WE ARE ONLINE; OUR BRAINS ARE OFFLINE

The internet (Social media precisely) have revolutionised the art of relationships, mainly the way we meet and interact with people. It has reshaped the way in which businesses are conducted and impacted lives both positively and otherwise. Nowadays a Facebook 'like', a single shared picture on Instagram or a Retweet on Twitter could lead to marriage, crash one's marriage, land you that dream job or make you loose that job. It is no more news that recruiters and employers scrutinize the prospective applicant or employee's social media account for 'additional info'.

With Facebook's over 1billion users and Twitter's over 500million subscribers mainly made up of young people, it is not uncommon to find status updates, tweets or pictures that would make your jaw drop in awe. 

More younger people (and even older individuals) are going online or have got that 'online presence' since the advent of technology and the epiphany of smart phones but the irony is that they log on most times without their brains and this could be noticed in the type of pictures, posts, updates on some of their social media accounts. While some of them have foolishness written all over them, others are just outright insane.

Below are innovative and more productive ways to spend time online rather than just letting the clock tick away while being 'busy but idle and foolish' in every sense of it. Hope you find the tips useful.

When you are not feeling like, don't. 
You must not post an update, tweet or share something. When you are not feeling like putting something up, you could just go online, read other people's updates, tweets, shared links and log off.

Get your timers running as soon as you log on
Limit the time spent online because there is a tendency to talk gibberish when you are perpetually online and had run out of good or reasonable things to say.

You are your social media account 
Always put this at the back of your mind: Your online personality cum social media account(s) is still seen as you in person because it has your identity so every single action taken on your account would be seen as what you'd do in person.

Ask these questions before posting.
What is to be learnt from my tweet, post or update? 
What if my prospective employer, wife, folks or pastor is reading this?
What if this resurfaces a couple of years from now, what impact would it have on my image?

Moderation and good reasoning shouldn't be limited to just our personal lives but also to what we do or how we act or speak online so as not to wish we could take back those words or actions just when it too late. 

------------------------------------------------------------

You can follow me on Twitter: @victorikeji

IS THE MEDIA REALLY TRUSTWORTHY?

      Image courtesy of isthisusdotnet.wordpress.com

It feeds us with information- whether true/false, right/wrong. It has lead to many deaths as well as saved so many lives. It has even been used to start wars. With a click of a button, you can experience Europe from Africa. Religions, tribes, countries rise against each other because of it. Agree to it or not, the media is and remains one of the tools shaping our world today both positively and otherwise. 

Negative or sometimes titivated information sells and spreads like wildfire and the media has numerous applications of this because according to some, it is where the bulk of the money lies. For instance, In one day, I turned on the TV for a News bulletin and was greeted with a story and pictures on a gruesome murder. I sought for solace on my Facebook wall only to be slapped with another slightly skewed version of a story I read earlier. I felt Twitter would be any better but as usual, some biased political activists were having a field day, dishing out articles upon articles to mar a prospective governor's chances of winning an election. This got me thinking: Is there still an iota of truth in the world? In their song 'Where is the love', The Black Eye Peas sang: " ...Wrong information always shown by the media, negative images is the main criteria. Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria, just wanna act like what they see..." Younger Nigerians who are keen on subscribing to the herd mentality picks up this stories, adds their own touch of "creativity" to it and we get more confused. 

In this age of Technology, Blackberry, iPhones, iPads etc, everything seem to have gone online, it is not uncommon for an individual to get information of the happenings around them from the internet i.e Blogs, Online magazines and even News websites and all these complements the numerous newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations we have in our world today.

The question remains: How accurate and honest are the information we digest from the media? The nature and type of these information could be based on certain factors. For example, most of the information and news we get from the media has to do with the people and the affairs of government. The government might want to convince people to support their policies and this could lead to its liaison with journalists or even media outlets thereby suppressing certain kinds of information while pushing forward those that could sound or seem pleasing to the citizens and portray them(the government) in good light. 

In our world today, there are a thousand and one media outlets but they are owned and controlled by a small but powerful number of corporations which exerts a strong influence on the type of stories to be covered, nature of stories covered and how stories are covered, all tailored to suit the corporation's objectives. In such case, there is nothing like freedom of the press and as A.J Liebling asserts "Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one." Also, advertising seems to be the primary source of revenue generation for most media outlet and even the sole source for others. Understandably, these media outlets are tasked with promoting the business and style of management of their advertisers while suppressing news stories that cast a negative light on the sponsors. 

I won't forget to add that due to competition, most media outlets end up putting up images, videos or audio's that are selected just to shock or titillate their audience or viewers sometimes shoving the relevant information aside.

To answer that aforementioned question - Is the media really trustworthy? The answer is YES & NO depending on you - the audience, the listener, the viewer.

Yes because it is one major source of information and you just can't help but pay heed to it unless you prefer to remain uninformed and not current.

And No on the other hand because we in one way or the other form part of what we put up there or what we refer to as the media. So as rational beings, we should weigh this information, some of them could be false but only a critical look at them would reveal this falsehood.

Even why I still maintain that not every information gotten from even the so-called reputable news or information sources are true, objectivity is still key.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Follow me on Twitter: @victorikeji

THE POWER OF A WOMAN

                                                                           Image courtesy of http://www.ekaterinawalter.com/

The above mentioned phrase have been clichéd with a good number of people not having the slightest knowledge of what it stands for or represents. I did a little research in my 'mind's lab', observed and came up with the following definitions for the power of a woman.

-It leaves a man confused about whom to choose amongst several women. (A lot of men would agree that their judgements get clouded sometimes)

-It makes a student forget that he has got loads of books to read. (Undergraduatenna anyi's knows better or could explain)

-It makes a grown man behave childishly putting aside the fact that he is an adult. (I mean, many a man have found themselves in this position)

-It is that which the advertising industry have taken advantage of in order to sell products ranging from cars, houses, services down to groceries and household items.

-It makes a man walk under the sun even when he would have preferred a shade.

-It turns great men into objects of ridicule. (The former US president who had a problem with his fly could tell you more)

-It makes 5 hours spent with a woman seem like 5 seconds. (Especially when it is a 'just married' situation or when a relationship is still very much new)

-It creates great enmity between supposed inseparable best friends. (Yours truly could attest to this one)

-Sadly, it is that which makes sanity leave a man and then makes him a killer, serial killer or rather go on a shooting spree.

- Also, it is that which could get a man a top job or make him descend from that position.

-It makes men who have taken a vow of celibacy to sometimes think otherwise. (Trust me, e dey hold them sometimes but thank God for grace)

-It makes a man talk gibberish and thinks he is making sense. (Based on toasting level)

-It is that which makes a man spend the last of his money and tells himself "as long as there is life there is hope."

-Funny enough, it makes some men cry when they didn't mean to.

The definitions are inexhaustible and the list could even make up a book if I decide to continue, indeed God works extra hard each time he assembles a woman and so those set of people should be treated with utmost care and respect.

Cheers!

-----------------------------------------------------------

Twitter: @victorikeji