Whew, I won’t lie, I’ve been eager to write about this because I’ve engaged in several
conversations around this, and more often than not, it ends with agreeing to disagree, because
like you already know, perspective differs.
Quite frankly, I believe it’s a blessing and also a curse; I’ll explain (before you come
for me).
So, the world has gone digital and heck, it’s amazing how you can be in the comfort of
your home and get information about a nation that is several miles away.
Let’s not forget that you can also on a very good day, check up on your longtime friend
who just janded (you can even discuss your plans to Japa too lol).
You can connect with anyone and share your thoughts and opinions with the world without
the fear of being judged on who you are.
Ohhh, here’s another one…irrespective of your location, you can effortlessly increase
your knowledge, watch videos, share moments with loved ones and what have you.
Did you also know that sometimes, social media can help keep you sane (not all the time,
I’ll come back to this).
You know how you are having a bad day and you go online to watch some funny videos to
help you let go of your worries, temporarily maybe; but hey, you feel good right?
Now having said all of these, we can’t deny the fact that social media has its glaring
disadvantages. I’ll highlight a few to give a proper perspective.
Quick question, have you tried using Google to find the leading cause of some symptoms
you are experiencing and it redirects you to sites that make you want to run for your life
because suddenly, the headache becomes the leading cause of everything deadly.
Sometimes, the information seen on social media can be misleading, especially because
everyone has the freedom to put up anything on social media with little or no restrictions.
Lately, frauds and scams have hiked on social media and a lot of people have had to lose
their hard-earned money having been cajoled into making online purchases from fake vendors.
I have a friend who believes that she can only buy items she can see in real-time and
she probably made this decision because of an experience she had with a fake online vendor.
Banks and financial services are also at risk on social media because a lot of clone
accounts spring up daily; making it difficult to determine authentic brands on social media.
This disadvantage I’m about to highlight, no one ever willingly agrees to it but truly a
large percentage of people are on this table. Social media addiction has eaten deep into the
fabric of our society and it is highly damaging because it makes a lot of people anti-social and
eventually makes them self-isolate.
You can have 5 friends who make plans to chill after a stressful week and 80% of the
time when they are “chilling”, they’re all on their mobile devices, exploring different social
media sites.
Wow, I didn’t realize I had written a lot of things because obviously, I have a lot on
my mind on this subject matter.
Well, my answer to the question of whether social media is a blessing or a curse would
be “social media is a blessing in disguise” and that's on that.
Your friend from Aide
At the forefront of our minds since the last inauguration, echoes the resounding words of the fifth stanza from our national anthem, "The Labour of our hero past shall never be in vain." Nigeria, my cherished country, pulsates with the fervent voices of patriotic citizens, fueled by their unwavering dedication and refusal to abandon her.
There are whole loads of questions you need to ask yourself before starting that business. Some of these questions will be, what is your long-term plan? How do I intend to bring my business into the market? etc.
This is the official blog of Aide Solutions, a creative and digital marketing agency in Lagos, Nigeria.