“Don’t let ‘I have followers’ fool you” — Sister Sandy cautions social media users

Adom TV presenter Sister Sandy has cautioned social media users against allowing the number of followers they have to create a false sense of power, authority or expertise.

In a strongly worded social media post, Sister Sandy criticised what she described as the growing trend of people using social media platforms to make bold claims and express opinions on issues beyond their knowledge or qualification.

According to her, the emergence of social media has made some individuals feel more powerful than they actually are, particularly when they gain a significant following and begin creating content online.

“Because of these new platforms called SOCIAL MEDIA, a lot of people FEEL powerful. And the word is FEEL. Because honestly, they’re not as powerful as they think,” she wrote.

She noted that some individuals acquire a few followers, set up cameras, ring lights and microphones, and subsequently begin presenting themselves as authorities on almost every subject.

“Someone gets a few followers, sets up a camera, ring light, microphone and boom! Suddenly, they’re confidently spewing nonfa nkoaa like they’ve become the authority on everything,” she stated.

Sister Sandy further described some of these personalities as “keyboard warriors and internet gangsters”, arguing that the confidence displayed online does not always match their behaviour when encountered in real life.

“I call some of these people ‘keyboard warriors and internet gangsters.’ Because after all the big-big things they say online, you meet them in real life and… ɛyɛ different ball game altogether,” she added.

The media personality also raised concerns about people making serious claims about the mental health of others without any professional basis.

She questioned why someone would publicly describe another person as “mentally unstable” without a proper medical basis or professional assessment.

“But seriously, tell me something: why would you publicly describe someone as ‘mentally unstable’ without any proper medical basis or professional assessment?” she questioned.

Sister Sandy urged social media users, particularly those who are relatively new to the platforms and have quickly built followings, not to mistake social media numbers for genuine authority or expertise.

She stressed that having a large following does not automatically make an individual knowledgeable, powerful, correct or qualified to comment on every issue.

“DON’T LET ‘I HAVE FOLLOWERS’ FOOL YOU,” she emphasised.

She also cautioned followers against blindly accepting and amplifying everything said by social media personalities, reminding them that responsible use of social media requires critical thinking from both content creators and their audiences.

Sister Sandy ultimately acknowledged the significant influence of social media but called for that influence to be exercised responsibly.

“Social media is powerful, but please, let’s use the power responsibly,” she concluded.