Frankly(n) speaking, how many of you have noticed now that people will rather bring out their mobile phones to record a two fighting rather than separate the two to bring peace between the warring parties? It’s the norm now in our society.
Two fighting bears
Public fights (recorded in public)
Everyone with a phone and camera is a non-commissioned emergency videographer/photographer at public places or where an unusual event is taking place. Even within the family, the aggrieved one will be recording the sad event with the aim and sole purpose of sharing it on the social media for five minutes of fame and likes. Some are good for evidence sake but… even at the risk of their lives and relationships.
A crowd of emergency videographers using handheld mobile phones with camera
Anyone who has seen or read recent news or videos going around on the social media about certain events in Nigeria that happened in the last few days of the past week, will agree with me that the “fake news” sector on the social media, especially in Nigeria, is very much alive and may not die soon. Check these links below for the previous parts of the fake story.
https://feferity.com/the-unothordox-use-of-the-social-media-facebook-in-particular/
https://feferity.com/using-facebook-for-good-franklyn-speaking/
This time around, there are various versions of what really happened in the courtroom where the supposed saga took place. The public was treated to different scenes from different angles, both close and long shots. The eyewitness accounts, the optical witness accounts, the online monitoring witness accounts, the armchair journalist witness accounts. Every version had a new line or sentences added to the narration so much so, that the readers became so confused and don’t know what version to believe or trust or where to pitch their tent to support.
Some noblemen, in the noble profession, has been drawn into this saga and it’s still unfolding. A top legal luminary and the highest legal office holder in one of the south-west states was named and only but because a namesake of his is the real one referred to in the story. He is now been attacked on the same social media. Even in his hometown.
A story of a short few scenes drama, with only one scene in a courtroom, became a serialised plotted scene of an epic film after mischievous versions were added to the script by “Facebook fake News” creators.
An attempt to restrain and re-arrest Omoyele Sowore
Omoyele Sowore in the midst of DSS and court officials
When those that are physically present at the ringside or main bowl (the courtroom), gave the actual account on their walls of what really happened, the non-believers or mischief-makers still debunked those real accounts and accused the writers of non-truthful account. They then re-wrote the script to fit their own warped imaginative narration of what they presumed happened or want’ to be what to have happened.
Is that very confusing? Okay, I will break it down in a few sentences.
It’s either way. 1. Because they are on the side of the main characters in the plot or 2. They are against the lead character in the saga. Whatever their intention or purpose, something was achieved and that is to confuse the unsuspecting readers or to win sympathy for one of the lead characters. The bottom line is don’t be sucked in hook line and sinker with what you read, watch or hear from the social media, especially Facebook.
So far so good. We have seen the good, the bad and the ugly side of our usage of the social network. Earlier in the second part https://feferity.com/using-facebook-for-good-franklyn-speaking/, I made mention of others who have impacted positively via this medium we call social media. They have made names, money, notoriety and above all deserved fame.
BUSINESS PURPOSE:
Facebook is a great place to let people know about your business and organization. It is a strong marketing platform and posting your ads on Facebook can get your business a lot of attention. Moreover, it’s a great way to stay connected and interact with your current customers and investing money into Facebook’s advertising platform can generate new leads. I am not doing a free ad for Facebook here but just so you know that as a former media buyer myself, with strong PR & Advertising background I know what it means to reach billions at a go on the press of a button. it’s got the power to create awareness for whatever your product or services are and also cost-effective to spread your ad to direct target audiences demographically.
Courtesy: Google images
But I am mad at them sometimes when they try to sell something, I am not interested. Even when you turn these feeds off, other one’s creeps in from the backside and you have to constantly change your settings in order to avoid some unpleasant stories of a business proposition which is in no way beneficial to you. Some are scam, fraudulent and fake business propositions or problem solvers. But I get their trick, it is called direct marketing and they think if you don’t need it now, you may in the near future or know someone who knows another somebody who will inform someone else about the product or service.
ENTERTAINMENT:
What a funny mix.. (Courtesy: Google images)
Above all Facebook amuses us in a lot of ways. Socializing is always a lot of fun and this platform is perfect for that. There is an infinite collection on all kinds of interest and Facebook is constantly perfecting its news feed so that only the most relevant posts are shown to us based on what we like most. An average user on Facebook subscribes to more than a hundred pages and that’s enough to keep a person occupied all day.
The social networking sites are platforms for all of the above but mainly for what you make of it. If you are good, you get the good out of it because you will use it to propagate goodness. If you are bad, you will spread that badness and affect others’ lives negatively. Just like the founder used it to turn his life and those around him round for good.
FINALLY
From today, (l am not preaching righteousness and chastity, just a piece of candid advice) try and choose a side to be. Use this worldwide phenomenon — social networking sites – for good to achieve your dreams, what hitherto was impossible, is now very possible. Desist from posting what you don’t know or have enough knowledge of. Don’t abuse people on other people’s wall. If you don’t know what to say or contribute to in a discussion, ZIP it and waka pass. You really don’t have to contribute because it’s not a competition. The owner of the page/wall will not even notice you were there but will when you open your mouth to abuse those who know more than you or older than you. It’s best to admit you don’t know and learn than to claim to know and remain a dunce.
Popular actor and comedian, Stephen Fry
These acts by unscrupulous Facebook users have driven a lot of good users out and away from Facebook and other social media networking sites. As I write, others are contemplating quitting so as to retain their sanity. The popular Stephen Fry — (he literally introduced Twitter to the world) when it was just starting. At one point, he has the most followers on Twitter but left because of such people. These bad social media network site users have now penetrated LinkedIn as well. How about WhatsApp, they are there too. Spreading their falsehood with fake materials they called real news.
I am sure you know they can twist a correct version of an event to superimpose their own concocted version by digitally manipulating the image or video all just to make it look real? If it’s not done for fun, then It is to mislead.
Do like me and my friend/partner Martins Segun Fajemisin. We only use Facebook to help spread the good news about people and what they do. We entertain ourselves and hardly share anything or contribute when it’s not worth it and I am sure when we are ready to share or contribute, people will believe us because we are not just any sharer.
Now I am done, and you can comment. But be careful of what you write and take a side, but choose well. Peace.
Franklyn Frantos writes form London.
All images, courtesy of Google images
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