whole country is prone to shake.

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Of a truth, social media has given politics a voice, and not just to the big men in agbadas. And to the voters, to the youth, they now can speak up and be heard. Now just post and use some certain hashtags and everyone is good to go, protest's are now being organized online, voices, different ones are now rising not just in anger but in purpose for the benefit of the masses for the purpose of a good and better nation. With the social media a microphone is not needed, just a phone, which almost everybody owns one, has now become a weapon fashioned again at falsehood.

Also, those politicians don't just notice it, they saw it too, and due to certain individuals who are not making a good use of it(the media), they laughed at it, at the noise online and called us...jobless youth. But when certain movement began and they saw how social media could make or break them, they adjusted. Today, there are governors, senator's, speakers, minster's and all you will find tweeting on their media handles, you see them dance, you see them run their campaign on various media platforms. Its wild how social media has now become a new political playground.

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Now, personally I’ve felt both hope and heartbreak because of this, hope when I saw how young Nigerians, like me, used their platforms to educate, help, mobilize, and advocate, I saw hope when we are now calling out liars and all online, I saw hope in the media when I began to see the power it wields with our voice. Also, heartbreak comes when I see how that same space is sometimes used to deceive, divide, break and destroy, that same space now carries fake news and spreads it faster, heartbreaks when I see hate speech and bullying online, also I felt heartbreak when I see youths doing what is uncalled for online, they don't care nor bother on that same media.

Of a truth, the social media has had a good effect politically, to a very large extent. It brought awareness, it made politics something we could all be part of. But also, it exposes the dark side of freedom, in the sense that, not everything trending is true, and not everyone with a platform has the people’s interest at heart.

Also, if I am in a position to change anything, I’d start with the media, Internet, its one of those things helping us, and also breaking us, I would start with digital education. We need to teach people how to use social media wisely, not just how to post, but how to think critically, how to verify, how to engage well without tearing others apart, also I would push for accountability and sincerity from politicians, a stop should come to all the lying and actings. Its time to demand for realness, for genuineness and all.

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In conclusion, social media has revealed and exposed politics greatly. It has open the viel.for us to see who we really are and that which we really want. It seems we are yet to see, embrace or know it, but I believe the media is showing us who we have the power to become.

Posted Using INLEO