The Nation Newspaper

Tag: social media

  • Lawyer raises the alarm over social media attack on judges

    Lawyer raises the alarm over social media attack on judges

    A Lagos-based lawyer, Chukwudi Enebeli, has raised the alarm about the dangerous rise in hate speech and false claims against the judiciary, saying better social media regulation is needed to protect judges.

    He condemned social media abuse by its users, arguing that those who helped in spreading hate speech including traditional and social media platforms ought to be held responsible.

    Enebeli, a partner in Pinheiro LP, spoke as a panellist on the topic “Fake news, cyberbullying and hate speech on social media: what is it and how do we deal with it?” at the 63rd Annual General Conference (AGC) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) ongoing in Abuja.

    He stated that fake news, cyberbullying and hate speech were serious issues in Nigeria because of the country’s diversity and high illiteracy rate. 

    According to him, the right to freedom of expression under the Constitution is not absolute because the Constitution recognises that if the right is not curtailed “then anarchy would be the order of the day.”

    He argued that even though the Cybercrimes Prohibition Act and the Electoral Act have provisions to curtail hate speech, little has been done by the enforcement authorities. 

    The lawyer also condemned lawyers and non-lawyers who comment on judicial proceedings in a manner capable of inciting the public against the judiciary and the legal profession. 

    Read Also: Why I stay low on social media, actress Aisha Lawal reveals

    Enebeli said: “We have seen an unprecedented increase in the manner in which both lawyers and non-lawyers go to the social media space and incite the public against judicial officers, and we are watching and no one is speaking. 

    “What is so painful is the fact that these judges cannot speak for themselves.”

    He recommended that new laws be promulgated to regulate social media and cyberspace. 

    He said: “Both the networks and the various social media platforms must be made accountable. 

    “In promulgating new laws we must create an offence aimed at prohibiting both lawyers and non-lawyers from disseminating any information before, during and after proceedings which are capable of inciting the people against the judiciary as it relates to matters in court.

    “There must also be stringent punishment. Section 97(1) of the Electoral Act should also be amended to include the punishment of deregistering a political party as well as banning any candidate that campaigns on the basis of tribe, religion or sectional reasons from participating in any election for 10 years. 

    “It is the severity of the punishment that serves as a deterrent” 

    Some of the other members of the Panel were Prof. M.T. Ladan, the DG of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), Mrs. Sola Salako-Ajulo and DCP Uche Ifeanyi Henry.

  • Six ways to increase your visibility on social media

    Six ways to increase your visibility on social media

    • By: Akanimoh Asuquo

    The goal of every intentional social entrepreneur is to double sales and cash out daily.

    While this is possible, it is important to know that this cannot happen by chance without deliberate action mapped by you.

    Visibility is strategic and it must be well thought-out by the one who needs it.

    To function effectively, sell or make profits online, being visible to a number of people in the social media community is very important. In fact, without this, your content goes nowhere.

    Read Also: Why I keep my family away from social media – Actor Chinedu Ikedieze

    And if your sales content is not seen by many eyes, selling becomes difficult.

    Remember it is the higher the number of prospective buyers, the higher the chances of selling.

    Therefore, to achieve this, your visibility is of paramount importance for maximum results.

    Having a good social media presence across your desired social media platforms is an excellent approach to raising brand awareness, building a following, and sales driven conversions in the long run.

    In this article, I’m going to share six ways you can increase your followers or visibility on social media.

    1 Optimize Your Profile: Social media profile optimization is very important in order to reach wider and heterogeneous audiences and convert them for business in the long run.

    (a) On your profile, you have to clearly state on your ‘bio section’ what you do – the services you offer in simple and clear words. This will help whoever visits your profile to know what you do.

    (b) Good photographs on your profile picture and cover photo for a platform like Facebook have the tendency of drawing traffic to your account or page.

    (c) About Me: About me is where you tell your visitors about yourself – what you do currently, past experiences, certifications and locations. Some of us have a lot of degrees that do not have any business with what we do online. It is important to clearly add the certifications that boost you as an authority in your bio before others.

