The Good, The Bad and The Ugly OF Social Media

 

 

I grew up hearing and seeing a lot of "Jungle Justice" melted out to alleged victims in Nigeria. I have seen some bodies along the road burnt to ashes and I ask myself "where lies the sanity in all these?"

It is unfortunate that for the first time, Nigerians have come out in their thousands to criticize this dastardly act called "Jungle Justice". Emotions have been running wild, people have expressed their emotions concerning this barbaric, insane act and how the alleged victims meet their unfortunate end but I ask, "Is this Enough?" Will it Stop?

We as Nigerians have encouraged this act of "Jungle Justice" at one point in time or another be it in your THOUGHTS, WORDS or DEEDS or by turning a blind eye when you see it happening without the slightest attempt to report the incident to the available authority..(."Available Authority... That is topic for another discussion") Those who encourage the Act by Words or By mere Thought of it, is no better than the person wielding the weapon on the victim.

The Aluu 4 killings in Port-Harcourt only came to limelight as a result of (what is widely referred to as SOCIAL MEDIA). People around the world were able to see first hand what "jungle justice" really is. The inhumane and clandestine nature through which suspects meet their untimely end.

The social media has truly made the world a "Global Village" and as such information spread fast even while the incident is taking place. This only shows that if properly harnessed, could be a positive step to preventing and stopping crimes from happening in Nigeria.

However, Social Media still has its short-comings. Today, people place emphasis on social media for Popularity rather than Security, Entertainment instead of Information. some times, I feel like people wait for 'Unfortunate events' to occur so they will be the first to video it or take pictures of it. They rather take photos, or video events instead of seeking for help to save the situation.
                                  
The picture above is one of the areas in Nigeria affected by the flood. The girl in the photo took her time to pose for the camera, used it as her status on Blackberry with the words "Flood Tinz"

We owe it to ourselves to love one another as it was clearly stated in the Bible "Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself". Let us encourage the use of Social Media for the force of GOOD and not Frivolity. Let us Shun 'Jungle Justice out' of our dear Nation. We Must! It Is Our Duty! It Begins with YOU!