First thing, first! The picture that misrepresented the state of the newly renovated Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba was never posted on Twitter to, in any attempt to defame the state government nor call to question its integrity, far from it.
It was a brazen, almost crazy attempt for content analysis research, first on the impact of fake news in the society, and a discourse on the type of language that dominates in the ‘tearing apart’ of someone on social media.
I left Ibadan on the day of the commissioning around 7 pm and I felt the excitement of the event, and also the traffic concerns of some few.
The picture became a perfect specimen while ruminating on what type of PGD research topic will solve a problem in the society to work on, after returning to base. This is also in furtherance to a conversation with a colleague on how fake news will be a threat to the coming 2013 elections if it doesn’t further tear the fabrics of the country when one considers the situation where a whole Thisday cover page was cloned digitally to depict the Imo State governor in a wrong light.
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The decision was a risk, unsure of the outcome, but hopeful that the raw data to be gotten will suffice for the expected backlash.
It was my most engaged post, and the comments were everything, expected and not expected.
Going through it, I laughed at most of the comments, was sad at some, and felt what those before me must have felt during their time of infamy.
My profile was dissected, some comments brought me back to reality from the impulse of delight that drove me to this, on what was really the purpose of my decision to use the ‘fake’ picture(s) – I believe that it is perfect because it’s current, prominent, conversations are still ongoing on it with no verdict out yet, and also the fact that the governor is well-loved online and those that adore him will be there for him? I wasn’t wrong!
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Haven gone through the comments with some read to me by colleagues who had a good laugh, it was obvious most persons online, with their word usage are mean, creative, with only a few that could provide relatable explanations on how to engage the post. I felt responses should be more on how to correct the anomaly.
The sad reality is that most believed it’s a politically motivated hatchet job and automatically ‘framed’ the poster.
This same post was made on other platforms and immediately replaced with information that it doesn’t reflect the true position of the stadium and in fact that it’s a foreign stadium.
What l couldn’t shake off from it all as the dominant tone of the comments is the mindset of them vs us. APC vs PDP with no solution to the fact that both parties cannot ‘save’ this country from the danger we are facing even if any of them wins the 2023, or 2027 elections.
Politics dominated the feedback, not the dangers of the threat posed by fake news.
I believed that the #EndSars movement should be an eye-opener and leveler for all that to save this country, youths should play more roles in the political process. What’s going on? Have we all gone back to just being seen without being felt?
Someone that saw the information that the picture was fake on one of the other platforms, said though the stadium should be the focus of discussion, the deceitful picture negates the need for any dialectics as it has ‘killed’ it.
Will the Youths be a force to reckon with as the country marches on, or will we just be numbers and willing tools in the hands of those enjoying our collective future?
It appears that the possibility of the youths becoming alive to their tasks will only happen through a miracle.
Ajose Sehindemi wrote in from Lagos.
