By Ngong Jude
As times change, so are the youths’ reasoning and their use of social media. It’s been over five years since the Anglophone crisis broke out, and a comparative analysis of the youths’ use of the new media during that period and now is different. Young people are more conscious of their rights and responsibilities, focusing only on the things that concern them. Their civic responsibility includes sharing ideas that promote growth and development in their communities, respecting the opinions of others and being of service to them.
According to DataReportal Cameroon (2021), Cameroon had 9.15 million internet users as of January 2021. This was an increase of 1.3 million (+16%) between 2020 and 2021. Statistics presented by the digital platform further indicated that Cameroon stood at 34.0% in January 2021, with 4.30 million social media users and 26.60 million mobile connections, equivalent to 99.0% of the total population.
#FatcsMatter237 highlighted that the most widely used social media platform in Cameroon is Facebook, closely followed by WhatsApp. Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat are also gaining steam in the digital media space in the country though there is still a wide gap compared to Facebook and WhatsApp.
According to a report by #FactsMatter237, social media in Cameroon is used for reasons swork, entertainment, communication, business, education etc. To back this up is a statistics from GlobalStats, that pointed that between November 2018 and November 2019, Facebook was the most used social media platform in Cameroon with 86.76% subscription, while Pinterest: (7.55%), Instagram (2.17%) Twitter (2.13%), YouTube (1. 33%) and LinkedIn (0.01%) have slower expansion rates.
All these statistics presented above serves as spring board for us to measure the influence of this media in the daily lives of citizens in the country especially in the crisis hit North West region mostly of the youths who are the main users of the different social media platform. When the Anglophone crisis that began in 2016, morphed into a full blown war, the irresponsible use of the new media especially among the youths even caused the government to first of all restrict access to social media platforms on September 30. 2017. In total, the country shut down the internet in the region for 230 days between January 2017 and March 2018 due to what the government terms the irresponsible use of the new media to spread rumors, propaganda, and sharing of fake news.
By then, the youths in the two English speaking regions were accused of using the different social media handles of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter to mastermind these acts of propagating information that calls for the independence of Southern Cameroonian states ‘Ambazonia’, spearheaded by secessionists in the Diaspora. Back then sharing of gruesome images, misinforming, dis and mal communication were on the rise as every faction had an agenda to sell.
The passing of time has witnessed a paradigm shift in the behavioral pattern amongst the youths in the North West Region, following their use of social media to promote secessionist’s agenda. Judging from their posts, messages, comments and reactions one could confirm the notion that from ‘Our Boys’ a popular name given to Separatist Fighters in 2017, they now refer to them as ‘The Boys’, ‘Those boys’ amongst many other names dissociating themselves from the non-state armed group.
Screenshot taken from Facebook search engine 9/9/2022 at 11:30pm
A vivid look at the screenshot above taken on Facebook, Friday September 9 at 11:30pm shows the number of persons following news on the Southern Cameroon Revolutionary movement. From the statistics on the number of persons using Facebook in Cameroon, collapsing it down to the North West Population of over 2 million population and having just 16000, 29000, and 27000 Facebook users following such page then one can start to imagine how civic these denizens in their behavior.
This notion is evident with the social media evaluation in this month of September where it has been generally observed that the Youths have shifted their narratives, focusing more on things that matters to them and how they can contribute their own quota in Nation building. A close analysis of Facebook Postings shows a good number of them avoid posts content that promotes hates, violence. Rather their reactions on content that talks about the struggle is a one that calls for Peace, promotes unity and a great concern for humanity. Here below are some posts screenshotted on September 6, where a number of teachers were reported to have been abducted following school resumption in GBHS Atiel. Most of the comments that followed was a call for the teachers to be released and a call for more vigilance as seen from the screenshots below:
Also the dead of a law enforcement officer in a motor accident and Mimi Mefo making information on also saw some youths making constructive comments asking Mimi Mefo to cross check facts, report in a clear manner etc. All these shows how critical the youths have become when it comes to reading information online.
