...by Tijjani Muhammad Musa
I know you guys don't like being warned about anything. But then you like lots of sympathy when a calamity befalls you. Thus you are always happy when you get 1000 Likes on social media whenever you share your "Inna lillahi..."s.
Three incidences make me want to once again draw our attentions to goofs we make on social platforms of late. Remember Evans the Kidnap kingpin; a Facebook group robbery/rape case; and the latest Zamfara Twins crowd-funding saga.
But first, genesis. You see it all started in 2010 on Facebook, where as relatively new facebookers we called on young Muslim women, most especially the married ones to please desist sharing their pictures to the views of the general public, as it violates the Islamic code of ethics.
Many feminists resisted, with some feminist guys among them seriously condemning our admonitions and even challenging our evidences, tendered from the Quran and Hadith. It went to the extent that some friendships were severed due to differences of opinions and understandings.
Next came another problem which has persisted till today; Narcissism. A form of self-worship and self celebrations. Every single thing that happens to a person, good or bad, from farting to death gets posted, and Likes and Comments get solicited. Foods were snapped, travels announced, promotions celebrated and so on.
Again, calls for us to be wary of such mundane indulgence, especially for those doing it in excess to desist from such abuse of opportunities and self aggrandizements didn't go well with many. The trend like I said above persisted, until it has now become norm to wish one's self "Happy Birthday to me!.."
Now, admissions into schools, organizations, hospitals except rehabs and psychiatric homes of course, and marriages (but not divorces. I often wonder why), as well as missing items, thefts, break-ins and obituaries are regular status updates on Facebook. I don't why someone would come to such a world stage, only to show his or her intellectual poverty.
By the way, not all are the same. There are a few exceptions among us, males and females, who have distinguished themselves and are not into all of these wasteful engagements and fake things above. They are constantly advocating for a change in thinking, questioning our social attitudes and challenging our general views on life.
They are a tiny bunch though. Unconsciously membering a sort of "clique" and can be identified only by their intellectual postings. Many revere them and so contribute to their posts by engaging in intelligent discuss on their walls. They are the elites of our social media world. You can hardly find them wasting their time.
Of course there are the "Wanna-bes", pretenders who are shallow within, but would camouflage importance, only for their writings to show them for who they truly are as having nothing to offer. It's scary having guys and girls like that as e-friends. Anyway, enough of this social media buffs analysis. Let's go back to the purpose of this piece.
You see nobody is saying don't celebrate your achievements, successes, progresses and many other positive strides. Nor are we saying don't share your sad moments, tests, trials or tribulations and so on with your e-friends, but do it with moderation and some decorum.
Don't turn your social media handles into a sort of forced celebrity platforms, where you build this false illusion of self worth, self value and self importance that, in reality is nonexistent. Some to the extent of becoming psychiatric cases.
This can actually happen where you persistently promote yourself into a "VC" i.e. virtual celebrity by force, giving your audience and followers the impression that you have a popularity rating and an elitist social status, which you actually don't.
What follows is you or one of your family, friends or relatives can get into one sort of trouble or another, and you Mr. or Miss "VC" is summoned up and expected to play up to your built up clout i.e. come to their rescue, only for the truth about you to get exposed! That you in truth are a NOBODY, are NOTHING and actually have NOTHING!
Examples to cite? The notorious kidnapper Evans informed the securities after being arrested that social media e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc were his major sources of information about his victims. It is what provided him with who and what they are. Their locations and worth were all readily, easily and cheaply gotten from their social media walls.
Then of course their itineraries, on a day to day, hourly, minutely basis, which were regularly posted by them on their social media handles; celebrity style, were vital information used to carry out operations on them. By the time they were approached, the sense of familiarity built is almost faultless.
Next example was a social media group created by some smart criminals. Realizing people like to come on to Facebook and other social online groups to boast or show off their latest acquisitions and covetousness, they created a group and encouraged members to come and do exactly that. And did they do it!
Soon after, some fierce competition of supremacy ensued and some extremist "VCs" emerged, who took all the trouble to maintain their leads of oppressing, suppressing and compressing others. Many had to go the extra miles of telling both lies and truth, and regularly show pix of their valuable items and places visited or travel to. You know, "Checking in at..."
One of the lady e-socialites was soon paid an unscheduled "visit" when her husband moved them into a new mansion, but had reasons to travel abroad for a few days. Three (3) hefty guys invaded her privacy, not only taking away all she has informed them about on the group wall, but also took turns to comfortably rape her for 3 solid days.
How they got to be so at home and successful with their mission? She, gave them all the information they required to achieve their goals. And by the time her husband returned, the damage has been done. Police investigations thereafter revealed how they did it. She reported every single details about herself and her family to them on Facebook.
