The social media as a public space offers free posting licence to everyone that could create an account, and knows how to press or click the share button, anytime. Hence, people are always very happy to either be the first to break the news or ensure they partake in sharing bazaars, or sharing the sharable competition. I have been part of this crowd too, in truth.
However, I guess it is time for scholars to hold firmly to their 'brake' and exercise some restraints in sharing some of these 'flying news', pictures and videos.
Three examples suffices for me.
1. The ''Boko Haram is in Ikere'' videos. The voice of that 'alarmist' woman who did the voice over still rings in my 'cranial heaven'. ''Won ti de o, eyin omo Yoruba e ma sun o'' (They are here o, Yoruba sons and daughters be vigilant o). What a punchline! Unlike many 'time to break the news' citizens I decided to watch video. After watching for 0.33secs images started showing that made me doubted the reality. The attached video was showing shrubs, and dessert. So I asked myself, ''how can you be fooled by this, 'Deyemi'? I tried my best debunking the video on over 8 platforms before forwarding it to people that might track such alarmist for caution. (Did someone just soliloquy 'This guy get time o!' now? Na you sabi).
2. The picture of a purported accident on a Nigerian highway where many passengers were killed. Message: ''Breaking News, Robbers asked passengers in a bus to sleep on the road and used the bus to crush their heads for not having money..photo below''. The photo was gory. Despite the goriness some still shared it on their FB walls. The truth about the photo is that it was 'photoshopped'.
3. The third is the video about a 'barking yahoo boy'. When I saw the video, I was interested because I am working on something related. So I called someone in Ogbomoso, one of my informants. The reply was that it is a scene from a movie. (I will attach the two videos for you to view).
How do we fact-check so that as scholars we won't continue to be a fool.
1. You can use two of my Ogas' method. They will send or forward a message to me or other trusted friends to ask for our personal views on what they received. Just to share or get our views. You can adopt the same approach. ''Ore, have you seen this? What do you think?''. That sometimes do the magic of guiding whatever level the modicum of our integrity is in peoples' analysis. Sharing and getting views of close persons or persons more IT knowledgeable won't kill you.
2. Use Google reverse check. Check the image and the video online. It will show where it has been used before and if alterations are made you can see.
3. 'Read and pass' option is simply to read and sigh ''Hmm..this Naija sef'' and continue with your 'Naija gbege or wahala or hustle'' without sharing with anyone. The safety here is that you won't share of anyone's blame when the foolery in such becomes naked.
The social media is a space for all, of opportunities, information and a place for privatized madness. Don't partake of the madness; as dem dey say for 'motor park space', ''Oga, see caution''.
Ire o!
Adeyemi J Ademowo, a sociocultural analyst and development anthropologist, AHP postdoctoral Fellow-in-residence at IIAS Ghana, works with Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti
More info about Google Reverse checking link here: https://youtu.be/mlrU-SnV2n0
However, I guess it is time for scholars to hold firmly to their 'brake' and exercise some restraints in sharing some of these 'flying news', pictures and videos.
Three examples suffices for me.
1. The ''Boko Haram is in Ikere'' videos. The voice of that 'alarmist' woman who did the voice over still rings in my 'cranial heaven'. ''Won ti de o, eyin omo Yoruba e ma sun o'' (They are here o, Yoruba sons and daughters be vigilant o). What a punchline! Unlike many 'time to break the news' citizens I decided to watch video. After watching for 0.33secs images started showing that made me doubted the reality. The attached video was showing shrubs, and dessert. So I asked myself, ''how can you be fooled by this, 'Deyemi'? I tried my best debunking the video on over 8 platforms before forwarding it to people that might track such alarmist for caution. (Did someone just soliloquy 'This guy get time o!' now? Na you sabi).
2. The picture of a purported accident on a Nigerian highway where many passengers were killed. Message: ''Breaking News, Robbers asked passengers in a bus to sleep on the road and used the bus to crush their heads for not having money..photo below''. The photo was gory. Despite the goriness some still shared it on their FB walls. The truth about the photo is that it was 'photoshopped'.
3. The third is the video about a 'barking yahoo boy'. When I saw the video, I was interested because I am working on something related. So I called someone in Ogbomoso, one of my informants. The reply was that it is a scene from a movie. (I will attach the two videos for you to view).
How do we fact-check so that as scholars we won't continue to be a fool.
1. You can use two of my Ogas' method. They will send or forward a message to me or other trusted friends to ask for our personal views on what they received. Just to share or get our views. You can adopt the same approach. ''Ore, have you seen this? What do you think?''. That sometimes do the magic of guiding whatever level the modicum of our integrity is in peoples' analysis. Sharing and getting views of close persons or persons more IT knowledgeable won't kill you.
2. Use Google reverse check. Check the image and the video online. It will show where it has been used before and if alterations are made you can see.
3. 'Read and pass' option is simply to read and sigh ''Hmm..this Naija sef'' and continue with your 'Naija gbege or wahala or hustle'' without sharing with anyone. The safety here is that you won't share of anyone's blame when the foolery in such becomes naked.
The social media is a space for all, of opportunities, information and a place for privatized madness. Don't partake of the madness; as dem dey say for 'motor park space', ''Oga, see caution''.
Ire o!
Adeyemi J Ademowo, a sociocultural analyst and development anthropologist, AHP postdoctoral Fellow-in-residence at IIAS Ghana, works with Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti
More info about Google Reverse checking link here: https://youtu.be/mlrU-SnV2n0
No comments:
Post a Comment