There are forces in the world and then, there is the force behind the ‘Brazen Power of Netizens and the Fear of the Internet-Court’.
It is not possible to imagine the world without the internet, bringing billions of people together globally. It now serves as the foundation of the contemporary information society, a sovereignty that governs the digital world. With diversity of ideals being thrown left, right and center, who really wants to come under fire from the powers that be, when you can be cancelled or famous simply by a collection of keyboards beings clicked for or against you.
Being conscious of the fact that, despite having ownership of the digital gadget from which you tweet, you don’t own full rights to how your words or content are perceived by the almighty “internet court.”
Different terms are used to describe this phenomenon, the loosely tossed around term “internet in-laws” comes to mind, they represent the population of net users who take it upon themselves to judge marital prejudice on the inter-court, be careful not to mess with these folks because they can decide what stays for better or worse if indulged.
The Fans, the FCs, and the Movements
Does the word “Online fans” ring a bell? popular with prominent personalities. As the name suggests, an internet fan will feel free to support you while also trolling you. Crazy how they are both a sweet and bitter indulgence, you might want to thread with caution as you never know when their love turns to hate, keeping in mind the fact that they control the ‘cancel culture’ of the internet.
The flow and circulation of public opinion and information online has slowly become an existential universal language that have proven to speak more volume than any known dialect. Statistics obtained from statistica reserach organization reveal that “As of April 2022, there were five billion internet users worldwide, which is 63 percent of the global population. Of this total, 4.65 billion or over 93 percent were social media users”.
Also, with reference to the incident of the BLM movement (black lives matter) by the black community of the United States, we witnessed the common fate of the black ethnicity being decided by the single unification of everyone fueled by none other than “the internet court” in the fight for black liberation. A medium that was once used solely for the display of trivialities, have become a catalyst for political reformation as well as historical emancipation.
I don’t believe this was in the blue prints of the founders of the internet, but the users have decided the use of the internet rather than the creators. In a recent publication by Forbes on June 12, 2022 it reads, “it’s the social media generation Gen Z, that’s using platforms like Instagram and Twitter as transfer points between thoughts and action, rallying people to the streets in the middle of a pandemic to push for policy change.”
It is safe to conclude that undisputedly, the power of the internet is yet another way this generation has finessed the art of “doing life.”
The internet court propelled the #EndSARS movement, in our homeland Nigeria. We saw unprecedented persistence, grit, unity, and propensity from every internet user being channeled towards driving the hashtags for #EndSARS as well as the #Sorosoke hashtag which is a yoruba term for ‘speak up’.
In a report by CNN, on #EndSARS it was quoted that “celebrities such as Kanye West, John Boyega and Rihanna among a host of others gave their support, shining a global spotlight on the #EndSARS hashtag”
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted about the movement, while his platform gave verified blue tick status to some who were prominent in it and created an #EndSARS emoji symbol
Also we witnessed the courageous display of love and support for the families of deceased victims on social media, which at the same time brought attention to the seriousness of the country’s security situation at the time. little wonder our leaders were left shaking in their boots from the way things were shaken up. You could tell they never saw it coming! and of course, the “internet court” was the catalyst for all of this.
A Tool For a Forced Change – The Knife and Stick Way
The internet has emerged as a potent weapon for change in a time when technology is dominating society, and nations around the world and their citizens have welcomed this special tool.
We have said our good byes to the days of selfie pictures and vacation diaries as the only use for the internet, as we welcome the era of dimensions of usefulness made possible by the power of the internet.
Guess what? It only gets better as every new generation emerges new breeds of netizens who understand both the Brazen Power of Netizens and the Fear of the Internet-court
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