How is social media affecting your perception?

It is common to see people at social gatherings such as weddings or even conferences, paying more attention to their phones, being active on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. Social media sites are tools that allow people create, share and exchange ideas, pictures and videos. But is social media really serving its purpose today or is it affecting our perceptions? A cross section of Nigerians thinks differently on the issue.
Elizabeth Tolu, a graduate in her early 20’s, believes that social media does more harm than good. She said back in time social media played a vital role in bringing people together and also served as a means of communication: “Now things have changed and social media is no longer seen as a platform for communication. A lot of people are misusing social media thereby, making it a place to show-off or portray false impression. I know a friend who is ugly, I am not being rude but truth be told. Before she posts a picture on social media, she has to apply heavy make-up before taking the picture. Thus the picture has to be thoroughly edited on Photoshop, before it finally gets to be posted.”
Tolu added that social media has affected her friend’s perception because she has lost self-confidence as she can’t accept the way she is: “Honestly, if you were to see my friend in her pictures online and the real her, you won’t believe it is actually the same person because she looks like Beyonce on instagram and Facebook yet in reality she is not even close to that. I always tell her that people like her for instance, if they go missing, it would be difficult to find them as she is the young good looking lady on social media and the contrary in reality. People should try to accept who they really are.”
Twenty-seven-year-old engineer, Fahad Ali, says social media has become one of the most important parts of our daily life because it enables us communicate with different people from diverse communities around the world. Although it plays a vital role in every society, it has its negative effects as well.
“Social media gradually changes people’s perception with time, especially those that are addicted to it. My teen sister is a perfect example because recently she deactivated her Facebook account and I was really shocked when I found out, as she was so obsessed with Facebook. When I asked why she did that I was amazed at her response. She said she couldn’t deal with the fact that she was slowly becoming depressed by it. She further explained to me that the pressure of taking the right picture or what they now call ‘selfie,’ wearing the perfect outfit and choosing the best profile picture was too much for her,” Ali explained.
He described his sister as someone who is losing her self-perception. Her priority was to meet up the standards set by the people around her and that is why she is finding it difficult to post a normal random picture that maybe she thinks wouldn’t be liked by her friends. “Regardless of whether you realise it or not, most people are spending a great deal of effort and time in creating their digital identity on social media which is terribly bad,” adds the engineer.
Aishatu Muhammed, a 36-year-old civil servant and mother of three says social media certainly has a huge influence on the way people behave and think: “Social media can often change a person’s behaviour for the better. For instance, when the video of a Ugandan house-help that beat up and maltreated the baby she was babysitting became viral, it created awareness of such issues happening in our societies without us really knowing. Fortunately, the video that was shared on social media changed my perception on house-helps. Now I detest keeping a maid, in fact, I can’t even trust her with my children.”
Joseph Maigari, who is in his early 30’s, says the use of social media has been growing and the concept of presenting our ideal selves versus our real selves has become more dominant: “The main problem we are facing is how most people tend to copy the lifestyles of celebrities, especially all those international celebrities. Surprisingly, most of the celebrities are portraying false images of themselves just to create a perfect impression before their fans. I know quite a number of people who look up to celebrity couples thinking and believing that their relationships and marriages are perfect not knowing that a lot of them are having troubles in reality. The notion that people have of celebrities being rich, famous and happy has affected a lot of people who try to copy them. People need to realise that things like that shouldn’t change their perception. They say all that glitters is not gold. People live a fake life on social media for several reasons.”
Nineteen-year-old Amina Zayyad can’t imagine living life without social media because it has become an important part of her day-to-day life: “Personally, I agree that social media changes one’s perception but if you look at it from a positive side, it is actually something good. Sometimes we have wrong perceptions towards something, but as time goes by and a person spends more time exploring and meeting new people on social media, it tends to change our perception. The major role of social media is to provide a platform for people with different opinions to share information and ideas, which has helped in several ways. Occasionally, I wonder how back in time people survived without the internet and social media. I am glad I am part of this generation.”