Follow Us on Google
Many have converted the social media platforms into an all comers affair and playground for all, especially the younger generation. All the paraphernalia of positive personal life should not be laid on the altar of social media as a lot of people have taken to doing. Some, whatever they see or experience on the platform is imbibed and it becomes a part of them, changes their intuition and becomes a new normal for them. To such people, I say that life is not lived on Facebook and the other social media platforms. There is more to the abracadabra of social media than meets the eyes; otherwise, why do people fall in love with the new trend? For some reasons, the deception by those who allow themselves to be cuckolded by what they see daily is still very deep and becoming very alarming. It has become so bad that some have completely forfeited their lives, only to work on the nitty-gritty of what the social medium feeds them with. To think that a tiny piece of the smart android phone which is perpetually in our various hands and pockets, would change the mindsets of complete adults to act like babies is most alarming; no one will believe it.
Worthy of note is the fact that most harm is done through the social media platform to people who are naïve, those who refuse to learn and understand that not all that glitters on social media is gold. Many have been wrecked financially because they clicked on links that seemed attractive to check. Now, attractive pieces, beautiful faces, gorgeous clothing, state of the art buildings, luxury items and the stunning artifacts being displayed on social media daily do not mean life has become bread and butter. Someone who has no proper understanding of life might easily be led astray. People who live their lives on Facebook, need to understand the sense behind the maxim that says, ‘he who brings infested firewood from the bush has also invited the lizard.’ As long as one is an ardent follower on social media, the person might be heading for some actions he or she did not bargain for. Reason is that there are some disintegrated facts that are set as traps, and once it holds onto a victim, the person becomes the prey of social media. It is not for nothing that people would wake up from sleep and the first stretch would be to pick up their phones and flip through them for messages and breaking news.
That man or woman who is being admired because he or she dresses elegantly on social media regularly, do you know what he or she is passing through? If one should exchange life, would you like to wear his or her shoes in their predicament?
One of the greatest truths taught by our experiences is that the whole truth is not on Facebook and Instagram after all. True life rests on the responsible standard practice which is universally accepted, socially desirable and economically profitable; any description out of the norm is out if it. Both men and women have been deceived with well edited pictures posted online and some are caught in the web without knowing it. Though not all smoothly displayed pictures are a scam, one just needs to be careful. It has happened to people and is still happening just like Ruth Onyena, who had a bitter taste of it. As a final year student in one of the tertiary institutions in the South-West, Ruth had gone to a dating site and got entangled with Dennis who resides in Canada. It was love-tango with an unending gist via the internet. The wee hours of the night were not complete without the smooth romantic talks that turned the head of Ruth. They really hit it hard on social media without the proper checks and balances. Now, Dennis hid his ghastly motor-accident and was going through a maxillo-facial surgery. Her boo would always chat her up with his older pictures and videos before the accident and Ruth thought she was hooking up with the right guy who lived in Canada. It was a shock to her when the story of her lovely man was told with details by a close relative who knew better. It was one of those deceptions of social media that affects life.
Succinctly put, the exaggeration of social media will surely lead some people to hellfire if care is not taken. The imitation and permutation can lead others to dislike themselves. The moment someone jets out of the country, photos would flood all pages, but those photos do not fly with the old brick houses, neither one brandishes a rickety vehicle. Most other people display accomplished pictures and never that of their suffer-head. On account of the deception on social media, men and women need to be cautious because the whole truth is not on social media. Phyna is a paragon of beauty who turns heads whenever she appears on the platforms with all designer outfits and accessories in her kitty, but little did most of the netizens who comment and compliment her know she was battling with a major overseas: all her children had autism. Again, not so many also knew she used her great stylish looks as a therapy for the deep in her heart. Most of her admirers do not know that she would have preferred an impoverished lifestyle with healthy children instead of wealth in tears and pains which is displayed on social media. Pastors’ wives who grace the pages of the platforms with different stylish looks, be bold and proud and display your pictures before fortune smiled and make-up supported the look.
For those who spend their lives as dictated by social media, know that you have opened a window of confusion, deception and distraction into one’s life might not be inevitable. Security experts would always warn on the dangers of social media misuse and ask people to desist from public exposure to avoid future attacks the way James Joseph family were thoroughly monitored through his wife’s posts on social media before they struck. For eight months, the robbers carefully studied the family before m they finally hit. When one of the robbers was apprehended and interrogated,he said: “We studied the wife’s social media page for eight try months before we struck.”
When a 16-year-old neighbour’s son would never step out to pick his toiletries from a nearby shop except he orders from Jumia who would deliver on his doorstep, it is a case that the whole truth is not on social media. Those who look so adoring, standing top notch with their fashion and accessories, best diet influencer, then post their beautiful pictures online. Just like other people are going through their own challenge, they are also going through theirs privately and quietly. Some of the girls who went through the knife to get a liposuction surgery would definitely dazzle on social media, but the health challenge they are enduring is not what you can wish on your worst enemy. Some use the page to cover cancer, seek for happiness that has eluded them; cover up one thing or the other. With many encouraging words at the comment section, many go through the comments with joy; put up a smile and happy moment to endure the pains and dissatisfaction of the ailment. Well, I am not condemning making a great impression on social media, but people to be wise about such displays.
To avoid digital distraction and deception, people need to be available time well, to achieve their goals in life. One favourite quote I learnt years ago is that he who feeds you can also starve you. Social media is feeding many today, but can also starve someone someday.
