‘Use social media positively, judiciously’

At the end of the week-long Social Media Week (SMW), Lagos 2019, influencers, activists, bloggers and other users of the platforms have been urged to show decency online.

According to experts, who spoke as panelists, yesterday at SMW, social media users should use the platform to build, contribute positively and improve on the narrative and happenings in the society. Checks by The Guardian on Statcounter, a Globalstat platform, showed that in Nigeria, Facebook has 78.4 per cent penetration; WhatsApp 41 per cent; Twitter 8.83 per cent; Instagram 2.01 per cent and YouTube 1.64 per cent as at January 2019.

The panelists, who spoke on “Influential Content: Using Storytelling To Drive Social Change In The Digital Age’’, urged social media influencers to lend their voices using various media in speaking up against social injustice, holding leaders accountable, as well as inspiring people to positive actions such as running for public office and making their votes count.

Panelist, Victor Ekpo Bassey, Founder, Expert Business School, urged the public not to ignore the power of storytelling in building good content. Managing Partner, Ulomka, Ugochi Obidiegwu, said that anyone that wanted to make change happen, should begin with personal change while Oluwatosin Ajibade said that story telling was important when driving social change in this digital age.