Since everyone has an opportunity to create and distribute content, anyone can become a private media house. One distributor could easily reach one billion people in a matter of minutes.
But with this great opportunity came great irresponsibility. Initially, the masses started interacting with social content, outstripping access to pornographic sites, which until then were the most visited sites worldwide.
Today, here we are, sitting in a world where communicating with a country's leader is as easy as typing an SMS, and better yet, the leader responds.
President Paul Kagame has proved that social media is beyond the control of aloof media advisers who sometimes rely on other ways of controlling their communication channels.
Having an online alias means you can be anyone and you can abuse the system. Politicians, public... on social media, they are equal.
With the run-up to the elections, social media managers are the new media gurus, not that there is a course called social media at any university or college.
Do not get me wrong; it is a reputable job, but it is proving to be one of the toughest around. Why? Control.
Social media is worse than a bush fire in the savannah during a drought.
Once it starts, it is nearly impossible to stop until it runs its course, and the damage it leaves in its wake is far more dangerous than all other forms of media put together on any single day.
The distribution system that is social media is extremely effective; it leaves very little untouched once it is out in public.
The general unwritten disclaimer basically ensures that if you are wrong, you will certainly be punished.
Mayer Amschel Rothschild, the famous 16th century banker, once made a statement that basically determined how mainstream media has been perceived over the past century in Africa, and more specifically in Kenya.
He admonished his children that if they could not get the general public to love them, the next best option was to get the public to fear them.
The rule persisted from the 1700s until the 20th century. This rule, and others like it, have however since changed.
The 21st century ensured that everything belonging to the last century remained there.
Politicians may attempt to control mainstream media, censor it, and influence content, but that control is more likely to ruin than benefit them.
One thing is certain: social media has certainly created bolder and more voracious activists who have no fear of self-expression and who will not hesitate to publicly vanquish an opponent.
Social media is steadily forcing politicians to relinquish control of all forms of media, since they are learning that an iron fist is less useful than actually doing their jobs.
As is being proven across the world, and soon in Africa, politicians who are not cautious about where they tread will be judged on social media, and in many cases the judgment will be harsh.
There are an estimated 1.8 million people on Facebook in Kenya, according to Safaricom. A rather impressive figure, but there needs to be a realistic perspective into who is doing what where.
The perspective, in my opinion, is that even if the number of users doubles, it is still far below the 40 or so million Kenyans who are primarily served by mainstream media.
During the launch of Google+ Hangouts in Nairobi a few days ago, Ms Martha Karua, the MP for Gichugu, said social media is playing a key role in her campaign and her communication with her constituency, and that if someone lacked the ability to attend a rally, they could watch it live online.
Admirable? Yes. Realistic? Unfortunately not, considering the generally limited access to computers, the Internet, and the finances to remain online for hours.
Social media has, unfortunately, created what I imagine to be an apathetic social system. There seems to be a ranking based on criteria like alliances, schools of thought, and wealth.
The antithesis in this column is that mainstream media remains king and has a wider reach, even though it lacks interactivity.
Social media has a long way to go before it becomes the mainstream, which means that lessons can still be learned.
By KAHENYA KAMUNYU
No comments:
Post a Comment