Communication is vital to the coexistence of humans, As a result of technological advancements resulting to the foundation of social media which has been one of the greatest communication channel of man kind. it is quite obvious that existence of social media has gotten rid of most communication challenges that serves as a hindrance, for example the case of boundaries have been eliminated.
As a human there is no longer the need to worry about distance whenever we wish to reach out to our loved ones, they are just one click away. the introduction of social media has brought the world closer like ever before. it also serve as means of opportunities for those who have earnest the privileges offered by social media to promote their businesses and also embark on building a career on social media such as being a social media influencer.
It is amazing when you think about it, how difficult it must have been in those days without social media, the only way to reach out to our loved ones would have been through letters which could take days/months/years depending on the location of the receiver or through phone calls, a communication tool that was too expensive for an average Nigerian to have. especially in the case of disseminating information, the only source of information would have been the conventional media, people would not have alternative source to verify such information being disseminated. there is no doubt that social media has made life easier though it also has its challenges.
As an individual, over the years I have grown fond of the usage of social media to perform some activities most especially reaching out to people, advertise any kind of product or service I wish to create awareness for. though I wouldn't say I'm actually a pro in making use of social media, looking at the rate at which I use social media to perform tasks, I still consider my activities on social media to be limited. probably because I'm not really building any professional career on social media, maybe if that is the case i would have made use of social media more often but since that is not the case looking at my statistical record of usage of social media on my device I realise social media apps or platforms I make use of are very few.
Sincerely speaking, I have an account on most popular social media platforms apart from tiktok, I still can't figure out why, for some reason I don't like tiktok much. the fact that I have existing account on different social media platforms that doesn't mean I frequently make use of it, I guess sometimes it is just about creating account for later use. probably in the future I might find a reason to make use of the accounts have created.
Despite not frequently Making use of social media there is something I have noticed among its users. it is quite obvious that everyone is free to act the way they want but to what extent. I have witnessed a lot of people claim to be in possession of luxurious items just for fame and public validation. the most frustrating aspect of it is the length some people are willing to go in order to achieve this. it is so obvious that 80% of people on social media are not who they claim to be, it is either they are faking their riches or impersonating another person's identify.
One of the major promoters or influencer of this fake lifestyle on social media are celebrities. Due to the lifestyle being showcased on social media by celebrities, most people have forsaken their real identity in pursuit of a lifestyle they can't afford. Majority of these items and wears displayed on social media by celebrities are actually borrowed or rented to be used in their videos or for model showcase but this fact is not open to the members of the public because the celebrities would not say anything about the ownership, they all act like it is theirs.
it makes me wonder what is it they are trying to prove and why does it matter so much to showcase a fake life, can't you be yourself? the most annoying part of it is the impersonation aspect. the moment you try to search for a celebrity account or someone with fame you would see hundreds of fake account claiming to be who they are not. it is quite obvious that majority of this social media platforms are aware of this but chose to feign ignorant to it.
if someone like Simon leviev could make away with millions of dollars by claiming to posses things that he doesn't have and impersonating others for years without being held accountable for it. until the victims have to feature in a documentary called the tinder swindler before the whole world could be aware of the atrocities he has committed. how many more of Simon do we have running around on social media these days.
Based on my own perspective and experience I believe it is unwise for anyone to judge anyone by their social media profile because they could be anybody. you could believe you know them but you don't and the moment you give them the slightest of opportunity to get close to you the consequences could be disastrous.
This write-up was inspired by weekly weekly engagement prompt titled "Social media" in hive Ghana community.
Cover image - 𝖣𝖾𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗎𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖼𝖺𝗇𝗏𝖺
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