    (d) Have a pin-post: This is the first post anyone sees immediately after your profile photo, cover photo, your bio, about me. Content on your pin-post should be your name, what you do, what you’ve done in the past, and importantly, how anyone can get in contact with you.

    Again, pin post could also be any content you consider important that virtually everyone will gain value from reading it. This therefore means that, once in a while, your pin post will change since one of the criteria for visibility is quality content. It means that so far you will keep dishing good content, once in a while your pin post will change.

    2 Share Quality Content: By all means, please build competence in your craft. Competence will enable you to share practical and result+oriented content that people will love to read and learn from.

    Social Media or brand visibility rests more on your daily content. Nobody rejects value. Once your timeline is loaded, visitors will stay.

    People want to read, and learn from you. People love to learn especially something relatable, new or an old thing in a new perspective.

    1. Use Hashtags: Using hashtags on your posts on social media is a great way to grow your audience and reach. Hashtags are used primarily to categorize content and make it easier for people to find. Hashtags are to social media what keywords are to web content. It helps people to see your content.

    4 Stay Consistent: This is the meat. Social media visibility needs consistency. It takes time to be visible and for people to trust your delivery. Part of the reason some people find it hard to be visible is inconsistency. Starting is not always easy, but consistency always pays. From personal experience, it is not always easy at the start. You will need to build trust through daily content distributions on your social media handles and relevant groups on a platform like Facebook, Linkedin, among others.

    Please stay consistent and don’t forget to share what people want and hot what you think they need.

    5 Leverage Comment Section of Big Accounts: This is one way of growing visibility rapidly. Verified accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, among others. They have the audience you need. One way to buy the minds of their audience to your timeline is leaving constructive comments on these big accounts. It’s a good strategy that helps.

    Or, haven’t you seen a comment on a post that has over 15K likes and replies? That’s it.

    6 Join Big Communities of Like-minds: This works more on Facebook. Join groups that share what interests you. These groups or communities have different people from different backgrounds and understanding. It’s a place you can shine by contributing meaningfully and draw members there to your home (timeline).

    These are just six ways you can increase your followers or visibility on social media.

  • Enugu and scourge of social media

    As a student and teacher of mass communication/ journalism for years now, I am totally baffled and at loss on how Nigerians have abused the use of social media, by deploying it to spread falsehood and to fan embers of war, disunity and crises. In doing this, they throw caution, ethics, decorum, professionalism and facts into the mud and wind. They forget the simple guide or rudiment of news gathering and reporting, which is that the authenticity or genuineness of the source or sources of information is of much importance than the information itself.

    It is for this reason that every news item must not only be attributed to a source or sources as the case may be, but such attribution must be verifiable, factual and authentic. This was the standard globally, before the advent of social media platforms.

    Social media invention is a good technological development, considering its efficiency and reliability in spreading and passing information quickly. Unfortunately in Nigeria, it has become platform to spread falsehood, malign characters and throw tantrums at people and go scot-free. Today, almost everybody is a journalist, writer, political analyst, and social media influencer. It is now a case of motor mechanics not allowing the people know the difference between their members and madmen. As it is, what is required for one to be a journalist in Nigeria today is to purchase any Chinese android phone, subscribe to any telecom data and then open social media accounts in the comfort of one’s home, using one’s name or pseudo name and then start pouring invectives and vituperations on people, spreading lies as one might please without any fear of sanctions. With no bodies to regulate, freedom of speech then becomes absolute, even when it is known in law and journalism that there is no absolute freedom of speech anywhere; not even in the developed countries, where we copied our media practice from.

    The above narrative leads to the falsehood about Enugu State that had been trending on social media platforms lately.

    Of course, it started with a fake report that herdsmen kidnapped a pregnant woman in Nkanu. The reported alleged that the woman was later killed and disemboweled and that the state Governor Ugwuanyi went there to cry.

    Soon after, another video emerged in which the Nigerian Army was said to have used a helicopter to drop food items for herdsmen in Akwuke community in Enugu South Council Area of Enugu State. Of course, the blatant lie was immediately debunked by Acting Command Public Relations and Information Officer, Headquarters Ground Training Command Nigerian Air Force, Flight Lt. Faith Aigbeoghain, who described the report as false, deliberately misleading and obviously concocted by the purveyors to cause panic, incite negativity and divisive emotions.

