Gone were the days when we had specific people and places we would go to in our quest for information on various issues. Those days, we didn’t just pick up our phones to ask chatgpt or any creator on TikTok what to do when we had a fever or something else. It’s either we went to the hospital or self medicated as is common in my part of the world. Social media has gotten to a point where anyone can create an account and start talking about whatever they want. Forget following because there are so many ways to get a million followers on the internet today. Most people think the millions of followers they see people having are actual followers but in truth, there are many ways to grow your following. We have bots that can generate followers for you and there is even a way to buy followers now, thanks to technology.
But then again, people will believe whatever they want to. That’s just human nature and we can’t stop that. In my point of view, social media has been so open that anyone can pick and niche and start talking and giving without even having the qualifications. Not everything we see on social media should be believe . I remember how one celebrities wife here in Ghana used to sell slimming tea and all of that to Ghanaians when she herself took a trip to turkey to get plastic surgery and the likes.
Not everyone we see giving advice on social media needs to be listens to. That’s why we have specialists in various institutions to help you. If you need health advice, go see your local doctor. If you need financial advice, go to your bank or any other firm. Now, we even have ways to reach all these people online. You just need to book an appointment and you’re good to go. As someone who works in healthcare, I always see patients come in with conditions which could have been managed differently if only they had come in earlier but instead, they chose to speak to ChatGPT or their community celebrity on TikTok for their healthcare needs. Once things are not going well, you see them rushing to the hospital and sometimes it’s a little too late.
Regardless, that’s the era we have found ourselves in. What can be done is the regulation of sensitive content with respect to healthcare, finances and the likes. Only qualified people should be allowed to give their takes on social media. This way, we know we are being fed with quality and not just chaff from someone chasing clout.
images belong to me.
