An Associate Professor, Desmond Okocha, Dean, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Bingham University, opined Social Media tools are becoming weapons of mass destruction in the hands of youths.
Okocha stated this in a keynote address at a symposium to mark the UNESCO 2023 Global Media and Information Literacy Day on Wednesday in Abuja.
The symposium has the theme: “Youth, MIL, Digital Space, and Nigeria’s Transformation”.
Okocha disclosed that how the youths use digital media is very crucial to the future of the country.
While noting that the youths make up 70 percent of Nigeria’s population, he said the group had become consistently vulnerable with the volume of information they get and share via social media every minute.
He said that the widening usage of digital media had come with the challenge of fake news hence the need for digital media literacy to ensure decorum in its usage.
Moreso, he stated that social media tools such as Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook had great potential for fast national growth.
According to him, the same tools could also be used to bring down a nation.
He said that digital media, if well used, could curb misinformation and become a huge pillar for national bonding and cultural rejuvenation.
He suggested that people hurling fake news be penalized to deter others from doing the same.
Okocha stressed the need to teach youths to use their data more positively to restore hope and mobilize Nigerians to push the nation toward greatness.