    Not done with their evil propaganda, yet another video clip would surface in which the people of Nenwe community in Aninri Council Area of Enugu were said to have chased Fulani herdsmen and their cattle out of their community.

    Truth of the matter is that none of the so-called events took place. The people in the named communities are living in peace without any herdsmen attack just as there has been no herders/ farmers clash anywhere in the state in recent time.

    Just when citizens thought they had seen enough of the vile social media propaganda, yet another video, this time posted on the Facebook by a lady purporting to pass judgment on the activities of the Ugwuanyi-led state government emerged. Merely by the thoughts and articulations of the lady in question, it was clear that she lacked knowledge of Enugu State to be able to comment on the strides made by the present government. A flip through the lady’s Facebook account showed a collection of several video clips in which insults and invectives were hurled freely in Nsukka dialect on prominent Igbo leaders. Additional checks not only revealed the lady to be a favourite voice among IPOB leaders, who christened her Ada Biafra but that she lives in Lagos with no specific address.

    She claims her grouse to be that Governor Ugwuanyi was in support of the suspended RUGA settlement project in Enugu even when it is on record that none of the southeast governors including Ugwuanyi is supportive of the controversial project.  Again, the fact that the chairman of the Southeast Governors Forum, the Ebonyi State governor, Engr. Dave Umahi, has long made the position of the forum clear in a press statement, where he categorically stated that there is no land in Southeast for RUGA project obviously did not matter to the lady and her sponsors.

    What really do those behind the impudent, misleading and twisted video clips want from Ugwuanyi? Do they expect him to jump on rooftop with microphone in hand shouting that he is against Ruga?

    As for Ugwuanyi’s visit to Nenwe community with heads of security agencies to ascertain the veracity of the trending video on the web, that is to expected of him as Chief Security Officer of the state. He is certainly not expected to wait until civil disturbances erupt before embarking on a visit to see things first hand.  His visit was a proactive measure designed to douse tension. For the peddlers of the fake video, it also did not matter that the people of Nenwe community have since debunked the video as fake. While Ugwuanyi may not have been loquacious and noisy like some of his colleagues, he has certainly carved a niche with his sterling performance despite the daunting challenges facing his government.

    With the way some Nigerians shamelessly, selfishly and boldly abuse the use of social media platforms even at the risk of plunging the country into crisis, I can now see the justification behind its ban or restriction in countries like China, Turkey, North Korea and others that are more developed and sophisticated than Nigeria. I can now see why a country like North Korea effectively created its own internet that does not connect to Wider Worldwide Web. It is little wonder social media alarmists and peddlers of falsehood have always resisted government’s moves to regulate social media platforms in Nigeria.

     

    • Dr. Ude, a communication expert wrote from Florida, USA.

  • Ignorance: social media and intellectualism

    Sir: The social media has come to stay. Its use, misuse and abuse are what writers will continue to address. Countless are the benefits of social media. The different platforms have become the oil with which the yam of friendship, relationship and companionship is eaten. They have become succour out of boredom and they are to the 21st century what the television was to the 19th and 20th centuries.

    As relevant as the social media is, it has its many disadvantages in different realms of life. One of such challenges is that social media has shrunk real life bonds among people as complaints such as “S/he spends all day chatting” is now on the lips of many people across the globe.

    Fredrick Douglass once said “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free”. But he said this when reading was an intellectually engaging exercise. And I mean before the advent of social media. The reverse is pathetically the case as reading seems in this age to shrink people’s ability to think. People share nonsensical information and fabrications and when they tell you they have read it somewhere, you are immediately forced to ask: Even if you’ve read this, don’t you think about the things you read and then take your stance?

    In the past, that which is written used to be taken as authentic and reliable. Sadly, gone is that age. The poor intellectual state of many readers and the lack of depth in many posts make one ask: what do people read on social media? This question reveals the preponderance of fake news and other logically unfounded posts.

