OPINION: The Nigerian Church And The Social Media In The Twenty First Century

By Msgr Nathaniel I. Ndiokwere

Preamble

Social Media, treated as singular or plural, usually uncountable, plural, are Websites and software programs  (applications), used for social networking,  that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social interactions.


Today Social media have become a big part of our lives. Social media such as Facebook and Twitter are used by news reporters, journalists, political leaders to send messages to peoples all over the world. For business people and manufacturers Social media advertising boosts their sales. My most active Social media accounts are Facebook and Twitter. Anyone can access my website by just typing in the right spaces (aloradunque.org). You get every information you need about me and my works as long as you have the proper device, a smart phone.

Our World Today:

In our modern world the social media dominate and remain the fastest and most effective means of communication. Millions of people all over the world remain hooked to their cellphones, iPads, laptops and other devices almost permanently 24/7! Some people forget their meals, ignore their visitors and miss important functions or arrive late to meetings because they can’t be separated from their most cherished treasure in life, smart phone! They browse. They play games. They Google. They watch latest movies.  They text even while driving and crash in car accidents  Wow! It is true the cellphone revolution has changed a lot in the ways we do our things today and there is no atom of doubt that the situation will ever change, ‘for better, for worse!’.

Companies and personalities that have strongly invested in the social media have no fear of a ‘crash’ in the ways they make millions of dollars daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. The customers’ or users’ appetite for the ‘commodities’ provided continues to  grow as younger boys and girls, including toddlers and babies sucking their mothers’ breasts react violently and vow to set a whole family house on fire if their social media device, ‘erroneously’ is taken away from them! They weep, break doors and windows if the device was not quickly given back to them! This baby can’t part with this magic ‘toy!’ This infant, who has not learnt speak prefers the device to the mother’s nipples, the protuberance of the mammary glands from which the living-giving milk is drawn! Social media device producers, and application developers will never get out of job or lack customers! No way!!

Auto Companies:


The next groups  of companies  that will never go out of production in the nearest future are auto manufacturers. Today, you find no more parking spaces (private or in public places). Why? In a family of 5 you find 5 cars of difference brands. A journey from a small city Bakersfield in California normally takes one and half hours. On busy days, especially weekends the journey may take five to six hours because there are too many cars even though the roads have more than 5 lanes each way! Rush hours in ABUJA, LAGOS or OWERRI can be frustrating! How can car industries and cellphone companies fold up?

The Modern Church And The Social Media – Don’t Be Left Out!

“Go, make disciples of all nations …….!” What are the men of God, priests and bishops doing or waiting for? Why have you not opened accounts with the Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Instagram, Messenger, Viber, IMO and many others? If you have not joined any group of discussants,  you are groping in the dark,  and completely lost out. Don’t you see, don’t you know that the social media offer the best means of reaching out to your friends, brothers and sisters, students, parishioners and social groups all over the world, at home and in the Diaspora!

If they remove you name from one group (perhaps you give them Walhalla, you stand for the truth and opposed to injustice and oppression), join another group or create yours, stay as the Administrator and invite your friends to join). There are thousands, millions of individuals looking for friends and connections! DON’T BE LEFT OUT! DON’T LET ANYONE INTIMIDATE YOU! ‘Freedom of speech’ makes sense when not recklessly abused, otherwise our world will be boring and meaningless. We can’t always agree, but with or without you, the world moves on.

Do You Know What Is Going On?


Be informed. Know what is happening in the world. But be careful to separate the wheat from the cockle. There are a lot of fake news!! Are you too busy with ‘other matters’ and have no time to text, write and reply letters and messages,  read articles, LONG AND SHORT? If it is a long article, you don’t need to read ever word or sentence. You do ‘SCANNING!’  and in few minutes you are through with the main substance and important  stuff! MODERN LIBRARY is at the tips of your fingers and you can read, sitting, standing, and flat on your bed Okay!

