SOCIAL MEDIA EVILS IN KENYA

Social media! One of the best and worst things to happen to Kenya. The best part is: it connects us to friends and family who are miles away, it helps us network and interact with people we don’t get a chance to meet in our daily lives, it helps build business networks and to advertise, it gives us a platform to share our sentiments and spread laughter through various humorous posts and photos.

The worst part is: people have resulted in using social media sites especially facebook, to hate on others, to create R.I.P pages for people who are very much alive (just because they said or did something that didn’t go down well with them). The worst I have seen, is spreading hate messages targeting people of certain communities. The 2013 elections have clearly brought this out, to the extent that a lot of propaganda has been spread on social media. I don’t understand why we have resulted to this as Kenyans especially youth. As if we don’t already have enough problems.

It is said that the youth are the future of this nation and I believe they are. Well, with youth who have stooped so low that they have spread hate messages and propaganda about this, that and the other, I wonder what sort of future they are going to lead this country into. We want tribalism to end but we can’t seem to get down to actually working towards ending it. No-one can blame tribalism on the 2007/8 elections outcome. We didn’t just suddenly become tribalistic. We always were and that era simply brought this to the surface and fuelled it further. As youth we’re supposed to be the ones to bring this to an end, yet it looks like we’re just as bad as those who came before us. I target the youth because they hold the key to this nation’s great future and because they’re the ones on social media. STOP IT!!

Stop spreading hate messages and targeting people just because you do not like them or like where they come from, or you don’t support their cause. Stop creating distasteful pages which are not building anything or anyone, simply because you think it’s hilarious. Stop hating on people so much because they did something that you don’t approve of – everyone has their flaws. I’m sure if all of ours were to be paraded for the whole world to see we’d probably be worse. Stop putting up pages that only fuel hatred, contempt, lust, bitterness, anger et al. And you know what? It’s about time the rest of us stopped LIKING those pages which are immature and distasteful. Surely!! 

We need young people who are ready to get on their knees for this nation. Youth who are the change they want to see. Youth who will speak out against ills in a SENSIBLE manner and not in a way which brings about hatred and anger. Be sensible and wise before recklessly throwing about words. Our words have the power to build and destroy. Believe that. So use your words to build this nation and not destroy it.

Social media is a great tool that can be used to spread great messages, like the numerous peace messages that have made rounds during this election period.

We say we want change but are we really ready for this? We want change, but are we ready to work for it? It will not come automatically. It will not come from our leaders. Change begins with us and we need to start with changing our mindsets and attitudes towards one another. Change that mindset which makes you look at people from different tribes, races, or classes in a negative way. People can be all sorts of evil or good, it doesn’t matter WHERE they come from.

I’m really disappointed in some of my friends on social media making statements that are bound to cause strife. If we keep thinking and acting irresponsibly, we’ll go nowhere as a nation. This is beyond our elections! CHANGE!! Ask God to help you for without Him you can’t. And by the way, even some of those stereotypes we love to use, we really should stop. It might be funny to you, but you never know who you’re pissing off.

Are you ready and willing to pray for this country? Are you ready to help change and transform Kenya? Change your mindset and attitude first. If you don’t, don’t expect to change anything else. Be responsible social media users and stop misbehaving and shaming our beloved country!