The surreal world Of Social Media?

A Kafkaesque-interaction with a young member of a WhatsApp group I belong to, led to my being called "dishonest" by him, because he believed (erroneously) that I had intentionally posted our conversation to the group. Nothing one would say made any difference to him. So I asked him where was his humanity.

A subsequent conversation with a cultured young protégé of mine, whom I have known for over a decade and a half (and who was horrified that an intelligent young person would label a complete stranger, who happened to be a born-before-computer retiree, a dishonest person, simply because he had inadvertently posted what was meant to be a private chat conversation, publicly), led to my learning the meaning of the chat-jargon "side-bar". One learns something new everyday. Cool.

I have never liked the idea that globally people can hide behind "monikers" (and not publishing their photographs to identify themselves publicly), and still be allowed on to social media platforms, to insult people they would never dare insult, if they met them face to face.

Naturally, the irony that the WhatsApp genius calling me dishonest, did not have an identifying photograph, and was using a moniker, on top of that, too, was not lost on me. It is one of the reasons why I stopped publishing on Ghanaweb.com, where tribalistic and uncouth blockheaded-cowards, hiding behind computer screens, routinely insult others, when commenting on posted articles.

To quote an wag I know: "Kofi, such is life in the age of social media - an online digital-media-landscape peppered with narcissistic and egotistical folk, don't you think?" My response? No comment, ooooo, Massa. Hmmmm, eyeasem, ooooo - social media: Ey3 surreal paaaapa!