An innovation brought by advancement in technology, a product of the internet. Social media has taken the world by surprise through the rate of its assimilation by the masses. Becoming a global phenomenon that has impacted the cognitive understanding of the masses about the existence and Significance of the existing media that has ruled supreme over the years. Social media gained more acceptance due to its flexibility in convening information without going through gatekeeping process an attribute which is most sacred to the conventional media.
Judging by the privileges and opportunities offered by social media, it is no longer considered just a communication tool, it is a source of earning sustainable income for those who understand how to monetise the features offered by social media. Also we have others who channel their skills through social media not just for making income but for disseminating information that matters to the public, either for promoting a content or for advocacy. It goes without doubt that it has become a lot easier to convey information to different categories of audience since people often make use of the social media for different purposes.
Despite the opportunities offered by social media it also possess a threat to the society, due to its fast assimilation by the public, people with ill intentions consider social media as a platform for promoting all kind of ill mannered content which also become accessible to the public. Either intentionally or unintentionally the rate of unethical usage of social media is definitely worth looking into. It makes you wonder what the source of the issue could be, for most people they are ignorant about the manner at which they make use of social media, since everyone with a smart phone have the privilege of making use of the social media platforms of their choice but what if there was a way to solve this issue by creating a formal structure that educates people about the merits and demerits of social media.
Speaking of a formal structure, I'm talking about the educational system. There are different kind of course that has found its way into the academic curriculum as the world evolves. I wouldn't say it doesn't exist already, I remember during my days in higher institution I did a subject called multimedia and information technology, this subject comprises of detailed information about the possible opportunities offered by social media and how it can be earnest by students. It also states the misuse of social media information, especially for misinformation which is as a result of lack of censorship. The issue here is that this subject is only available for mass communication students who have more elaborative understanding of media entities compared to other departments but the usage of social media has spanned beyond just one depart, it is an entity available to all.
If the subject is only available to one depart among hundreds of department that exist in a school it wouldn't make much difference. How about making it a general course likes of entrepreneurship, regardless of the department you are, in most schools in Nigeria every student is expected to undergo an entrepreneurship course, it is part of the government endeavours to ensure student acquire knowledge about monetisation of their unique skill sets.
Looking at how social media also gives the avenue of achieving the same outlined objectives set for entrepreneurship course, I don't see a reason why it is yet to become a general course yet. I mean is there any career out there that doesn't need a social media presence? This will offer the students the opportunity of learning how to make use of social media the right way, instead turning into a nuisance on social media platforms.
What will be the downsides to such a plan? Though despite the integration of social media course into the academic curriculum it doesn't ascertain that the issue of misuse of social media would be solved, we still have a larger percentage of the world without access to quality education, so even if social media becomes a subject taught in every department, the knowledge will only be limited to those with access to education. To eradicate the misuse of social media and create awareness for its career opportunities, we would have to go beyond the formal education structure.
This write-up was inspired by weekly featured content titled "Social media" in hive learners community.
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