    Writing used to be the business of the noble and the informed. Now, the social media has become a space for thoughtless and illogical writings available for lazy and myopic readers.

    In an informal survey of three National Diploma classes in one of Nigerian polytechnics, I discovered recently that 70% of the students who use Android phones did not know how to get on Google on their gadgets. Aside their call logs, contact list and gallery, they can only navigate through their many social media. In an age when lecturers have stopped reckoning with Wikipedia, there are still many students who can’t even handle Google search. Many do not know that gone are the days you necessarily have to buy a newspaper, all of them have their online versions now. But unfortunately, an average Nigerian relies on the information on social media and would rather become an unpaid distributor of such news than to get the news verified.

    This is an appeal and a reminder to people that reading is an intellectual engagement which demands questioning whatever you read and subjecting same to logical validation. A generation of literates who have no depth are not different from illiterates who cannot pronounce words. People are advised to also get on other media such as educational media(academia, LinkedIn) and to utilise Google search to broaden their knowledge. Google is such a big gift to the world. It has something to say on everything. It presents you with different perspectives to any issue which can help you arrive at a logical conclusion on any topic. As the social media presents us with more and more platforms to lavish our days (Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat), it is our responsibility to put these platforms to positive use and to also visit other media that can help us deepen our reasoning.

     

    • GaniuAbisoyeBamgbose (GAB) University of Ibadan.

  • Beware…social media makes, mars business

    The rise of and acceptance of social media platforms could either make or mar businesses, an information communications technology (ICT) expert, has warned.

    Speaking during an event hosted by Redwire Marketing Group in partnership with Social Media Week at Oriental Hotel, Lagos, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Syracuse Digital, Sunkanmi Ola, warned that social media such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and many others which have become veritable digital marketing platforms are double-edged swords because of their capability to either grow or kill businesses.

    Redwire Marketing Consulting is an insights-driven marketing and brand consultancy committed to helping its clients build and sustain transformational brands and marketing programmes.

    Speaking on: Measuring the Returns on Social Media Investment, the theme of the forum, Ola said while traditional marketing appeals to local audience, difficult to measure, expensive to run, static because there is no way to interact and get feedback, he said digital marketing has an infinite audience-appeals to local and global audience, allows for customer interaction, viral and it is measurable.

    He said for businesses to plan influencer marketing campaigns, there must first be research and discovery; strategy and planning; identification and engagement; campaign management; measuring and reporting; and finally maintenance.

    He urged businesses to be careful about how they manage crises on social media, warning that if the right approach was not deployed, it could worsen the situation and become counter-productive.

    In crisis managment, Ola said the first step was to detect what the crisis was all about, listen on the appropriate platforms, identify the negative key words and act swiftly before the matter went viral.

    He said those involve as well as the issue and why it happened must be identified and resolved amicably.

    According to him, response to crisis must also be in a thoughtful, polite and transparent manner, adding that precaution must be taken so that there will not be a repeat of what happened. He urged small businesses leveraging social media platforms for brand exposition to keep listening and take note on feedbacks received through interactions.

    The event, which was independently held under the Social Media Week also featured a panelist session consisting of professionals from various endeavors who have leveraged social media and other digital channels in building brands and generating significant business revenue.

    Doyinsola Ajayi of Redwire Marketing Group said the purpose of the event was to provide key insight and educate the audience – comprising leaders in the marketing industry, business persons and young professionals – on ways of maximising social media marketing budgets to get the best returns, in terms of engagement, financial profitability and overall brand value.

  • PT’s Olawepo-Hashim leads top candidates on Social Media

    THE weekly social media rating of presidential candidates’ engagements on the Facebook yesterday showed that Peoples Trust (PT) presidential candidate Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim still maintained the lead on engagement over the two other prominent candidates.

    Olawepo-Hashim is ahead of All Progressives Congress (APC)  presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar.

    The PT flagbearer, who overtook Buhari and Atiku on December 10, 2018, has remained on top with the highest engagement on social media for four consecutive weeks.

    It showed that Hashim is the most prominent presidential candidate that is being discussed on the social media, going by the data released yesterday in Abuja.