Your Accounts

Have you no e-mail account, gmail, yahoo, hot mail and many others? Remember, information about political meetings and even obituaries can be so dear to you. ‘Priests’ meetings, Bishop’s pastoral directives, official statements and pastoral letters, diocesan calendars of events may easily reach millions within minutes through Social media!  Interested readers of local and foreign newspapers can, for example, with little fee subscribe to these organs of social communication, like online electronic editions of books and printed matter which cost less. Many companies, airlines, banks, churches, youth centers, hospitals and clinics provide free WI-FI for customers to keep them busy with their electronic devices. Wi-Fi is the name of a popular wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to provide wireless high-speed Internet and network connections. There is a debate about its full meaning. Some people claim that the term Wi-Fi is short for "wireless fidelity”. But this is not our concern here.

The "Bad" In The Social Media

There is nothing you will not find in the social media, the Internet - the good and the bad, including con men and women, dupers and rogues, pornographic websites, (also known as ‘adult library’), Yahoo and 419’ers,  men and women. You will jam professional men and women prostitutes, heavily paid to perform ridiculous, shameful and provocative sexual acts  before huge cameras to entertain millions of young men and women 24/7. Some regular viewers even subscribe and pay with their credit cards, as if they belong to “Manchester United or Chelsea or Super Eagle Soccer clubs!”  Soon they get addicted to pornography and get into trouble! Your Facebook account can even be hacked by evil people. But don’t  be scared my good friend. You just try and know how to avoid evil and as well be careful with what you read, watch and post on the internet!

The “Good” Can Be Overwhelming!


Enumerating the good you find in the social media and applications associated with them can consume a lot of pages. For the past 7 years for example, I have not opened my hard copy of the Breviary (3 or 4 voluminous prayer books for catholic priests). I read all the prayers – morning, noon, evening and night from the iBreviary (the electronic or ‘soft copy’ version) from my cellphone or iPad.

When promoted I donate a little fee to support the inventors, administrators and managers. I have bought so many nice books online and downloaded too many in my two devices and read them at any time. I have been a subscriber to the hard copy of the AMERICAN TIME MAGAZINE for the past 30 years. Since the past 3 years now I read the soft copy from my smart devices. I pay half the price! My bookshelf and library are on my devices and copies are saved on “iCloud”. If I lose my device I have nothing to worry about. All my information, including important documents are saved in the “sky”. Amazing!!

Articles, Write-ups, Tele-conferencing

I write my sermons/homilies sometimes and share  with thousands of my friends on Facebook and WhatsApp and within minutes they have gone through them or other write-ups expressing their reactions. The most interesting is that today, apart from reading from other friends in small chat groups (Facebook and WhatsApp), some large groups connect on phone (tele-conference) and discuss serious issues – Church, Politics, Morals, Education, Development and what have you.

I belong to a few good, interesting and useful online ‘parties’, ‘groups’, ‘organizations’, for example “Igbo-men in Kern County” (socio-cultural organization in one of the local governments in California) . We try to discuss everything in  Igbo and make Igbo language our medium of communication. I am a registered member of some other international socio-political  organizations, like “BIAFRA IN EXILE”, “WORLD IGBO CONGRESS (like WORLD JEWISH CONGRESS or WORLD FULANI CONGRESS). I am a member of  “ALAIGBO UNION”, “OHANEZE NDIGBO”, “ORLU TOWN UNITED’ USA.

 I am a senior member and patron/chaplain of IPOB. We discuss online and I caution any rascal against excesses. They listen to me. About a year ago in one of my write-ups, I explained in details ‘WHY I JOINED THE IPOB”. It was principally to counsel the youths.

Conclusion


What are you doing? What are you waiting for. Priests, Bishops, Pope, Heads of states of nations  and various church and political leaders? There are wonderful opportunities and means of reaching out to millions in our “evangelization ministry”. Most of our youths and parishioners are ahead of us. Didn’t the ancients tell us that ‘knowledge is power’ and as well, that ‘ignorance is a disease’.

Find out what is going on in the world. Select the “GOOD” and ignore  the “BAD”. There is no need to fear ‘exposure’ on the social media. Nothing is hidden any more and didn’t the Scriptures confirm it, namely: “No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lamp-stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light.” Then pay attention to how you listen; “for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.” (Luke 8.16ff).

(Thanks for you patience. You are free to share if this makes sense to you). God bless!