Nigerian Youth And Their Scary Use Of Social Media

The news over the past week has been full of disturbing news of our Nigerian youth and their scary use of social media. When I talk to young people I tell them that they need to be responsible digital citizens, they need to take responsibility for their actions and what they post online. I discuss the importance of digital footprints and how what you share on the internet stays online forever.

During my recently concluded online safety training which I ran in collaboration with Grow with Google, I discussed the concept of the oversharer with the children that I trained. Interestingly, I realized that the older children have started to have this attitude of “we know all this” why do we need to go over this. But we need to talk about this and often, no matter what age your child is. Obviously the conversation needs to be different based on the age of the child, but whether they are 5 years old or 20 there is the need to have regular conversations about online safety and being a responsible digital citizen.

Nigerian Youth and Social Media
Nigerian Youth and Social Media

It is so important to understand that a picture or video going viral is not always something you control. We all need to understand that once something is shared online it belongs to the whole world! Anyone can decide to share anything they find online – whether they get permission or not.

As is the case with the FUTA story and the Babcock University cases which recently surfaced, their videos went viral with grave consequences. I wonder if anyone had ever talked to them about what appropriate online behaviour is. I am sure there are people who will say well they should know better and not have shared such online. But let me ask you a question? when a student graduates from University they will get career advice from others, they will likely discuss their career plans with their parents, mentors and even career counsellors, right? No one expects them to just figure it out themselves.

The use of social media is no different, our children and young adults need guidance. The biggest challenge is that parents feel that they do not understand social media and so do not feel that they can have these conversations with their children. The minute you feel you are not qualified to talk about it; or all you do is dramatize the use of social media and call it the devil or say it is all bad; you are being an irresponsible parent. Having honest conversations about all the aspects of being online is critical.

Many children are unnecessarily exposed and might pay a steep price; because they do not know the appropriate way to behave online. Have you talked to them about online safety, identifying fake news, sharing responsibly and more? Take this Quiz on How Digital Savvy you are as a Parent. 

Recent Online Atrocity with our Nigerian Youth

What you share online stays online forever! I stress this often and always when I train children and parents about being responsible digital citizens. If they take nothing else away except this, it is a good starting point.

Let us look at what happened in recent cases online. Some students of FUTA ganged up on a fellow student to teach her a lesson. In addition to beating her, as if not bad enough in itself, they shared the video online. Read more and watch here.

Fast forward and this video has gone viral; some of the students have been arrested and the school has apparently suspended the students while carrying on further investigations. In addition, their photos and their names are all over the internet and several memes have erupted. A digital footprint that has left a dirty trail for the bullies and has put their futures at stake. What were they thinking you might ask? No one knows.

Across social media, the victim has been hailed as a strong woman because she refused to kneel down.

 

In the most recent one I came across, some Babcock University students decided to film themselves having sex. Following this, the boy in question either decided to post the video or it was leaked. Reports share that the male student had already been expelled and the girl in question in her third year at the University has been expelled.

Babcock University, student

There are several discussions going on as to whether she should have been expelled or not. But that is not the only point, she has gone viral online. There are worrying reports on Twitter that suggest she has or wants to attempt suicide. See when people go viral for the wrong reason and are facing the reality of their dirty digital footprint – they cannot handle the shame and blame that comes with it.

Evolution of Social Media

Social media in the space of a decade has changed the way the world interacts. The truth is that at the click of a button so much can happen. A thought shared, a tweet retweeted, outrage and rumours can spread in seconds. Social media can also be used to make new connections, learn about what is trending, learn about opportunities and find positive collaborations. [Tweet “We need to ask ourselves and our children; What are you using social media for?”]

Facebook’s early mission was “to make the world more open and connected”—and in the first days of social media, many people assumed that a huge global increase in connectivity would be good for the world. As social media has aged, however, optimism has faded and the list of known or suspected harms has grown.

At the very beginning, social media felt very different than it does today. Friendster, Myspace, and Facebook all appeared between 2002 and 2004 to help users connect with friends. The sites encouraged people to post about their lives, but they offered no way to spark conversations or outrage. When Twitter arrived in 2006, its primary innovation was the timeline: a constant stream of 140-character updates that users could view on their phone. Facebook In 2009, added the “Like” button, for the first time creating a public metric for the popularity of content. Twitter also made a key change in 2009, adding the “Retweet” button. The evolution from just sharing photos with friends to this constantly connected world with all the good and bad was well on its way.

Apparently, Chris Wetherell who was one of the engineers who created the Retweet button for Twitter admitted to BuzzFeed that he now regrets it. As Wetherell watched the first Twitter mobs use his new tool, he thought to himself: “We might have just handed a 4-year-old a loaded weapon.”

 

The Dark Psychology of Social Media

According to Yale psychologist Molly Crockett, the normal forces that cause us to pause and think have been eroded, for example before you join an outrage mob you would take time and pause. We should take the time to reflect and cool off before jumping into a situation where emotions are running high.

The desire to trend, like posts and have our posts liked and jump in on the conversations going on online has changed the core of being a caring human. What this translates to is that when you cannot see the person’s face, empathy disappears.

Our children are growing up in a world with information flowing continually into their eyes and ears; a mix of ideas, narratives, songs, images, and more. The way social media platforms are designed, they make outrage contagious.

In reality, members of Gen Z; those born after 1995 or so; have unprecedented access to information but may find themselves less familiar with the accumulated wisdom of humanity than any recent generation. This is because even though there is so much information available; what makes it to their feeds is the outrageous news that does not necessarily hold wisdom or truth.

How to Fix Social Media
Block Negativity.

One way social media platforms are trying to manage all the negativity is by using AI. AI can identify text that is similar to comments previously flagged as toxic. Instagram has seen that this extra step helps Instagram users to rethink hurtful messages.

Removing of likes.

the process of hiding like and share counts might be a welcome step. This way social-media users are not subject to continual, public popularity contests.

Communicate Often.

Lastly, parents and teachers need to talk to our children and youth early and often. While not making it out to be all bad, we all need to have real conversations about social media. Discussions about what it means to be a responsible digital citizen. This conversation is an important part of being a responsible and intentional parent. There is a lot at stake for our children if they engage with the online world in a negative way.

Click here to read: [How Your Child’s Social Media Behaviour Can Affect Their Future]

Sign up for a Digital Savvy Webinar Training for Parents here 

Scroll to Top