Going by what it entails to be civic, civic engagement involves “working to make a difference in the civic life of one’s community and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. This therefore means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes. Civic engagement includes both paid and unpaid forms of political activism, environmentalism, and community and national service.
According to the 2006 National Civic and Political Health Survey, seven percent of 15- to 25-year-old Americans participated in 10 or more community engagement or political activities within the previous year. When compared to their peers who report no civic engagement activities, this group was more likely to be African-American, urban, attend church regularly, from a family with parents who volunteer, a current student (in college or high school), and from a college-educated home.
In Cameroon the Ministry of Telecommunications, in partnership with Yoomee Cameroon in November 14th 2018, launched a campaign on the responsible use of social media by youths on the theme “The use of social media by youths: risks and opportunities ” Through conference calls, University students exchanged with Secondary school students from two separate venues in Yaoundé.
During interactions, the youths were schooled on the risks and opportunities of communication through the social media. At the end of the discussions, the Minister emphasized the government’s resolve to monitor and promote the appropriate use of social media platforms.
” E-reputation is very important on social media. Youths should behave like good citizens”.
Acknowledging the importance of communication on social media, the Minister of Telecommunication advised the youth to avail themselves of the positive side of social media.
“We need to have young people who are well trained and are aware of many opportunities on social media.They should refrain from destabilizing the country through uncivic behavior, and pay attention to what is important to them on social media”. After this encounter, there had been a series of campaigns organized nationwide from July 31 to August 3, 2019, in Ngaoundéré, with more than 1,000 young Cameroonians who took part in the third edition of the holiday camp organized by the ministry of posts and telecommunications.
During the IT camp, the young residents of Ngaoundéré and neighboring towns were trained on the responsible use of social media. All these in efforts to ensure responsible use of Social media among the youths. The multiplier effects since then has to an extent been felt nationwide and not even the crisis hit the North West Region is left with her youth’s fine tuning social media usage. Below is a screenshot of some young persons in the town of Bamenda creating positive impacts in their communities as a means of civic engagement.
Find above are screenshots of some young persons, Allison N. Nsom and Charlotte Ayeah mobilizing youths across different communities to impact them with skills and as well enaage them in community developments.
Another scenario of some youths leaders in the North West Region engaged in community development is also portrayed in the screenshots below. Bahiru Adamu, Lawong Yaah, and Ndzezeni Lodovic are amongst. The captions on their posts spells out the activities they have been involved in and how it contributes to community development.
In an interview with some social media users in the town of Bamenda to have them express what they use the social media for, many of them aside outlining the purpose of their use also say the new media help them showcase and follow up life positive virtues. Here below are some of their responses.
Question: What do you use social media for? What are the kinds of messages and posts you share, the pages you follow and your interest?
RESPONSES
Kometa Divine, Teacher Wum
“Social media for me is mostly a tool for me to be connected to other parts of the world. I can’t physically be present there. It also helps me in some form of information medium. However not all information received on social media is voiced out in public as some are of doubtful source. Also, social is some sort of relaxation tool as a result of comedies we can find there that can make us laugh abit.
As for the kinds of messages posted, they vary following the various works of life we find ourselves in. Eg as a Christian, religious messages are shared, as a teacher and counselor pedagogic messages are shared, as a lover of sports, sporting messages are shared etc as I am very diverse in my activities. I follow sports pages, news blogs, educational pages, social pages, etc”.
Ngwene Noelly Thelma, Student UBa
“I use social media nowadays for browsing,research,etc. I mostly share happy posts and posts recording my achievements or posts advocating for a particular thing.
I follow a lot of pages based on their content and opportunities they bring”.
Atoh Zenobia, Journalist CBS Radio Bamenda
“I use social media for research, communication. It serves as a source of education to me, to entertain myself with films, games & music, for business purposes. Motivational quotes, health tips post, educative messages, biblical verses, job opportunities and business items and ideas.
