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You are being peer pressured on social media; you just don't know it
Your uncontrollable itch to follow whatever a celebrity or TV personality says on social is a big problem; you just don't know it ... yet!
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There was a bigger lesson.
HOW GHANAIANS SUCK UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
The peer pressure there is enormous. Not the peer pressure of smoking weed like the normal scenarios we were given back in primary school. For the sex pressure on social media, maybe yes! But let’s not deviate from the topic.
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The peer pressure of agreeing with someone’s opinion to look all ‘cool and hip’. That’s the pressure under scrutiny here.
Ophelia Swayne made an allegation about Kaya Forson and her family prior to Ghana’s participation at the Olympic Games in Rio.
Within minutes of her tweets, the entire Twitter was on fire hitting out at officials for the Ghana Swimming Association because someone ‘prominent’ on social media supported Ophelia’s tweet.
Without research, without investigation, without nothing. These social media users had to support her views because Twitter’s very own ‘most famous’ had tweeted so.
Hours later, the truth came to light. And then the tweets quickly turned like the fortunes of Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
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All hail Kaya Forson and poor you Ophelia Swayne because another ‘prominent’ person had put in a little work to find some half-truths relating to the issue.
The truth is, it’s quite embarrassing to see how people come from uninformed positions to just support any ideology because they see the person on TV or hear the person on radio all the time.
If we’re all being honest with ourselves, everybody have their favourites when it comes to choices in life.
Opinions are like noses and there’ll always be divided opinions on issues like football, politics, stands on traditional beliefs and much more.
However, it is very important for one to do the necessary research in order not to seem foolish when it comes either supporting or refuting comments on these topics.
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The trend seen on social media has been contrary to that.
Every now and then, you see tweets and Facebook posts that make a total mess of themselves because the user did not even have the time to read a 1000-word article that the whole conversation is about.
Just because, one celebrity, TV personality or one afternoon radio host said it, it must be right.
It is not right just because your favourite person said it. It could be but that is not an absolute.
The right approach will be to take the time to make your point from an informed position too. There is nothing wrong if you disagree with someone’s opinion if you put your valid points across.
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This discussion is not about shouting on top of your voice or beating someone to agree with you. It is an intellectual discussion. Make your point and deep thinkers will know what to take from it.
The Great Lesson
Social media has come to stay for good and it’s improvement of news delivery and communication is second to none.
However, there is the bad side too with cyber bullying which continues in different formats of trolling and what not.
The bad influences from the ‘prominent’ people on these platforms cannot also be underrated. Users who want to feel a sense of belonging like, retweet and love everything these ‘prominent’ people post and it’s sometimes disheartening considering the information these people endorse.
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You have a right to make your own choices. But please, don’t make those choices out of peer pressure and enforce that other people follow your footsteps because ‘so so and so’ said so.
That’s UNACCEPTABLE!
You’re not obliged to automatically accept the content of this article. What then will be the point of all these words?
Just read, research and access if you’re making the right choices on social media. It’s your call.
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
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Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.com.gh
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