There is no doubt that the Internet has had a great impact on democracy and governance. This impact can be positive as it can be negative. This means that the people in a society have to devise ways and means to utilise it without undermining the peace and security of the country.
With what is referred to as citizen journalism growing everyday – where any individual who has a smart phone can share information instantly – reactions to it could lead to various problems. One of the very first causalities of social media is privacy.
Whoever is using the Internet, be it Facebook or WhatsApp, should keep in mind that whatever is said or shared could reach the rest of the world within seconds. This could mean exposure in some cases and lead to invasion of privacy. The other aspect to contend with is the fact that once it is shared, it will always be there.
Users have therefore to be very cautious about their activities online to ensure that they do not cause harm to themselves or others. A simple report which portrays someone in a negative light can have devastating impacts on the life of such individual.
There are many examples of lives being destroyed merely due to willful or negligent disclosure of content of interactions between people. This is particularly serious when it comes to public figures or people who are in leadership positions.
It is obvious that it is very difficult to police the Internet and its users. How the government and the people deal with these problems when they arise should be on a case to case basis. One thing that can be done is sensitisation and awareness creation.
The irony is that the same media platform used to spread any information may aslo be the best to control the damage that might have been caused.
