The world has experienced unprecedented connectivity because of the surge of technology. Communication has never been easier, faster and more widely distributed in short time spans than it is today. Right now, internet has become such a utility in my country Rwanda, it is being put in public transport systems and in certain hot spots around the main city of Kigali and other towns in the country. It has become a human right to have access to the internet. The double edged sword that technology carries is the ability to make our lives easier but at the same time the ability to cause so much pain and damage to our very live.
1. A friend i knew posted a photo of a work trip he had taken with colleagues out of the country. He was a married man whose ‘innocent’ pictures with female colleagues, not taken in any scandalous manner caused such a stir in his own home. His wife who was very insecure, used these photos to accuse her husband of infidelity and she filed for divorce. We had to intervene as the church to help them find a resolution not to end it simply because of pictures. Simplistic as it sounds, one post on social media could end a lot of things in people’s lives.
2. In February 2018 here in Rwanda, we experienced what became a nightmare in our day. Some people had created an anonymous twitter handle and were asking people who were victims of rape to name and shame their rapists online while keeping themselves anonymous. People took to twitter to give graphic and horrific stories of their ordeals. Because it was anonymous, others used the platform to get back to those they hated by fabricating stories. Within weeks, powerful names came to light, homes were broken and a lot of irreparable damage was done. When the page was blocked after a month by the police, there was some relief because people had abused the platform. It also undermined real cases of victims of rape simply because of the way it was handled.
3. A few strategies I will use to ensure i don’t fall into this trap is to spend as minimal time on social media as possible. Secondly is to verify certain posts that concern me in a way without reflexively responding to an annoying post. Exercising some self control is key here. Thirdly is to know that not everything that is posted online is accurate and not everything demands my response, even when it concerns me particularly. Finally, I also personally keep a high sense of accountability online in that my wife has the passwords to all my social media and email pages, so she can access them anytime. In that way, I;m held accountable not to get out of line.