Hi people,saw this write up and wished we all should have a rethink.I totally agree with most of it and thus am sharing it. the question I asked myself was "where do I need to revolutionalize in my own way?" you be ur own judge....

Social Media and the technologies that drive it were intended to be a force for social good that expanded the individual’s reach beyond his physical proximity. However, over the years since the emergence of the medium many of its users are beginning to see a negative side of its use amongst young people which must be addressed otherwise it will lead to an erosion of core societal values.


As a youth and young adult, many of those in my age bracket learnt the art of reading people’s non verbal communications or body language by practicing whole body listening and it helped us grow from self awareness to awareness of others and from self management to relationship management. But today, many young adults are unable to develop these vital skills because more of their communication are done over social media. Youths have learnt the art of reading the keypads of an iPhone or blackberry device without looking at it and can even Instant Message a friend while driving without looking at the keypad. The non verbal language they read meanings to are emoticons.

And so, gradually, our children and young adults are losing the art of relating and gaining the skill of communicating. Relationships teach the growing child how to empathize-that is to understand and share the feelings of another person. Since one on one relationships are giving way to social communications via devices that don’t require physical proximity, many young persons are growing to be adept at written communication skills and are missing out on other levels of communications that help them empathize with the other person.

I never knew the level of this problem until this year. Even though the Social Media age has led to a massive reduction in attention span such that what happened yesterday is old news, some people may still remember that some high profile public figures had health scares this year.

First, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd), a former military Head of State had to go on an extended medical trip to Europe sometime in 2013. Everybody is subject to ill health. It is part of being human. But imagine my surprise when young persons on Social Media who were on the other side of the political divide from that to which the General subscribes to began to celebrate his ill health and wishing him the worst. I was appalled. I know that politics is war by other means, but even in war you don’t attack the sick. The Geneva convention expressly makes it a war crime to attack a hospital or any place where people are being treated.

I wondered to myself, where is our humanity? I have never liked Muhammadu Buhari’s brand of politics, but I am able to separate him from his politics and I respect him for the consistently loyal following he is able to command in certain parts of the country. He is first and foremost a human being and Jesus taught us that we do not have to like our neighbour but we do have to love them and to love a neighbour is to wish for them what you wish for yourself.

And then in November of 2013 President Goodluck Jonathan was slightly indisposed while attending the Honorary International Investors Council in London and the presidency very pro-actively informed Nigerians and gave them up to date information on the president’s state of health.

And this time, those on the other political divide unleashed their arsenal. Without a shred of sympathy for the humanity of the president, a certain website known for the most sensational headlines went to town with obvious lies about the president. Egged on by certain ex government officials who themselves have been recipients of the president’s empathy when they suffered recent loss, some young persons took to social media platforms to disparage the president even wishing him the worst.

And then some weeks ago, the news of the proposed bill to jail those who libelled others and incited the public on social media for seven years was at the fore front of the media. The reaction to this proposed bill on social media was an indication that the medium is in dire need of a moral compass.They accused the presidency of attempting to muzzle opposition via a bill they considered as draconian. Articles disparaging the federal government were written within the space of a few hours of the bill coming to light and no indecent word was spared.

But after it came to light that the bill which they considered obnoxious was in actual fact the brain child of an All Progressive Congress senator, Olugbenga Kaka, these same youths switched and maintained social media silence. Their criticism ceased and their anger was stifled. Very soon, the issue died a natural death. It became obvious that these opposition leaning youths, egged on by those who have come to be known as ‘overlords’ thought they had a potent political weapon against the ruling party and when the issue backfired their hypocrisy was exposed. They have no moral compass and cannot be counted upon to resist injustice no matter who perpetrates it. Their ethics are situational and depends on who is involved.

After watching these scenarios unfold and countless others, it became clear to me that many young people are clueless about how to interact with a flesh and blood human [/b]though they are proficient in the art of communicating with a digital person they cannot physically see, feel and touch.



I think that [b]Social Media, especially in the hands of unscrupulous politicians has succeeded in dehumanizing public figures to many of our youths so that they see those on a political divide other than the one they support in perhaps the same way as they see a target in a video game such as Mortal Combat.

Why else would some young persons join an obviously bitter man in mocking a man who is praying to his God or erupt in choreographed celebration over the news that a governor has been involved in a car crash?



So, what is the solution to this loss of empathy and a moral compass that is festering amongst our youth on Social Media?....