    Olawepo-Hashim recorded Facebook engagements in excess of 17,000. Atiku Abubakar, who came second, recorded a little over 14,000. Buhari came third with engagements in excess of 3,000.

    The statistics also showed that the presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Kingsley Moghalu and the candidate of Alliance for New Nigeria(ANN) Fela Durotoye and other presidential candidates were trailing behind .

    Data analysts involved in the polling project said the data on each of the candidates’ were realistic because “Facebook represents the broad spectrum of voters, who will vote in the February poll”.

    According to them, “increasing engagements imply voters’ growing interest in the candidates while a decreasing result reflects voters’ disenchantment. A static return means a candidate at a crossroads in the campaign.”

    The analysts said in their report that Olawepo-Hashim’s growing engagement rating is a measure of voters’ interest in him as a third force alternative.

    “He is no longer part of the pack of third party candidates. He has moved ahead to emerge as a real alternative to both Buhari and Atiku. This is a game-changer from data perspective,” according to Segun Seriki, the lead analyst for the project.

    “The latest data point to a major upset within the struggle for Nigeria’s presidency, we are making the report available to all the major candidates.

    “Our latest data reflect a major upset in the battle for the Presidency. It is no longer a two-horse race. There is now a third force that is overtaking the old alternatives.”

  • Buhari bemoans rise of divisive messages on social media

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday lamented trouble makers use social media platforms to send negative and divisive messages in the nation.

    He spoke during an audience with members of Motion Picture Practitioners’ Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The President said: “Nigeria today is a clear example of how a few trouble makers are using various media platforms to propagate negative and divisive messages.

    “In some instances, these mischievous acts have led to lives being destroyed, homes broken and communities divided through social media messages.”

    The President praised the group for the progress in the industry despite the challenges.

    He said: “Today, millions rely on your industry when it comes to current affairs and social issues.

    “I am informed that your output reaches up to 70 million people across many countries within and outside Africa.

    “Such outreach means you have a moral and professional obligation to ensure that your story telling is not only entertaining but also addresses serious matters affecting societies today.

    “I am glad to learn that you refer to yourselves as entertainers and educators. This means you are very much aware of your responsibilities to propagate positive messages to your audience.

    “It is our collective responsibility to ensure that entertainers, regulators and censorship boards do the right thing by insisting on observation of cultural norms and protection of national interest.

    “I have been informed of the progress made on your interactions with the Moroccan entertainment industry.

    “As you are aware, Nigeria in the last two years has established a mutually beneficial relationship with the Kingdom of Morocco especially in the Agricultural sector.

    “In our engagements, I learnt that Morocco also has a vibrant film industry that is globally recognized as a shining example of Africa’s entertainment capability.”

    Based on it, he said that he has directed that, in addition to agriculture, Nigeria should also explore potential partnership opportunities with the Moroccan entertainment industry.

    “I understand some of you were part of the various delegations, at both Federal and State levels, to have visited Morocco to explore partnership opportunities in the last 12 months.

    “As you may be aware, I have signed an instrument of ratification of the World Intellectual Property Organization on audio-visual performances.”

    On funding, he disclosed that he has already directed the Bank of Industry and the Nigeria Export – Import Bank to engage the sector by providing affordable working capital.

    He said: “This funding will unlock some of the trapped potentials in the entertainment industry, leading to growth.

    “Furthermore, I am tasking the Minister of Finance and Governor of Central Bank to ensure that these financial institutions immediately commence the engagement.”

    The President also assured his administration was fully committed to supporting all sectors that will create jobs for the citizens while positively impacting the communities.

     

     

  • PT candidate Olawepo-Hashim overtakes Buhari on Social Media

    SOCIAL media engagements, especially on Facebook, have indicated that the Peoples Trust (PT) presidential candidate Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has surpassed a vast majority of the other candidates in popularity.

    A look at the rating conducted by an independent body in Abuja indicated that as of December 6, Olawepo-Hashim had pushed President Muhammadu Buhari to a distant third position.

