Use social media responsibly
AN elderly man with a bloodied face lay writhing in agony on the tarmac following a road traffic accident on Chiremba Road in Harare last weekend.
The injured man had used the last strength he had to crawl out of the wreckage of his vehicle.
No one among the people who had gathered at the accident scene rendered first aid or called for the man to be ferried to hospital. Instead, the people were busy taking videos and all manner of photographs, including selfies, to splash on social media.
Imagine the trauma the man’s family went through on seeing images of their loved one circulating everywhere!
In a separate incident, a building believed to be as old as the capital city itself, went up in smoke on Wednesday evening. Balls of ferocious fire consumed almost everything, including hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise belonging to flea market traders.
The fire left a dent on the lives of fellow citizens who ran the flea market business. Again, no sooner had the fire started than a huge crowd gathered at the scene to take videos and photographs.
Even passing motorists could be seen taking photographs of plumes of smoke billowing from the building, endangering their lives and those of other road users. Not to be outdone was an ice cream vendor, who was seen standing atop his cart so that he could take photographs from a vantage point.
It is believed firefighters had a torrid time accessing the building because of the crowds that had camped there.
“I am right there in the thick of things, presenting live these things as they happen. Handiiti! Ndakatozvipengerwa zvangu, and for more, please hit the subscribe button,” you hear people saying as they will be filming horrific events.
Gentle reader, the urge to be the first to present to the world graphic details of mishaps as they unfold has taken root in our society to a point where one wonders whether people still value life anymore.
Nowadays, there are so many videos of people fighting and attacking others with sharp objects like knives, machetes and broken beer bottles that one is left asking whether it was not prudent for the photographers and cameramen to stop the barbaric acts, instead of filming them and presenting to the world just how unkind humankind can be.
It appears people now take every opportunity to capitalise on other people’s misfortunes.
According to experts, social media has become essential to our lives, especially for children, as it provides a platform to learn new things and interact with people worldwide.
However, it also has many disadvantages. These are:
1. Addiction: Social media is addictive and can be time-consuming.
2. Poor communication skills: Social media makes us more self-centred and less empathetic towards others. It makes us more narcissistic than ever because we can easily show off our achievements.
3. Fake news: Fake news stories are increasingly becoming viral on social media networks. Such stories often spread like wildfire among young people, who are impressionable and lack critical thinking skills.
4. Social media can cause sleeplessness: Studies show that when people spend too much time on social media, they have trouble sleeping, leading to insomnia and other sleep disorders.
5. Inappropriate content: While some parents monitor their kids’ social media accounts, most do not have access to them. This can lead to some dangerous situations.
6. Cyber-attacks: It will help if you protect yourself from these threats by using passwords that are difficult to guess (like capital letters or numbers), changing passwords regularly and staying away from public Wi-Fi hotspots wherever possible.
7. Lack of confidence: In some cases, social media can lead to low self-esteem and depression.
8. Fear of missing out: People constantly checking their phones for new messages or updates may become anxious if they do not see anything promptly. This can lead to stress and anxiety if people use social media excessively.
9. No privacy: There is no privacy on social media as it is public by nature. Anyone can access the content posted on social media without prior notice or permission from the user who originally posted it.
10. Depression: Getting close to depression is another potential side effect of spending too much time on social media sites like Facebook or Instagram. Getting too caught up in one’s own life can lead many people into depression. One way of preventing this is by opening up channels with others, who are also using social media sites.
The bottom line is, we have to use social media responsibly.
Inotambika mughetto.