The pages I follow, Prayer groups, Baking and make-up groups, relationship and fun and comedy groups, news groups, dancing groups, business groups and job opportunities groups.
My interest is to be informed, learn how to bake and do good make up, know how to build a healthy relationship with everyone, learn how to manage a business and be involved in it too, relax, avoid idleness, learn new things”.
Tasi Peter, Journalist, Skysport Radio
“I use social media for chatting with friends, sharing ideas, getting different ideas of other people in chat groups and also for fun given that at times I go for posts which are fun as a means of my laughing and relaxation.
I share quotes which have lots of meaning which can in a way impact someone’s life, mems and fun. I go for pages which are linked to my work given that I constantly need different updates and info on a daily basis as well as pages which can serve as my relaxation”.
Muyong Kelly, Students UBa
“I mostly use social media for communication especially on WhatsApp and Facebook but aside from communication, they are entertainment apps like TikTok which I use for fun. On TikTok I watch video, some are comedies, some are tragedies and some are equally educative and also I make videos to post on my titkok page to entertain others as well which gains me “likes “and “followers”
Anye Ellen, PCC Worker at Church Center
“I used social media to communicate with friends, meet new friends, post pictures of life situations, comments on posts on friends and to read educational messages. I follow Inspirational pages”.
CONCLUSION
Social media, in as much as it is destructive when used to dis, and mal informed, it also has the ability to restructure, develop and encourage growth and progress in every community. This is evident when the crisis just broke out in 2016 and the usage of this platform to spread all sorts of information. Same youths that were involved in this act are gradually shifting the narrative, using the same social media to preach love, peace and unity, and as well get engaged in other activities that positively affect their lives. These they have demonstrated through civic engagements. Working together for a common good as seen in the way they handle social media especially in this month of September 2022.
If the responsible use of social media could be included in the school curriculum as a course, then the youths of nowadays will become even more civic in the way they look at life and interact with members within and without their communities.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Having established that there is more to social media than just sharing pictures, forwarding messages, chatting just to name but these, the following are recommendations on how best youths of nowadays especially residing in the North West can be encouraged to use the media for Civic engagement purposes.
Firstly, teachers in schools could be used as mercenaries to facilitate online peer-to-peer deliberation in order to identify public matters of concern to students, formulate questions and plan inquiries about such matters, and to negotiate the validity of and diverse perspectives on related knowledge in civic engagements.
A workshop to provide youths with formal and informal learning experiences in the creation and articulation of, and participation in online networked public debates and knowledge sharing will go a long way to fine tune their knowledge in civic engagement and promote not only the creation and sharing of user-generated knowledge on interest-driven social justice issues, but the means to thoughtfully and purposefully act on such knowledge via online networked publics.
REFERENCES
- Common Digital Platform
- Defyhatenow.org
- Mimi Mefo Info
- DataReportal Cameroon (2021)
- https://www.crtv.cm/2018/11/digital-communication-government-discusses-youth-exposure-to-social-media/
- https://www.businessincameroon.com/economy/0508-9393-cameroon-1-000-young-people-trained-on-responsible-social-media-use.
- https://www.facebook.com/1927380740639827/posts/pfbid02quXcTrbPfUjA5Q5JmbKvuQkmbJpUS8NnzXvE2DARbFPK28xU4ggE4vxw4muyvbndl/
- https://fb.watch/fy-ifYYRFE/
- https://fb.watch/fy-v9uVZgc/
- https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0ooS5PjLd25dWQibkzTwRXaS2bRh83qpzfXNRinK521ximS9rb7hp8RMedXRn3fabl&id=100012883096760
- https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02QDFJiFUq8iMMHA7AmXYALrNQnYXqyM3LecyhSeezwHKQTig3ht7nWKetkvNJHPmFl&id=100021666752331
- https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid05sKkLKPgEBMaip9PnFosZqbQUaGUFx3QBvEeSuGN1gLhMyCd2bRSTwdk35tUaMkil&id=100007829204688