    Taking a critical look at the analysis of the Facebook engagements yesterday, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar had 25,000 engagements, PT’s candidate Olawepo-Hashim recorded 19,900, leaving Buhari at a distant third position with only 10,400 engagements.

    Presidential candidates such as Fela Durotoye of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) and Kingsley Moghalu of Young Progressives Party (YPP) had only 6,700 and 5,200 engagements respectively.

    With this development, political analysts, especially on social media, had reasoned that the agitation by a larger section of the Nigerian population for a credible alternative in 2019 was already coming to the fore.

    Olawepo-Hashim, aptly described as a political bridge between the North and South, had in recent times gained more followership that cuts across women and youth nationwide.

    Reports also indicated that discussions with over 20 political parties have reached an advanced stage in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja,  which is expected to culminate in the collapse of these political structures into Olawepo-Hashim’s People’s Trust.

    Apart from Facebook, Olawepo-Hashim has a good followership on twitter and Instagram, in addition to the goodwill and support he enjoys  from the people wherever his campaign train visits.

  • PT candidate Olawepo-Hashim ahead on social media engagements

    Ahead of the 2019 presidential election, social media engagements on facebook, have indicated that the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Trust (PT), Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has surpassed many other candidates in popularity.

    A rating conducted by an independent body in Abuja revealed that as of the 6th of December, 2018, Mr. Olawepo-Hashim had pushed President Muhammadu Buhari to a distant third position.

    An analysis of the facebook engagements on Thursday, showed that while the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic party, (PDP), Atiku Abubakar had 25,000 engagements, PT’s candidate Olawepo-Hashim recorded 19,900, leaving Buhari at a distant third position with only 10,400 engagements.

    Presidential candidates, Fela Durotoye of the Alliance for New Nigeria, ANN, and Kingsley Moghalu of Young Progressives Party (YPP) had only 6,700 and 5,200 engagements respectively.

    Olawepo-Hashim, had in recent times gained more followership that cuts across women and youth nationwide.

    Reports also indicated that discussions with over 20 political parties have reached an advanced stage in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, which may culminate in the collapse of these political structures into Olawepo-Hashim’s People’s Trust.

    Apart from facebook, Olawepo-Hashim, has a good followership on twitter and Instagram, in addition to the goodwill and support he enjoys from the people wherever his campaign train visits.

     

  • Why social media comedians are making waves, says Yannick Philippe

    It’s no longer news that comedians who rose to fame with the emergence of social media are speedily giving mainstream comedians a run for their money.

    For multi- talented, actor, rapper and comedian, Philippe Yannick Iwuegbu better known with the stage name, Yannick Philippe, it now pays more to be a popular social media comedian and influencer.

    “As one who doubles as content creator, I am proud to say Nigerian comedy has taken over the industry in Africa,” said Yannick.

    These days those of us that do comedy on social media, we are speedily taking over the mic from the stand-up comedians we grew up watching on TV.

    “Few weeks ago, I watched an interview of Maraji, a popular internet comedian on channels TV where she talked about doing a couple skits and ads for brands and that she charges about N500,000 to 1 million Naira. This is very amazing because some years back it wasn’t possible but now it’s all changing up, which is a good development and I am happy for that brighter future for all of us out there.”

    Continuing, Yannick urged brands to use the new platform to reach their youthful target audience.

    “Apparently, internet comedians are winning now and most skits are recorded with simple smart phones, connecting viewers with real life scenarios. Most viewers are mostly more focused on content and quality of the production. We all know that consistency in churning out content puts you ahead of the game. Any content creator who remains consistent will be very successful. This is an opportunity for brands and companies to use content creators, internet comedians to promote their services to the public.”

    On his style of comedy, the Imo State born act disclosed: “I am not the type that dresses up in my mother’s gown or fight to win a huge audience but I am an actor/performer that creates very good contents as well as trying to position myself ahead of my peers with a unique unusual performance via my Instagram page @yannickxphilippe.  I have a very fast growing Instagram account. I also hope to reach to a hundred thousands in a short run. For now, I just want to prove myself as a sensation this year and also work to collaborate with brands that are willing to work with me.”