Lastly and lately, the now famous Zamfara Twins kidnap and eventual release. They were set free by their kidnappers only after receiving the sum of N15 million in cash. Now, don't get it wrong. The twin girls' parents are not rich or wealthy. Not at all. Just 2 young girls in their prime about to be married.
They are beautifully identical and together took on to social media and promoted themselves to VC status. They had so many admirers that every breath they take became tracked by their followers. An idea would soon hit some guys on their wall and so they decided to put it to test.
According to reports, the twins went about their usual socializing drives on social media. Posting about their travelling to their village with the mission of sharing their wedding invitations to family and friends. The date, time, schedules and many more information they willingly posted on their wall.
It was at this location that the kidnappers swooped in and took them captive and away to an unknown destination. They then communicated their purpose of abducting the twins. The girls have been kidnapped for a ransom, demanding a whooping N150 million. However, after due negotiations and considerations, the price was brought down to N15 million only.
It was for this N15m that an appeal fund was eventually launched on social media by the twins family, friends and relatives. The amount was gathered through crowd-funding, with one donor politician giving N6 million. While the rest of society, you and I inclusive gathered the remaining N9 million.
It was at the point of exchange, that the social media connection was revealed. What the kidnapping kingpin said was "So, it's true you guys really do value this Zamfara twins. Our mission was actually to confirm their 'celebrity' worth." Meaning they would killed them as they had many others, were the amount they demanded not raised and paid. Laughing heartily, he instructed his boys to release them.
There are several other examples to cite, but this is just an article, not a book. So, we must stop at a point, with the call one more time that; nobody wants to know who and what you are. Nor does anybody cares to know where you live or what you eat on a daily basis? Therefore, do humble thyself please.
Again, why endanger your life by telling some people what will not benefit you, except by a little. And at the end of the day, put yourself in danger, and by empathy the rest of us in social distress and dilemma?
Social media is for you to share what bothers you, your community and society, and thereafter link up with those with common interest across the world in order to find a lasting solution to them. In the process, make new acquaintances, friends, partners, colleagues and so on. So, wake up and wisen up please.
But for now, we can't stop you from being you. We can only try to save you from your excesses. Please help us achieve that. It makes this a safer and more enjoyable world for us all. Forget that false notion of "It's my life." Nope, it is not yours alone. Your life is our life!
(c)2018 Tijjani M. M.
All Rights Reserved
I know you guys don't like being warned about anything. But then you like lots of sympathy when a calamity befalls you. Thus you are always happy when you get 1000 Likes on social media whenever you share your "Inna lillahi..."s.
Three incidences make me want to once again draw our attentions to goofs we make on social platforms of late. Remember Evans the Kidnap kingpin; a Facebook group robbery/rape case; and the latest Zamfara Twins crowd-funding saga.
But first, genesis. You see it all started in 2010 on Facebook, where as relatively new facebookers we called on young Muslim women, most especially the married ones to please desist sharing their pictures to the views of the general public, as it violates the Islamic code of ethics.
Many feminists resisted, with some feminist guys among them seriously condemning our admonitions and even challenging our evidences, tendered from the Quran and Hadith. It went to the extent that some friendships were severed due to differences of opinions and understandings.
Next came another problem which has persisted till today; Narcissism. A form of self-worship and self celebrations. Every single thing that happens to a person, good or bad, from farting to death gets posted, and Likes and Comments get solicited. Foods were snapped, travels announced, promotions celebrated and so on.
Again, calls for us to be wary of such mundane indulgence, especially for those doing it in excess to desist from such abuse of opportunities and self aggrandizements didn't go well with many. The trend like I said above persisted, until it has now become norm to wish one's self "Happy Birthday to me!.."
Now, admissions into schools, organizations, hospitals except rehabs and psychiatric homes of course, and marriages (but not divorces. I often wonder why), as well as missing items, thefts, break-ins and obituaries are regular status updates on Facebook. I don't why someone would come to such a world stage, only to show his or her intellectual poverty.
By the way, not all are the same. There are a few exceptions among us, males and females, who have distinguished themselves and are not into all of these wasteful engagements and fake things above. They are constantly advocating for a change in thinking, questioning our social attitudes and challenging our general views on life.
They are a tiny bunch though. Unconsciously membering a sort of "clique" and can be identified only by their intellectual postings. Many revere them and so contribute to their posts by engaging in intelligent discuss on their walls. They are the elites of our social media world. You can hardly find them wasting their time.
