By Social media and societal happenings: are you a noise or a voice?
Guest Writer
Social media platforms are avenues for discussing and discoursing societal happenings. We are hardly done with one before we are hotly served another. The last one month for instance has treated us to interesting topics such as the removal of the Lagos State House of Assembly speaker, the divorce of Innocent Idibia (2face), and the “ganusi” saga between the popular Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde (K1), and some Muslim clergymen. I find it fascinating that the social media platforms are almost immediately saturated with posts, comments and memes. Some even resulted in confrontations within few hours that such topics surface on the internet. While I know certainly that such small talks keep the social media going and amount to fun for many people, anyone who cares so much about their identity would ask themselves a question when such topics surface: am I a voice or a noise?
One the one hand, a noise, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is a sound or sounds, especially when it is unwanted, unpleasant, or loud. This definition is a suitable metaphor for the numerous insignificant posts and comments that societal happenings generate on social media. Such comments and posts often lack fact, depth and constructive criticism. They generate no impact or direction for issues. A voice, on the other hand, is an important quality of opinion that someone expresses, or the person who is able to express it. The key term in this definition given by the Cambridge Dictionary is “quality”. You are a voice or your opinion makes a voice when you have quality, constructive and solution-cum-impact-driven intervention on societal happenings. The rest of this piece will discuss some ways to count as a voice as opposed to a noise in public discourse.
First, you will be recognised as a voice on societal happenings when you first understand that every public discourse does not necessarily call for your opinion. I find it surprising that couples would come on social media to announce their divorce and people would immediately constitute themselves into panels of judges to give verdicts. Announcements of divorce by couples should first off throw anyone into a sober reflection before any attempt to comment on such happening and that is if and only if such comment is important. This point underscores the fact that a voice is not always heard. You are not yet a voice if every topic or discussion interests you. Like a renowned English poet, Alexander Pope, once said: “Words are like leaves; and where they most abound, much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found”.
Also, you will become a voice when you sieve your emotion from your presentation. A presentation laced with emotion is a mere lamentation. Anyone who wishes to be a voice in public discourse must be able to make logical submissions on issues. Even though it is sometimes difficult to be completely unbiased or unsentimental, one’s bias must be weaved into some logical arguments. Expressions such as “men can’t make heaven” and “that is the other gender for you” are rather unfounded and weaken the logic of an argument. One must, therefore, contribute to public discourse from the place of information, logic and intervention.
Finally, if you wish to be a voice and not a noise, give the topic time. Time brings clarity to issues. Even judges adjourn cases when they need more time to understand them. Most times, virtual comments are at best opinions even when published as features such as this. Why then should anyone be in haste to join a discussion if you have not been invited as a witness in court? Often, the people who want the true gist of a happening trust the later comments which come with clarity.
Remember that if you must be heard, you have to be a voice, and not a noise. I end this by leaving you to determine if this piece makes a noise for you or a voice to you.
(c) 2025 Ganiu Bamgbose, phD writes from the Department of English, Lagos State University.
