Givean Samulandela

Social media has become a dormant medium for information access, communication, and content sharing. Social media enhance access to information and promote freedom of expression through which individuals share content without fear of reprisal.

Social media introduced many advantages in the field of communication but less can be said about its impact on morality. 

Social media platforms have been turned into places of slander, and defamation which has resulted in moral decay where users post anything they see fit to their purpose and context with the reasoning of exercising their freedom of expression without taking into account the domino effects their actions will bring to other factors involved. 

Commonly on WhatsApp groups, some users are engaging themselves in immoral behaviour by sharing information made for group consumption with the outside world and have gone as far as taking screenshots of private conversations and sharing these screenshots in the public domain in the name of shaming someone or for popularity.  People engaged in these practices often fail in analysing the domino effects of their actions. 

One wonders, do these people know what will happen to the family members and children of their victims, are their actions worth the damage they will cause? 

In situations like these, children become innocent victims and always pay a heavy price. Social media immorality renders children victims of bullying and depression which can lead to underperformance at school, substance abuse, and sometimes suicide. Not only does this conduct affect children, but they also destroy families, homes, and the mental wellbeing of the victim. When you post something on social media and these chains of events follow, do not blame the government but blame yourself for your own incapacitation. 

We need to understand that once information has been posted into the public domain like social media, it is impossible to control or delete as it becomes vulnerable to further sharing and its effects are always undesirable. No, lawsuits cannot stop information from flourishing in the public domain, thus, we must be very careful about how we conduct ourselves when dealing with social media.

Cyber security is a very important aspect or lesson we all should acquaint ourselves with as it helps us analyse our content before posting in the public domain. Not all information belongs on social media, and not all information should be kept on our cell phones, tablets, or computers because for as long as they are connected to the internet, our data and information are not safe. On the other hand, our devices can be lost or stolen. Let us be a responsible nation and use social media to bring about social development and access to information.

Be a responsible citizen and don’t always search for the limelight. Speak only that which you know, and post only that which will bring positive change, peace, and development to our beloved country. 

*Givean Samulandela is an information officer in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. Media Liaison Division.