“Ladies and gentlemen, join me as I welcome Ikemefuna Grace Anuoluwapo to the stage for her presentation. She has made it clear that she won’t be delivering the regular debate on the advantages and disadvantages of social media. Instead, she has something unique and exciting for us on the topic,” Mr. Paul announced. It was the annual school debate at Girls’ High School, with various neighboring schools invited for the competition. Anuoluwapo Grace, popularly known as Grace in the school, was not only the head girl but also a member of the debate team. However, she had a special presentation to deliver. “Thank you so much, sir,” she said as she collected the microphone from Mr. Paul and continued.
“Many of us use social media but don’t fully understand what goes on within these platforms. Before I proceed, I’d like to define the term again, social media. Although the students before me have already done justice to it, my presentation would be incomplete without touching on it.” “Social media is a platform that allows users to interact with each other, generally via the internet. Some people also refer to it as social networking,” she explained. “While researching, I sought a word that is both catchy and significant, and the word is interact. Social media, as we know, is a platform we often use for assignments, research, and, unfortunately, for non-educational purposes like watching random videos.” There was a murmur of agreement from the audience.
“Recently,” she continued, “there was an online conflict between Nigeria and South Africa. South Africans thought it would be amusing to order Bolt—when I say Bolt, I mean a ride-hailing service—in their country using the Nigerian Bolt app. They would request rides to locations in Nigeria, and when the drivers arrived, no one was there. This went on for days, causing confusion among Nigerian drivers. Eventually, one South African decided to post about this prank on Twitter, tagging it as *A Ride with Nigeria*. This sparked outrage among Nigerian youths.
Once they realized what had been happening, they retaliated. Nigerians began ordering Bolt rides to exact locations in South Africa, leaving no cars available for South African users. The situation escalated until the South African government suspended the Bolt app. But Nigerians didn’t stop there—they began ordering food, TVs, and other accessories to various locations without buyers. South African delivery drivers started complaining about wasted time and fuel.
This incident demonstrates the power of social media as a means of interaction. It shows how a single action online can ripple through countries, all from the comfort of our homes with good internet access.” The audience listened intently. “After the Bolt incident,” she continued, “another story emerged. A popular TikToker, who deals with Bitcoin and frequently organizes giveaways to help people in different countries, mistakenly sent a large amount of money to a Nigerian. He contacted the Nigerian and asked him to return the excess funds, and to everyone’s surprise, the Nigerian did so immediately. Even the TikToker was amazed by this act of honesty.
I included this story because many people assume there are no well-behaved individuals on social media. This perception arises from what we expose ourselves to. However, there are amazing people on these platforms who we fail to learn from because we don’t seek them out.” She paused briefly. “I’d love to share another story, but time won’t permit me. So, I’ll leave you with this: Instead of going on social media just to watch random videos, take time to discover your career path.
You might think, ‘I’m only in SS3, and my parents are providing for me.’ But it’s never too early to understand your purpose. Find someone who works in the field you aspire to join, or someone who inspires you, and follow them. Learn from them. Don’t just follow people who add no value to your life. This generation is rising, and it’s important that we rise with it. Social media isn’t just for fun. Some of us use it to lie to others and commit fraud. That’s not why your parents gave you a phone. Instead, use it to discover yourself and learn the right things. Social media has immense potential—use it wisely.” With a smile, she concluded, “Thank you.”
The hall fell silent for a moment before erupting in applause. “Thank you so much, Anuoluwapo Grace,” Mr. Paul said, taking the microphone. “I hope you’ve all learned something from her speech. I certainly have.” He then handed the microphone over to the judges to announce the winner of the competition.
