Social media and mob justice: We’re all potential victims

There is a ‘’SARS’’ in some Nigerians; reservoirs of cynicism, misanthropy and bigotry

That predilection for exacting jungle (in)justice on alleged
offenders in the streets is very much the same on Nigeria’s social media
platforms – where you expect to find refined people above the stratum
of ‘’agberos’’. It is all the same – in the streets and on social media
district. Nigerian Twitter, in particular, is a toxic locale – defiant
to order and devoid of joy. There is that proclivity for ‘’gotcha
gotcha’’. It is always about ‘’dragging this person or that person’’. I
must say, very angry creatures take residence there.

It may be fun and games until you are a victim of this ferocious
social media mob. I recall when Segun Adeniyi, senior journalist and
author, was a casualty of this ruthless horde over a book he wrote. He
was tyrannized until he apologized and withdrew copies of the book.
There have been many other victims but some felt so overwhelmed that
they took an exit from humanity.

I recall the story of Ariyo Olanrewaju Taiwo – a man who suffered
depression – in 2017. He expressed suicidal thoughts on Facebook but was
bullied and taunted. He committed suicide afterwards. Social media,
which ordinarily should be a crucible for ideas, conviviality,
networking, and seminal exchanges, has become a belvedere where some
people exhibit their hate, bigotry, insecurities, and prejudices with dis-inhibition.

A few days ago, Japheth Omojuwa, the digital media entrepreneur, was
the whipping boy of these internet infestations. They clobbered,
scratched and gored him with pitchforks and daggers, even throwing
dynamites into the mix. Much of their grouse with the gentleman was the
side he chose to support in the 2015 election. They seized a moment to

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I have been a casualty of this brood of calumniators myself. I am
unfazed by the trolling on social media. I have developed impermeability
to ‘’praises and curses’’ on social media. I am comatose to what
happens there. But somehow, these maligners find my mobile phone number
and keep me under siege for hours and days with a fusillade of attacks
and curses. This bothers me because it is an intrusion of my personal
space. I wake up at 4am deleting hate messages.

We are a nation of extremists. A violent people. When you stray from
the single narrative promoted by some compromised persons, you become an
enemy pencilled down for demolition. Is this not a tyranny of opinion?
How did we become so vile, unfeeling, and sadistic? The beauty of
intellection is in the variety and robustness of opinions. Why must
everyone submit to a lone account – even if it is falsehood? Why should
everyone hold the same opinion?

What is happening on Nigerian social media is akin to the Dark Ages
where people were hanged for having contrary opinions. And the Dark Ages
was a blot on humanity – because knowledge was forbidden. We are in an
era of intellectual darkness in Nigeria where all opinions must be
unitary and must conform to certain ethnic and religious prejudices.

Some of the loudest voices accusing others of extremism are
themselves extremists, who ambush and savage contrary opinions. It must
be their way or the Milky Way to assaults and threats.

How did we become so pugnacious that we will tear anyone and anything that does not agree with us?

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