Onoja Anthony
Social media has become an essential set of platforms for people to engage, interact, and connect with one another. It has been found to be the biggest influencer in the spread of fake news. As it turns out, much like any video game, social media has a reward system that encourages users to stay on their accounts and keep posting and sharing. Users who post and share frequently, especially sensational, eye-catching information, are likely to attract attention.
Due to the reward-based learning systems on social media, users form the habits of sharing information that gets recognition from others. Once the habit is formed, information sharing is automatically activated by cues on the platform without users considering critical response outcomes, such as the possibility of spreading misinformation. It should also be noted that some people don’t process information critically, and others form opinions based on political biases, which also affects their ability to recognize false stories online.
In the lead-up to the Enugu guber elections, desperate politicians having known the role disinformation could play have resorted to hiring social media handlers, most especially youths to spread propaganda and malicious articles on social media. This gains ascendancy mostly on the side of the opposition parties. Candidates believe that the easy way to demarket an opponent is to doctor fake stories, spread them around and make it diffuse into the subconscious minds of the people by pushing similar stories persistently.
Social media attacks were never experienced in the history of Enugu State elections until the emergence of Chijioke Edeoga in the ring that everything got soar and a certain high level of insanity started being recorded on all the social media platforms. The trained journalists have gone to engage the services of social media bullies who earn their living from the constant media attacks on innocent citizens of the state.
Edeoga’s desperation knows no bounds as he managed to swallow his pride and knelt before his archenemy, Ikem Okuhu whom Edeoga had once engaged in media war with in the company of other minions of his like Shepherdman Chijioke Iyorku, Simeon I. Eze, Ifeanyi Ogenyi and other jobless Law graduates who could not be called to the Nigerian Bar after 15 years of graduation, but have succeeded in gaining some recognition in the association of Edeoga media vampires who were orientated to suck the blood of the opposition party members and devour their flesh at any slightest chance.
Ikem Okuhu, a man well known for his constant vituperations on social media went all gaga after he was kicked out of the Lion Building for his ineptitude, lousy lifestyle, addiction to alcohol, drugs and women never gave a second thought to acknowledging Edeoga’s offer to be his Chief attack dog. He has devoted his personal blog site for this attack duty with the promise that he shall be his master’s Chief of Staff should he emerge the winner in the 2023 Enugu gubernatorial election.
Edeoga, the failed former Enugu Commissioner for Environment believes that as a journalist he is, he can use his skills to manipulate words that will undoubtedly sink in the minds of well meaning individuals in the society who may not know enough to decipher their lies. He believes that irrespective of the negative impact his cursed activities on the media is making, what matters is the end and not the means. He believes in social media bullying as a sure way of gaining access to the Lion Building from where he shall then perfect the desires of his father-in-law whose lackey he has been.
Recall that immediately the PDP guber primary was done, Mr Edeoga released a press statement pledging his support for the PDP guber candidate, Dr Peter Mbah, but was immediately rebuked by his in-law, Nnia Nwodo who mocked him of inferiority complex and later went to lobby the Labour Party ticket for him. Nnia Nwodo, whose family has been subjugating the Ukehe people has taken upon himself the duty of campaigning for his son-in-law, dishing out lies, preaching hate and advocating disunity.
Nnia as Ohanaeze Ndigbo president general succeeded in handing over a factionalized Ohanaeze Ndigbo to the late Obiozor which has gone a long way in telling us that Nnia stands more as a divisional elder than a unifier.
Nevertheless, Edeoga is enjoying the drumbeat of his in-law without minding the impact of such a dangerous act of politicking. What else do you expect of a guber candidate whose in-laws have turned to a puppet? He shouldn’t have refused doing their bidding lest the threat of treating him badly with dislike through their daughter would be inevitable. After all, it is never a thing of fortune for one to fall out with one’s in-laws.
Be that as it may, Edeoga is not going to win his polling centre let alone winning his political ward. But, one achievement should be attributed to him, and that is the fact that he has succeeded in destroying the future of our youths whom he has turned into social media wolves.
