Those skits and the image of our society
Sir: The rate at which content creation is growing beyond imagination in this part of the world is worthy of being studied. There are new videos, skits and short clips
Sir: The rate at which content creation is growing beyond imagination in this part of the world is worthy of being studied. There are new videos, skits and short clips being uploaded online every day, reaching millions of people within and outside our country. Social media has presented a stage for the display of our culture, highlight of our values and share the richness of our society. But what are we rich with?
If we conscientiously check what goes viral, we would notice much of it focuses on things that aren’t making sense. Videos promoting extreme stunts in the name of pranks, unnecessary chaos, or even unhygienic acts have become popular and are now grabbing attention quickly.
Someone ones said that if you want to go viral in this part of this world just do something shameless or nonsensical—acts that are bizarre or below basic standards of dignity. We’ve seen trends where people degrade themselves, like digging bread into mud waters and eating it. Videos like this have drawn thousands of views and shares. We are now left to wonder at what the essence of this kind of videos are. Is this content creation or country destruction?
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While some clips may be to promote entertainment, they do little to communicate intelligence we portray, creativity and moral values of Nigerians. This type of skits or content seems to project a society that celebrates absurdities over sense and substance.
Content creation is a reflection of every society from which it is being made. What we value can be seen from what we share online, or at least what we tolerate or give attention to. To know which of responsibility or entertainment we value, we should check the sensibility in the content we have that stems from our content creators and ask ourselves the simple question of, “of what use is this content?”
Global audience sees these clips and they begin to see Nigeria and Nigerians from that lens—the lens of the content we create. It doesn’t mean we should jettison entertainment for seriousness, but it raises a thought-provoking question: are we using this platform to tell a story of who we are or we choose to allow these noises define us.
Social media and online platforms can serve as a tool for education, inspiration, and preservation of our culture. Social media can be used to show the world the depth of our creativity as a nation without degrading our worth. When content creators consciously produce contents that entertain while also adding value—whether through thoughtful humour or meaningful narratives, they have the power to shift narratives registered in the hearts of non-Nigerian audience.
