Social media is one interesting place. There we have a lot of ‘friends’ and an equal number of enemies. For most of the people we meet and interact with on social media it’s basic, plastic, cosmetic at times; we will be with each other when up, and jump on the next hashtag to bring anyone down. What a shame. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. have all become an integral part of our daily lives that today, the biggest crisis amidst the COVID-19 pandemic is lack of data. If you ask someone what they do first thing in the morning, they are likely to say they scroll through their pages to see what is going on. As the lockdown continues in different countries, including ours, there are people that will feel the pain of slow internet speeds because their office work is being interrupted, but there are those that will be jittery since they are missing the hottest gossip or troll. The new kid on the block, well not really new, but just that the pandemic has further elevated its status, is Tik-Tok. It is so popular that everybody who has the moves, the crib or craze to show has recorded a video there. Let’s now filter through the two faces or sides of social media; the good side is where we learn from each other, find funny things to share and laugh about, and we pass news across from one platform to the next. We create hearty memes of each other and life is beautiful. The sad and terrible side is one of people that are bitter, sad, angry, and lonely and expect everyone else to be like them. This lot does not have to know you they only need a trigger, a false alarm, fake news and suddenly they are digging a dagger into your flesh. There is a young lady who did a challenge on tik-tok, it made her famous and caused many others to take on the challenge but eh, the angry lot had to find a fault. They discussed her looks, discredited her smile, fished out pictures of her without filters. Frankly speaking even my pictures of them days when Kodak was synonymous with pictures would make me look like a totally different person if put next to a picture of me today. Technology has advanced and so have our looks, heelllooo!!!! Terrible people are masked behind fake identities and names that cannot be traced to call you darling today and Satan tomorrow. We have to be cautious of these people around us. Let the numbers not fool you into thinking you are popular and loved. Perhaps one of the ways to put the lockdown to good use is reconnect with the actual people in our lives; family and real friends. We have become inhuman, hateful, dishonest, we think it is okay to call someone sweetie and praise them online and on land say how they are ugly, mean and hated. May peace and love reign among us as we hope for the lifting of the quarantine in the next few days. Sanitise and stay safe.
