Experts Urge FG To Implement Policies To Combat Improper Use Of Social Media Platforms

The Federal Government has been encouraged by certain experts to implement a policy to combat improper usage of social media platforms.

The experts asserted that these platforms may help the nation's socioeconomic development, but only if they were used effectively.

The experts made the appeal in an exclusive interview with the NAN on Monday in Abuja.

According to NAN, a lot of companies use social media to market their products and engage with customers. Social media can also endanger society, though.

The Executive Secretary of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Ajibola Olude, stated that while social media is crucial, it must be handled properly.

”Not only can social media interfere positively with people’s lives, but false, misleading and confusing information shared on social networks can do real damage to society,” he said.

The Executive Secretary outlined the fundamental purpose of social media, stating that it was to offer online forums for people from all cultural backgrounds to interact and exchange ideas.

“My suggestion is that a policy should be put in place to address this wrong use of social media platforms by the concerned government agency.

“The whole essence of social media platforms is to provide a digital platform for people of diverse cultures to discuss and share ideas on many different topics.

“Recently, we have seen that users misuse social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram in situations that require urgent attention.

“For example, in a situation where there is an accident, we expect the users of all these social media to take those that were involved in an accident to the hospital.

“What they usually do is that they post the situations on the social media allowing the victims of the accident to suffer pains and pass away,” he said.

A social media specialist named Ogaga Ariemu urged users to try to use social media for the benefit of people rather than for other purposes.

“Basically, I think users have different uses for social media whether positive or negative.

“My call to users is to endeavour using SM for social good as against other uses, especially during emergency situations.

“Instead of making frenzy from accident situations as the case is sometimes; such can be funnelled to the call for emergency services for victims.”