Positive impacts of social media on Nigeria

The advent of social media started a long time ago. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, tells us that social media are computer-mediated technologies that allow the creation and distribution of messages, opinions, career interests and other forms of expression.

We can broadly expand the impact of social media in the Nigerian society by saying that it is indeed a great platform for the people. As a newspaper front page is an attraction to people, so also is the social media a window of information. The social media came from science and technology. Scholars have made it known that without science, there cannot be technology.

The social media has a great impact on the society. First, it changes the way that individuals communicate. Before the advancement of social media in the world, people were only involved generally in face- to-face communication or through telephone calls. Looking at the world then and now, we can see that the difference is extremely clear.

In 2000, the then president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, introduced mobile telecommunication through handsets. Before Obasanjo’s administration, there was no way that Nigerians could use the telephone to send messages to one another. But when he came on board, the situation changed. Obasanjo came up with the idea of bringing phones to Nigeria and, ever since, more technological innovations have been made.

It is indeed refreshing to realise that the social media gave rise to the establishment of social networks like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter,  We-Chat, Blackberry Messenger and the like. Facebook, for instance, was established in 2004 and research has established that it has more than 200 million registered users globally.

One advantage of the social media is that it creates opportunities for people to be able to share pictures and videos to other people at any time. Again, it allows for easy communication among different people in the world.

People can share different pictures of themselves doing their day-to-day activitie. The social media creates an avenue whereby friends and families can invite other people to like their pages or make comments where necessary.

Going further on the impact of social media on the society,  it is fair to say that it enables schools and organisations like the Nigerian Tribune to project their image through its deployment.

Education is one of the vital things of life. The social media help the individual to build up his or her educational knowledge. The social media keep the individual abreast of issues or events that pertain to human interest.

Governments at all levels have been using the social media platforms to convey their messages to Nigerians. This practice should be encouraged.

Joshua Olagundoye ,

Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo State.