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By Kate Halim
Sometimes, when someone who is having a bad day stumbles on a funny post or video on social media, the fellow starts laughing. For a moment, he forgets his worries and lets go of the stress by scrolling through social media to watch more funny videos.
This is one of the ways social media helps some people deal with economic hardship in the country. Saturday Sun spoke to some social media users who revealed how they use different social media platforms to de-stress and cope with life’s many challenges. 
Mr Ikechukwu Maduka is in his late 40s. He revealed that he would rather watch funny baby videos on Instagram and Tiktok than watch television at home. According to Maduka who sells plumbing materials at the popular Odun Ade Market along Lagos Badagry Expressway, Lagos, watching babies do funny things elongates his life.
“I love watching videos of babies doing funny things on Instagram and TikTok. I spend hours daily laughing over what these babies and children from different parts of the world do. I love the fact that their parents capture these cute, beautiful moments for us to enjoy on social media. It relieves me of the stress I face daily running around doing my business.”
Maduka said that he got addicted to watching baby videos during the COVID-19 lockdown period and since then, it has become an important part of his daily routine. “At my age, I think I need to make humour a daily affair so that high blood pressure won’t kill me. I stay away from politics and all the bad news of people killing people on social media every day. I stay sane by watching my cute baby videos,” he added.
Even though his wife and four children don’t understand his reasons for always doing what he does, Maduka stated that they don’t stop him from doing so and he is grateful that he knows how to navigate his way through social media, unlike some of his age mates who only know how to use their phones for phone calls and messaging.
He said: “Whenever I feel sad or moody, I log into my Instagram or TikTok account and start scrolling through my timeline. Before you know it, I start laughing my head off over the funny things some babies do in the videos posted on the platform. After some minutes, I become relaxed and can make better decisions regarding whatever is troubling me earlier.”
For Tolulope Harry, logging onto social media, watching funny videos and reading engaging posts help take her mind off the issues she is dealing with at different times.
The businesswoman told Saturday Sun that the good thing about being deliberate on social media is that you will find people with like minds to discuss issues with and people who can counsel you based on their own life experiences. She added that one also learns from people’s life experiences and knows that one is not alone when facing some life issues.
Harry revealed that she takes her mind off her challenges by watching funny videos posted by friends on Facebook. She added that these funny videos help her relax and unwind after a long hard day.
She said: “I use Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. I watch different funny videos on these platforms and laugh. This is how I unwind after a long and hard day. Depending on how you use social media, it can be a blessing. One has to be wise to focus on the right things.”
While not downplaying the addictive nature of these social media platforms, Harry stated that to prevent being addicted to them, she comes online only when she is ready and done with her work for the day.
“I don’t miss anything when I’m not online because my people know how to reach me when I am offline. I have learnt a lot from Twitter. I catch fun on TikTok and Instagram. I read inspiring and life-changing posts on Facebook but I know when to stop. I don’t allow my presence on social media to interfere with my day-to-day activities, especially my business. I also use social media to advertise my business, so it’s a win-win situation for me”, she said.
Joy Ike said that her social media presence is very trim because she easily gets anxious over little things. For that reason, she said that she interacts with a few people who have the same values and convictions as she does.
Ike stated that while staying away from anything that might trigger her, she enjoys comedy on the social media.
“Anything comedy, I’m in. Not dry comedy but something that will make me laugh until I forget my name. That is what I spend time watching on social media.”
In addition, Ike says she loves to learn new things, so educational posts, articles, and videos keep her relaxed. She said that she also loves anything spiritually inclined but not religion-based. She added that reading about Metaphysics, rabbit holes and weird puzzles that they bring makes her day.
“On social media, I love general entertainment. I don’t follow trends though. In all this, I’m firmly under a social rock because I love my peace of mind. I don’t watch anything that will make me uncomfortable. I love watching anything that will boost my food and spirituality business. I enjoy these activities daily,” she said.
In his late 20s, Collins Agbaje enjoys watching comedy skits on Instagram and Facebook. He told Saturday Sun that he follows some popular skit makers just for fun. He added that his day is not complete without watching at least six comedy skits daily.
“Even though I work as a digital marketer, I still find time to ease stress by watching comedy skits. Waking up every day in this country and struggling to make a living is not easy. It is particularly hard for people like me who don’t have rich uncles or aunties that can help us get to the top,” Agbaje said.
Agbaje recalled a day he messed up a client’s job and got his payment reduced. He said that particular experience wasn’t funny because he was looking forward to using the money to pay part of his rent in Lagos. He said that he almost cried when the client paid half of his fees because he didn’t get exactly what he wanted.
“That day, when I got home, I just sat down, opened my Facebook app and saw that a popular skit maker had posted a video of him in the United Kingdom. I laughed a lot after watching that video. I decided to scroll down his wall to watch more videos and I am glad that I did that. I forgot about the half payment I got for the job I did. I just waved it aside as one of those things,” he said.
Even though money is hard to come by these days, Agbaje confessed that he spends a lot of money on buying data. He added that he doesn’t mind spending so much because a lot of funny things happen on social media that keep him entertained daily. He said that he pities people who lack data in this country because being on social media and following some trendy drama when you have data helps you ease stress.
A businesswoman, Ugoeze Blossom said that social media helps her cope with the challenges of life because she is focused on making more sales and making her brand more visible while still catching fun on social media. Blossom said that social media makes it easier to connect with prospects and make sales.
But when it comes to dealing with the challenges of being a struggling Nigerian, Blossom revealed that watching funny skits and stories helps her to briefly forget and brush off her worries.
She said: “I watch funny skits and stories. I watch it any time of the day because I’m addicted to it and can use my last money to buy data so I can come online at any time of the day. I spend 10 to 15 hours a day watching funny videos.”
Catherine Ayeni told Saturday Sun that she watches a lot of baby videos on Instagram because she is nursing a baby and doing that soothes her mind. She added that watching babies make funny noises while eating and playing or messing up their clothes with food or drinks relaxes her after a long day.
Ayeni revealed that she spends about one to two hours a day watching baby videos. She noted that even though the economic situation in the country is not pleasant, she added that she is doing everything possible to make herself happy.
“There is nothing as funny as watching babies do their thing. It doesn’t have to make sense to an adult but babies don’t care. Babies are innocent and are in a world of their own. Watching them say and do funny things makes me smile. These days, I also get my baby to watch with me.”
Ayeni added that relaxing on social media also means watching food videos. “I love food. I love cooking different foods, so I watch food videos from different people with different cultures to learn new delicacies. I enjoy doing that daily.”
