Social Media, The New Kid
Social Media is a form of medium of communication where persons send and share messages between or among people or persons.
Communication is the process of transferring information, messages, thoughts, or ideas from one source or person to another.
The transferor or the giver gives or shares the message or the information to the transferee or the recipient.
Social Media is the new kid on the block.
It is a platform for information sharing without being regulated or controlled both by official and unofficial organizations.
It is a windowless platform or forum.It allows all.
With social media, there are no gatekeepers. Everyone freely gives information without being controlled or the message being edited.
The language is normally informal,convivial and trivial.
The writer or the giver of the information acts as the publisher, editor, and blogger. He or she has total control over what he or she shares, writes or publishes.
Social media has come to stay in our communication culture. It has become the way to go and communicate, no matter its controversial nature at times.
Issues on politics, education, health, environment, marriage, law, inheritance, infrastructure, sports, entertainment, et al are carried out or published by social media.
The traditional media like television, radio, newspapers, magazines are controlled, managed, organized and regulated.
It is rare to go contrary of the principles mentioned supra.
The following may be considered as some merits of social media
1 It is easy to publish your stories as there is no any legal control.
2 it is not cumbersome, very easy, one doesn’t need any formal training to venture into it.
3 It is not regulated
4 No training or professionalism is required
5 Almost everyone can be a social media writer
The demerits of social media
1 Because it is unregulated, it can be abused
2 Stories published can be fake, misleading and controversial.
3 Since it is unregulated, any gibberish appears on it
4 It can be used to create hate speech and conflict among persons, societies and communities.
5 It kills initiative on the part of the people as one doesn’t need any training or any research.
6 Social Media has also become a platform or forum for immoral news and information.
Communication is key to the development of society and all endeavors, but it must be controlled and regulated.
Social Media has come to help change and develop the media environment space. But, there must be regulations and directions to sanitize it.
In all, it must be encouraged to develop and have some ethos or ethics to somehow control or manage it.
Its abuse must be curtailed.
Source: Ahmed Osumani Halid
The Servant
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