Of course there are the "Wanna-bes", pretenders who are shallow within, but would camouflage importance, only for their writings to show them for who they truly are as having nothing to offer. It's scary having guys and girls like that as e-friends. Anyway, enough of this social media buffs analysis. Let's go back to the purpose of this piece.
You see nobody is saying don't celebrate your achievements, successes, progresses and many other positive strides. Nor are we saying don't share your sad moments, tests, trials or tribulations and so on with your e-friends, but do it with moderation and some decorum.
Don't turn your social media handles into a sort of forced celebrity platforms, where you build this false illusion of self worth, self value and self importance that, in reality is nonexistent. Some to the extent of becoming psychiatric cases.
This can actually happen where you persistently promote yourself into a "VC" i.e. virtual celebrity by force, giving your audience and followers the impression that you have a popularity rating and an elitist social status, which you actually don't.
What follows is you or one of your family, friends or relatives can get into one sort of trouble or another, and you Mr. or Miss "VC" is summoned up and expected to play up to your built up clout i.e. come to their rescue, only for the truth about you to get exposed! That you in truth are a NOBODY, are NOTHING and actually have NOTHING!
Examples to cite? The notorious kidnapper Evans informed the securities after being arrested that social media e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc were his major sources of information about his victims. It is what provided him with who and what they are. Their locations and worth were all readily, easily and cheaply gotten from their social media walls.
Then of course their itineraries, on a day to day, hourly, minutely basis, which were regularly posted by them on their social media handles; celebrity style, were vital information used to carry out operations on them. By the time they were approached, the sense of familiarity built is almost faultless.
Next example was a social media group created by some smart criminals. Realizing people like to come on to Facebook and other social online groups to boast or show off their latest acquisitions and covetousness, they created a group and encouraged members to come and do exactly that. And did they do it!
Soon after, some fierce competition of supremacy ensued and some extremist "VCs" emerged, who took all the trouble to maintain their leads of oppressing, suppressing and compressing others. Many had to go the extra miles of telling both lies and truth, and regularly show pix of their valuable items and places visited or travel to. You know, "Checking in at..."
How they got to be so at home and successful with their mission? She, gave them all the information they required to achieve their goals. And by the time her husband returned, the damage has been done. Police investigations thereafter revealed how they did it. She reported every single details about herself and her family to them on Facebook.
Lastly and lately, the now famous Zamfara Twins kidnap and eventual release. They were set free by their kidnappers only after receiving the sum of N15 million in cash. Now, don't get it wrong. The twin girls' parents are not rich or wealthy. Not at all. Just 2 young girls in their prime about to be married.
They are beautifully identical and together took on to social media and promoted themselves to VC status. They had so many admirers that every breath they take became tracked by their followers. An idea would soon hit some guys on their wall and so they decided to put it to test.
According to reports, the twins went about their usual socializing drives on social media. Posting about their travelling to their village with the mission of sharing their wedding invitations to family and friends. The date, time, schedules and many more information they willingly posted on their wall.
It was at this location that the kidnappers swooped in and took them captive and away to an unknown destination. They then communicated their purpose of abducting the twins. The girls have been kidnapped for a ransom, demanding a whooping N150 million. However, after due negotiations and considerations, the price was brought down to N15 million only.
It was for this N15m that an appeal fund was eventually launched on social media by the twins family, friends and relatives. The amount was gathered through crowd-funding, with one donor politician giving N6 million. While the rest of society, you and I inclusive gathered the remaining N9 million.
It was at the point of exchange, that the social media connection was revealed. What the kidnapping kingpin said was "So, it's true you guys really do value this Zamfara twins. Our mission was actually to confirm their 'celebrity' worth." Meaning they would killed them as they had many others, were the amount they demanded not raised and paid. Laughing heartily, he instructed his boys to release them.
There are several other examples to cite, but this is just an article, not a book. So, we must stop at a point, with the call one more time that; nobody wants to know who and what you are. Nor does anybody cares to know where you live or what you eat on a daily basis? Therefore, do humble thyself please.
Again, why endanger your life by telling some people what will not benefit you, except by a little. And at the end of the day, put yourself in danger, and by empathy the rest of us in social distress and dilemma?
Social media is for you to share what bothers you, your community and society, and thereafter link up with those with common interest across the world in order to find a lasting solution to them. In the process, make new acquaintances, friends, partners, colleagues and so on. So, wake up and wisen up please.
But for now, we can't stop you from being you. We can only try to save you from your excesses. Please help us achieve that. It makes this a safer and more enjoyable world for us all. Forget that false notion of "It's my life." Nope, it is not yours alone. Your life is our life!
(c)2018 Tijjani M. M.
All Rights Reserved
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