Social Media is definitely a spontaneous information dissemination platform but its vulnerability to misapplication is one of the major downsides.
Whereas with Traditional Media each new content needs to pass through different layers of gatekeeping to accord authenticity and veracity to the reportage, the aspect of New Media that freely allows anybody with an Android phone to function as Reporter, Editor and Publisher at the same is increasingly endangering decent practice of what some of us regard as a noble profession that accords respect, dignity and the sobriquet ‘Gentlemen of the Press’ to practioners.
While trying to endure the frequent publication of explicit vulgar images by Social Media users, a young man that claims to be a ‘Writer ‘ in his Facebook profile and at the same time ‘ Housekeeper’ in a hotel today went to town with a cock and bull story, unwittingly targeted at rubbishing obviously one of our proudest gospel exports from the city of Umuahia. This is despicable, condemnable and also spiritually damnable. Infact, his malfeasance nearly spoiled my commemoration of two special events.
I am therefore making this post to raise concern about the alarming danger of people abusing the Social Media platform by making frivolous and unverifiable assertions since it is a practice that has the potency of taking away authenticity from our reportage and subsequently destroying the noble profession.
Without meaning to speak for anyone in particular, I want to call out the Facebook owner of the account holder with the name AKACHUKWU ONYEGBULAM by requesting him to tell his readers the 5 W’s of the hogwash publications he posted on his Facebook wall earlier today. What value is that scandalous material supposed to add to the reading public? It may be that he is trying to use the strategy of name dropping to attract undeserved fame to himself but what about cherished societal values and ethos. Must he drag another person’s name to the mud in order to build a large community of social media followers?
Without going into the legal and spiritual consequences of this apparent journalistic misadventure, I want to request all right thinking Media Persons and good spirited Abians to speak up in condemnation of this flagrant abuse of the Social Media platform while compelling Mr AKACHUKWU ONYEGBULAM to retrace his footsteps.
Sleek Ogwo,ANIPR
