Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has decried the sorry state of social media in Nigeria, saying it has been dragged down to the lowest common denominator, and taken over by people he described as ‘barbarians’.
Speaking at the weekend at the 48th President’s party and his investiture as an honorary member of the prestigious Abeokuta Club, Ogun State; Soyinka pointed out that in other climes, social media is still valuable for interaction because of its intellectual content and reasoned discussions.
However, he lamented that in Nigeria, things are different as those who dragged it down have swapped its intellectual quotient aspect of it, turning it into something less thoughtful.
He claimed that things had gotten so bad on social media that someone may be accused of having a phobia of other people for just disagreeing with someone’s choice in an election.
The playwright urged the nation’s community of intellectual minds to save the country from the monstrosity of social media.
“In a situation where disagreement in an election can lead to one being labelled something-phobia or whatever. The social media is awash with accusations of one being a kind of ethnophobic. Its so strange to me but that is what we have been reduced to and when that kind of accusation comes, there is no need or value in trying to say you are not. You just say, ‘Thank you very much’. The complement of ethnophobia is ethnophilia.
“I am flabbergasted that people are so power-besotted that they cannot accept the possibility that they did not win an election. It does not matter whether you are right or wrong or they are right. It is just a question. Why not take your facts to the table, let’s examine them carefully, consider the possibility that we may be wrong or you may be wrong. You do not have to descend into demonisation of the group to which others belong to establish your point.
“Though, I don’t deal in social media but as far as I am concerned, barbarians have taken over social media and they have swapped the intellectual quotient which used to make and still make social media valid in other societies. Here in Nigeria, social media has been dragged down to the lowest common denominator.”
Soyinka therefore expressed believe in the community of the intellect of minds and creativity to rescue Nigeria from the monstrosity that social media has turned into.
The investiture was attended by the Alake and Paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo; and many notable Egba sons and daughters.
