Different speakers at the Dansol High School, Lagos, were optimistic that technology has become a significant tool to improve life, society and positively impact others despite the damning abuses the world has witnessed.
They stated this at the Press Club Day of the school in Lagos themed, “Using social media as a tool for developing global leaders.”
Speakers at the event urged youths to be agents of social change even as they yearn for a good life.
Former Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development in Lagos State, Segun Daodu, represented by Damilola Sonaiya James, said the building of Nigeria is in the hands of the youth.
He said since the invention of various technologies, social media has had a positive impact on individuals, nations and businesses. Daodu said: “Social media is a direct and indirect channel of communication, depending on the intention behind it. We are living in a world with decent technology. It has changed a lot of things – how we relate with one another in the entertainment industry, communication and relationships, even the economy, and the vocation system.
“As leaders, we must live with the right narrative. Use social media to better your life, showcase your skills and talents and improve on your immediate environment to positively impact the social life of others.”
He said social media has become a norm, something that has come to stay in today’s fast way of doing things, acknowledging that it is helping in no smaller way to reach a wider audience and to pitch a tent in a global space.
“I urge young people to begin to see how they can explore social media in a constructive way, in a more intentional way so that they have something they are driving at, as opposed to using it to consume. They should use social media to influence, impact and change narrative of how Nigeria is perceived of today,” James
Executive Director, Dansol High School, Mrs. Omotara Olanitori, while commending the young people, said the essence of Press Club Day is to let children know that they have a voice and their voice matters.
She said: “We want them to be inquisitive learners and people who engage their society. They say journalism is no more what it used to be. Today, anybody with a social handle can put anything out there; it goes viral without people investigating the veracity of such information.
“We want our learners here to be inquisitive people who question what they consume on social media and the validity of information they receive. We want to teach them that with their voice, they can hold the government, leadership accountable as well as the society to have the kind of society they desire to live and grow in.”
The sponsor of the programme, LG Electronics, challenged the young minds to avoid exposing themselves to harmful contents on the social media capable of derailing their life’s ambitions and goals. Public Relations Manager, LG Electronics, Moses Osime, noted that the company sponsored the event because of its belief in youth development.
