Social media is a space for people to rant, share their hot takes and opinions about different topics. From celebrities and fashion to personal life, and even politics. Decades ago, social media platforms were used solely for entertainment purposes. However, over the years, they have evolved to serve better purposes beyond entertainment. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, have become spaces to discuss politics; and support or tackle a system of government or a particular body. Nowadays, politicians use social media platforms to promote their campaigns, policies, and image. You see them posting pictures of their good deeds to gain favors from citizens. This helps them connect with their voters and also share their visions and policies. Similarly, social media is a space for citizens to engage and talk about politics. For today’s Hive Learners topic, I’ll discuss the influence of social media on the politics of my country.
It has been more than 60 years since my country gained independence. In the past 60 years, my country has experienced different systems of government, including two coups where the military government ruled the country. My country is blessed with natural resources. Nigeria is one of the top producers of petroleum. One would expect that the price of petrol in Nigeria would be lower for citizens. Sadly, the reverse is the case. One would expect that Nigeria would be one of the top countries, or at least, a fast-developing country, but we are still very far from that. In simple words, the economy is in shambles and no one is doing anything about it. Presently, social media platforms are our greatest strengths. That’s where citizens go to rant, complain, and tackle governmental bodies, hoping that their actions would ignite a change. The big question is; is social media safe?
I mentioned earlier that social media is like a double-edged sword. One edge is wielded by politicians, while the other edge is in the hands of voters. On the part of the politicians, they have discovered a big secret; they have realized that they can use social media to deceive citizens and that is what they have been doing for years. Out of the blue, a politician might just come out of nowhere, and talk about how he built a pipe borne water and fed thousands of orphans, to gain favour in the sight of the citizens. While some politicians genuinely do this, most times, others tell lies. Their main aim is to deceive the citizens and gain favour.
Social media is the only place citizens can tackle the government and avoid being brutalized. But, is that still the case? About a month ago, a youth (NYSC corper) complained about the government on social media. She shared a video where she complained about the prices of goods and services. In her words, “the president is terrible at doing his job.” Truthfully, the president is terrible. All that she said in the video was right. The country is in a worse state than it had ever been. So, how is it not terrible? All she did was speak the truth- express her rights, but what did she get in return? Hours after sharing that video, she got calls from people in positions of authority, threatening her to take the video down.
Social media has helped us express our rights and campaign for our desired candidate. I remember during the last presidential election, everyone, particularly the youths were in favour of a particular candidate. We believed that he was the right person who would change the country. So, we took to social media platforms to campaign for him and convince people to support him. Unfortunately, corruption was two steps ahead of us.
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