Opinion article by Duke of Shomolu, Joseph Edgar
Social media has a way of creating heroes and villains. This very unkempt young man has forced himself into our consciousness with his vituperation’s and his outpourings.
He stands in front of his camera in usually not very tidy personal hygiene mode and pours out his heart on any issue of the moment that concerns him.
He dares to say things that most people would shy away from and boldly makes assertions that make the listeners cringe.
This has drawn him huge followers, giving him the celebrity status he seems to crave. His followers are sharply divided between those who are rabidly against him and those who are rabidly for him, and if you go through the comment sections of his posts, you will see that this divide is sharply united by ignorance.
The comment section of the most popular blogs and platforms on social media is the place where ignorance and ineptitude reign supreme. The thought processes exposed in those places would leave you with a very sour taste in your mouth.
This is where Verydarkman reigns. But I hear he is in trouble. He was said to have been arrested by a popular actress over cyberbullying allegations, thereby allegedly spending the weekend in custody.
This, I suspect, is the second time this is happening to him, and I think with the same actress.
Well this time around, the whole thing got me thinking. The power that N100 data gives to a largely sub literate population if not carefully challenged can lead to armageddon.
Using Verydarkman’s case as a quick example. The man has followers in their millions who hang on to every word he spews even in their thoughtlessness.
Take for example last week. He comes out against popular cross dresser Bobrisky while making some very strong points about the moral risks in allowing him/her run wild without being curbed, immediately goes on a tangent accusing ‘Senators, top echelon of the police force as culprits because una dey fuck Bobrisky’.
‘All of una be gay and I am ready to be jailed to prove my case and bring down Bobrisky ‘ well he has the right to choose his pet cause, but leveraging on an increasing notoriety buoyed by an incipient platform, he now makes very wild and unsubstantiated allegations on a whole grouping.
READ ALSO: Our Duke has gone mad again… Edgar reflects on the day he made a politician cry
Expectedly, he comes back to’ apologise to the DIG of police and other good men of the police…….. I was wrong and I am ashamed of myself….. But the police are still F… G Bobrisky
This got me thinking: this is a social media influencer like a horde of them and even though I personally will not support any form of limitation of freedom of speech or a regulation of social media, wouldn’t we be courting danger in just sitting somewhere and doing nothing?
We have seen how Simon Ekpa has sat down in far away Norway to cause mayhem in the South East, leveraging on the powerful penetrative powers of social media.
We see how we now have a huge population of young millennials engaging in anti-culture, which could be directly linked to their unabashed exposure to corrupting influences on the gram.
This is not to say that there are no positives. They abound, as critical industries rely on social media for engagement. Jobs have been created, whole religious movements have been created and are built on the internet, and as such, they provide very strong positive vibes for society.
So should we now push for it’s strict regulation because of the amoral activities of people like Verydarkman and Simon Ekpa and the other miscreants like Bobrisky that litter the space?
I must confess that for once, I cannot really take a position, as you must have gleaned from this write-up so far, but one thing I can say very clearly is that the Verydarkman person is obtusely evil.
It’s very clear, even from his body language and recriminations, that he really doesn’t believe in the issues he whips up. He jumps on trending issues, takes contrary positions, and ‘chests’ it as the attacks come.
He wallows in attention and watches his ‘likes’ grow, thereby feasting on the pain and joys of his very gullible followership.
From the late actor Mr Ibu’s travails, to his friend Davido, to Tonto Duke, to the Forex crises and the same s3x issues that seem to be a troubling ravaging epidemic, he jumps in without carefully thinking through his positions, screams inanities, and gets the attention and notoriety he badly craves.
What this does is crowd ‘out’sensible’ talk, thereby not allowing common sense to prevail. The cacophony that is his shout and that of millions like him does not allow for constructive engagement and true socio-political mobilization of the next generation, thereby portending a bleak future.
I am truly really confused.
Thanks
*Duke of Shomolu*
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