The Power of the Social Media

The junction the river changes direction determines the destiny of the river. The real change to democratic governance is the social media. Never again would democracy be shaped by ideology but the social media. The Arab Spring started in Tunisia and spread to the entire Arab world. This notion made governments of these countries to meet the demands of the people. The nucleus of the agitation is centered on good governance, restructuring and creating good living conditions for the citizens. The protest in Nigeria started with the young people demanding police reform which is #EndSars. The social media is the greatest medium for young people to aggregate their views and opinions.

The birth of EndSars movement started in 2017. Like Arab Spring it started on the social media. Spring is the season of new beginnings. Fresh buds bloom, animals awaken and the earth seems to come to life again. The social media brought a new normal to social mobilizations and coalitions. The impact of this technology wave has been immensely underrated. The social media became a platform for movement of the people. It became an avenue where consensus could aggregate. Bob Marley’s song spoke about movement of the people, “Exodus.”  The social revolution we’ve witnessed is indelible, Black Lives Matter, Arab Spring and EndSars which got emboldened on the social media. According to Jack Dorsey, “Expect the unexpected.

And whenever possible be the unexpected.” The social media has created a capacity of connections among cultures. It is the greatest form of networking in the 21^st century. Every form of technology has its vice; tagging social media with fake news is not only ephemeral but shallow. All forms of media have been regulated but the social media’s resilience is a hard nut to crack. The 20 years of social media dominance in this century has caused a social revolution that the world has never witnessed before. The social media has created an unprecedented platform to galvanize a social cause that would hold leaders accountable in the 21^st century.

The benefits of social media could not be overemphasized with over 2billion people in the world active on these platforms. Politicians, Entrepreneurs, celebrities, non business organizations use these social media platforms to connect to their audiences. The innovations of social media are a creative way of sharing your contents, connecting with your followers, and the cheapest way of communicating with people locally, nationally and globally. Politicians use the social media to campaign and promote engagement between them and party members. Most politicians in this dispensation have a handle on the social media, ignoring the advantages and promoting the regulation is an anathema to social progress in the 21^st century.

The economic miracles of China shall soon be threatened with the strong regulation of social media. The free speech power it gives to people is a testament that world is on the path of becoming a better place. Fake news didn’t start with the social media but it’s been a problem of civilization and industrialization. The early 19^th century newspapers were using sensationalism and fake stories to increase circulations. False and unfounded news material is not nascent. It has been around long before the social media, it is what tabloids were using to increase readership. Politicians have been real propagators of fake news on social media. Historically it was what the Nazi used as a propaganda machine against the Jews to spread hatred and anti-Semitism before the Second World War.

Politicians are quick to discredit what holds them accountable however the social media companies must be held responsible for allowing their platforms to be used as a venue for hate speech.