| Internet: An ally or foe of Nigerian youth? KAYODE KETEFE
On July 22, 2012, a very delectable 24-year old young lady, model and postgraduate student arrived Lagos from Abuja upon special invitation from her "friends" who received her at the airport with enthusiasm. About 12 hours later, the lady, Cynthia Osukogu, had been violated and brutally murdered by her facebook "friends" in a tragedy that shocked the nation. The affair has now turned sub judice as suspects of that heinous crime are already having their day in court. But the sad case of Cynthia, beyond its criminological dimension, offers a good example how a modern beneficial device could be put to infernal use. Today we live in a world of wonders. The advent of the internet as an integral parts of the information and communication technology signposts a significant milestone in the human journey to development. The ICT has made possible many wonders, which, not too long ago, had dwelt in the realm of science fiction and magic. As an example of modern "miracles", individuals scattered in seven different continents of the world can now hold video conference and see themselves clearly as they converse audibly in real time on the screen. Be that as it may, it is trite that every good thing, innovation or concept with potential beneficial effects is invariably a two-edged sword that lends itself to duplicity of application. In Nigeria, like in many other lands, we have been able to reap the near infinite benefits of the ICT in all its ramifications, but we are failing when it comes to the matter of the considered, prudent usage of the phenomenon in a way that will insulate us from its negative influences. To start with, watching the live telecast of top grade football matches across the world may seem a blessing, if it is enjoyed as an occasional leisure. But when people compromise their priorities and devote themselves religiously to the craze of watching mere games for which other people are paid, then something is wrong. Many parents carry heavy blame in this respect by not regulating the exposure of their children to the adverse aspects of our modern hi-tech world. The craze of the Nigerian youth and even a portion of the adult population for the English Premier League and other leagues across the world, for instance is a disturbing development. So is the inexorable addiction of the people to facebook, twitter, yahoo messengers and other social interaction mechanisms including facility such as YouTube on the internet. All these undoubtedly have obvious benefits, but addiction to them disproportionately claims gargantuan amount of time relative to their probable utilitarian value. Before the ICT revolutions, leisure time, especially by students, were devoted to reading literature of diverse kinds including English classics like works of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Geofrey Chaucer et al. Ironically, there are greater opportunities for extensive learning today than there ever had been, given the incredible amount of information on the internet, but alas, majority of users occupy themselves with vain and inconsequential engagements. The insidious fad of the premiership-mania may appear an innocuous pastime, there is, however, no gainsaying the fact that time is a valuable resource that ought to be wisely invested. There is an average of 10 matches in the English Premier League every week; this is not to talk of the Spanish La Liga, the German's Bundesliga, the Italian Series "A" and the UEFA fixtures. All of these are beamed live on satellite televisions and watched en mass with monomaniac passion. One wonders why people are devoting a considerable amount of a scarce resource like time on leisurely engagements with no observable salutary impact on their lives. Apart from the direct issue of money paid to watch the matches which would not stay in Nigeria but ultimately go to the pockets of foreign clubs and the satellite televisions providers, the opportunity cost of the enormous productive hours wasted and which could have been better invested in genuine profitable ventures constitutes another cause for concern. More bizarrely, we have heard stories of some young Nigerians who maimed or killed one another in scuffles engendered by bitter altercations flowing from idiotic arguments on questions such as which is the greater clubs between Arsenal or Manchester United? Or whether or not Chelsea has better players than Barcelona United; or on a question such as who is a better tactical wizard among Alex Fergusson, Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger, and David Moyes?.- sheer arrant nonsense! If the audit of the amount of resources the nation is losing by these seemingly innocuous but costly pastimes like premiership, facebook, twitter, yahoo messenger and YouTube alone is undertaken, the costs are sure to be staggering. But that is not all, what about the internet-based 419 practices, and pornographic websites which the youth (and some adult too!) often frequent and the violence-prone, debased films suffusing the internet, constituting evergreen lures to young and impressionable people. All these are moral toxic waste imported from abroad via the instrumentality of the ICT which undermine the norms and values of our society.
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