Why is the Ghana social media space full of insults?

The Ghana social media space is somehow misappropriately being used. The usage of the global social media space by Ghanaians specifically has become what one may say oxymoronic/bittersweet.

It is being used by Ghanaians to spread hatred, insults and attacks on themselves. This may not have been the objective of the authors of the various social media platforms. They brought about these innovations to assist with easier communications and sharing of information between friends and people worldwide.

They are global communication platforms that enhance interactions between people. Their benefits are immense. They can yield positive benefits depending on how one uses them. They can on the other hand become dangerous when used badly.

While some Ghanaians, especially, the modern-day selfless herbalists are using them positively to share or impart their knowledge of herbs and their uses free of charge to the public, others are using them to insult, attack, and demean people.

The social media platforms are being used by intelligent people and organisations to advertise, promote and sell their products, making doing global, national and local businesses easier.

Why have many Ghanaians chosen to use them to settle personal scores? Why are they using them for negative purposes that are ending some of them in prisons?

Is it not on the social media platforms that alleged false information is published about some Ghanaian top personalities with written and oral insults heaped on them hence landing some people in prosecution, conviction and custodial sentences?

The Ghana president, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, and some court judges are said to have been denigrated or insulted on social media and have subsequently prosecuted and imprisoned some Ghanaians for those offences thereby abusing free speech in Ghana.

The law enforces in Ghana are treating these social media insults on the president, judges and some top public officials as criminal offences instead of civil offence, thereby abusing the laws of the land themselves.

Citizens of some countries do use social media to promote unity and peace among themselves for the common good of their country. However, in Ghana, the opposite seems to be true. They use the platforms to propagate their divisional antagonistic tribal politics, spread falsehoods, hatred, and insults.

Even some government officials and political parties allegedly enrol some agents to spread false information about their opponents. They pay them to insult their opponents but when they themselves get insulted, they cause the arrest of their insulters, forgetting the gospel saying that you reap what you sow.

The writer is not enthused at all about the largely negative use of the social media space by Ghanaians. The platforms are inundated with insults, threats of invocation of curses on others and other similar distasteful acts.

Nonetheless, the platforms have become helpful when some people share information of personal and common benefits which otherwise may not be known to the public without the availability of the platforms.

To conclude, the writer suggests that Ghanaians learn to use the platforms more positively than negatively. The impact of social media platforms can be great however you use them. They can cause more good or harm depending on how we use them.

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