THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
By Moses Oketayot
The world today finds itself in an era where human-to-human interaction is at its lowest due to the surge of technology, which has brought about virtual communication through smartphones and personal computers, among other internet-enabled devices. Its is subtle to say that youth today find great pleasure in online interactions using various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (Formerly Twitter), and Whatsapp Messenger among others. As the world continues to advance in information and communication technology (ICT), it is only a matter of time before more youth get trapped in the world of virtual friendships.
A number of youths revealed that they find comfort in social media to keep away from trouble in real-life situations like bad peer groups. Gerard Mwesigwa, 23, a barber confessed that he spends close to twelve hours on his phone interacting with his ‘friends’ when not attending to customers at the Barbershop. He adds that without his phone, the temptation to get involved in bad peer groups like gangs and drug abuse is always high. He therefore keeps glued to his phone when not doing any form of work at the shop.
He added that he does not need to watch news on television or listen to the radio because he gets first-hand news using his phone. Mr. Mwesigwa hopes to become famous one day because of the videos he shares on his TikTok account, which according to him continues to gunner more views and likes. Through social media, he was able to find a female ‘friend’ from Ghana who at one point sent him financial help, a thing he says most of his ‘real life’ friends couldn’t offer at the time. “I feel like I know her more through our online chats than the friends I have in real life.” According to him, a virtual friend can’t betray him like many of his friends have done.
The same view is shared by Arthur Wajje, 18 who will be sitting for his Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) this year. Wajje says he mainly uses social media to chat with his friends. He has learnt to respect people and to take life lightly through social media. Grace Natukunda, 32, a shopkeeper revealed that she has not benefited much from using social media.
However, communicating with her friends and family abroad. She has also been able to advertise her goods and services using her social media accounts and make good sales, which has improved her income at her shop. Being the fashionista that she is, Ms. Natukunda has been able to stay abreast with trendy fashion designs, thanks to social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
THE BAD
Mr. Mwesigwa, Wajje, and Ms. Natukunda related that social media is time- consuming. They confessed that social media is very addictive and that they have spent huge amounts of money on data. Mwesigwa revealed that a friend of his went on a hunger strike and was later hospitalized when her parents grounded her from using the internet and any form of social media. Many youth nowadays have very low self-esteem because they lack interpersonal communication skills as a result of spending less time with family and friends.
Due to the urge to gain popularity in the form of likes and views, many youths have engaged in the use of abusive language online, in the end leading to moral decay. Mwesigwa says that there is nothing tangible he has gained from the use of social media but he continues to use it because according to him, it has become part of him.
Cyber bullying is also very prominent online today in that many youth pride in body shaming and belittling their mates just in the name of gaining likes. A very vivid example was in August 2019, when social media was awash with a picture of a first-year student at Makerere University, Henry Suubi Kiyimba reporting to his hall of residence with a metallic suitcase. Luckily for him, kind- hearted people offered him material and financial help in the form of a fully paid scholarship to study his dream course of Mechanical Engineering.
He will be among the best graduands at the College of Engineering, Design and Art on February 2nd, 2024 during Makerere University’s 74 th graduation ceremony. Moreover, he is currently working with Uganda Baati Limited, where he was retained for his stellar performance during his industrial training. Social media has further become a fertile ground for gambling in form of sports betting; a thing that both Wajje and Mwesigwa agree to.
THE UGLY
Parents who spoke to this publication on grounds of anonymity said their children have lost concentration on the things that matter like; house chores and revising their books because of spending countless hours on social media. They also opine that smartphone usage in children should be regulated to at least eighteen years and above. Moral decay among the youth due to the upsurge in social media usage is something that most parents point out, noting that many youth nowadays use foul language and dress indecently because of the things they copy from the people they follow on social media.
Although there are various laws that govern the use of social media and the internet like the Computer Misuse Act 2022, there are lots of unlawful activities that take place online. In a nutshell, social media is a necessary evil that needs to be used with caution because as the saying goes, the internet never forgets. The youth ought to be careful about what they post and share online.
