I remember contemplating starting a travel YouTube channel when the platform was still relatively new. I wanted to highlight all the ‘touristy’ spots in Mombasa as well as the adventurous activities I often indulge in. I could have… but I didn’t.
Being in the public eye means exposing yourself to the world in a microscopic fashion. People out there would be noticing the crack on your wall, the shadow under your eye, the crack in your voice, things you would not even have imagined.
My family is conservative in nature and there was no way I could imagine bringing them into the spotlight like that. More than anything, I’m a fan of the written word. As such, I chose this art form of expression.
With the rising popularity of social media platforms, citizens found themselves only a button press away from fame and exposure. Business folks and home cooks have always been at the forefront of optimising the opportunities afforded by social media platforms. When social media is used for the purposes of enriching, informing, educating and spreading awareness, it is the most beautiful invention to ever exist. However, when social media is used to amplify the negative facets of our society, then it is just ugly.
I mentioned the aspect of my upbringing earlier to emphasise the fact that I am not a social media fanatic. I am not a demented K-pop fan, I do not have someone I aspire to be like, I do not have a favourite celebrity I revere, and I am not a follower. Literally. On social media platforms, I follow content specifically, not the people. I do not follow content creators and their daily lives or buy their products religiously.
The sad part is that there are people who do. They watch every video, buy every product, comment, like and subscribe. The worst part for me is when regular folk revere these influencers and hang on to their every word like it is the gospel truth.
The one that gives me the ick is when folks send virtual gifts to these influencers that are later monetised. How have we become so unprincipled as a society that we just send our hard-earned money to people who stay home and virtually beg for money, but we will shun the poor, the homeless and the disabled on the street?
For the past few weeks, the Mombasa algorithm content that has been coming across my feed has been nothing but embarrassingly awful. Grown women acting like mean girls, slandering each other, throwing abuses and hitting below the belt. Other content creators riding on the trendy waves and picking sides, creating content and lives that magnify the ugliness of the situation. The whole thing just gives clique-esque vibes. A bunch of grown women (and men) acting like they are auditioning for their breakout roles in ‘Mean Girls’.
I know for a fact that this behaviour is not new to my people, but way back then, these squabbles were kept within the confinement of the virtual boundaries they belonged to, that is, family, neighbourhood and/or friendship groups. Now they have turned into public fodder to be aired in front of the world and consumed by all.
It all feels very high school and not in a charming way. Seeing grown, mature women, most of whom are mothers, dragging each other on the Internet makes me have second-hand embarrassment as a person from the region. Surely we are better than this.
