The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar III, recently described social media as a terrorist organization. The sweeping remarks from one of Nigeria’s most important religious leaders serve up scrutiny on a space that has become as invasive as it is inventive.
However, in a country where terrorist organizations are springing up almost daily with terrorists driving communities and families to the edge, to clothe anyone or anything with the cloak of terrorism is not to be taken lightly at all.
Free speech and freedom of expression come with a great deal of responsibility. But they are also some of the greatest marks of democracy if not the greatest. In fact, the extent to which citizens can express themselves or refrain from doing so is a direct measure of how free society is.
Since social media swept into Nigeria on the back of the digital revolution kickstarted by digital communication technologies, countless lives have been changed beyond recognition. The advent and advancement of digital platforms like Facebook,X (formerly known as Twitter) have opened unprecedented channels of communication, boosting relationships and business beyond measure.
In bridging communication gaps, diluting distance and disadvantage and making access possible, social media has been an improbable gift.
The expression revolution
But, beyond the game-changing effect of social media on business and the global economy, it is on democracy, especially on citizens’ participation in government that social media has had its greatest impact until date. Citizens who had very little access to expressing themselves through mainstream media have embraced the endless possibilities of social media to find their voice and express themselves.
This has seen social media become a powerful meeting point for citizens who were hitherto shut out of traditional media. This has meant more participation from citizens in public life, more awareness.
Expectedly, given the sharp rise of access to social Media, the rapid and rabid demand for accountability from citizens on their government has only increased with social media powerfully empowering people all over the world to create awareness and demand accountability and transparency from those who serve them in government.
In a world where most governments leave much to be decide in the way they mix the poverty of their ideas with overwhelming apathy, social media has become a powerful tool.
Why does the Sultan feel so much animosity towards social media? Would he rather Nigerians are unable to express themselves because the more traditional means of self-expression have been hijacked? Given the Sultan’s weight of experience in serving Nigeria before he became one of the country’s most important religious leaders, is he one of those who think Nigerians should not be free to express themselves?
Social media is not a terrorist organization. It has done a lot of good in the world today, even if it has not all been a force for good. Just as it has provided ample opportunities for people to express themselves, it has also given rise to unscrupulous elements who do not mind the disintegration of society as it is. This makes it imperative that some form of leash be kept on social media.
But maximum care must be exercised not to make the leash too tight so as to erode the opportunities offered by the space.
Ike Willie-Nwobu,
Ikewilly9@gmail.com
