Africa
SOME experts have urged the Federal Government to put a policy in place to address the wrong use of social media platforms.
The experts also posited that such platforms were useful in advancing the socio-economic development of the country, only if they were put to proper use.
The experts made the appeal in an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
NAN reports that many businesses effectively use social media to promote their products and connect with customers. However, social media can also pose a risk to the society.
Mr Ajibola Olude, Executive Secretary, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), said, ”social media are really very important, but they have to be used accordingly.
”Not only can social media interfere positively to people’s lives, but false, misleading and confusing information shared on social networks can do real damage to the society,”he said.
The Executive Secretary explained that the whole essence of social media was to provide digital platforms for people of diverse cultures to discuss and share ideas on different topics.
“My suggestion is that a policy should be put in place to address this wrong use of social media platforms by the concerned government agency.
“The whole essence of social media platforms is to provide a digital platform for people of diverse cultures to discuss and share ideas on many different topics.
“Recently, we have seen that users misuse social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram in situations that require urgent attentions.
“For example, in a situation where there is an accident, we expect the users of all these social media to take those that were involved in an accident to the hospital.
“What they usually do is that they post the situations on the social media allowing the victims of the accident to suffer pains and pass away,” he said.
Mr Ogaga Ariemu, a social media expert, called on users to endeavour to use social media for the good of the people as against other uses.
He said: “Basically, I think users have different uses for social media whether positive or negative.
“My call to users is to endeavour using SM for social good as against other uses, especially during emergency situations.
“Instead of making frenzy from accident situations as the case is sometimes; such can be funneled to the call for emergency services for victims.” (NAN)
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Tags: Ajibola Olude Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) executive secretary Federal Government of Nigeria
