HOW SOCIAL MEDIA SAVVY ARE YOU ?

The late Cynthia Osokogu was a social media user like many of us. A post-graduate student of Nassarawa State University and also a boutique owner, she was lured to Lagos by a 33year-old young man she met on a Blackberry Messenger (BBM) chat group on a false pretence of helping her to buy goods for her boutique at a cheap price. She was lodged in a hotel by the man who later drugged, robbed, raped and murdered her in cold blood by strangulation with the assistance of his cousin. Apparently, she trusted this man to a certain level. How aware are you of the risks on social media ? Cynthia’s sad death will not be in vain if it brings about a change in the way we socialize on social media. Her unfortunate death has already started creating that change. Many people today say they will no longer accept friend requests from strangers on Facebook or BBM.Click on read more below to continue....

Social media is a great innovation by all means, so much good has occurred on Facebook, BBM and Twitter. Information can go back and forth at the speed of light. The world is now a global village but evil people will always turn a good thing to bad. Recently, over N6M was raised for a breast cancer patient, Ms Idiagbonya to seek medical treatment in the U.S. This was made possible by spreading her story on Twitter, Facebook, BBM and blogs. As a blogger I spend most of my free time on the internet, a story has been going around of how some eight girls were drugged and raped at a beach house somewhere in Lagos after they had been invited to a party by a man one of them met on BBM. Just imagine a girl being raped by two or more men. Their nude photos were also taken. In a society plagued by so much evil, ritual murders, robbery and rape it would amaze you to know what some of our girls do on BBM and not just girls but men also.

Greed is a major reason why most people would find themselves in such situations, girls and guys want to make quick money, they don’t care how they make the money anymore. When Cynthia’s story broke, most people labeled her a runs girl because of her beauty. A lot of girls were very mean, leaving mean comments on blogs because they probably judged her by their own standards. When I saw her picture, the first thing that came to my mind was that she had probably gone with a man who had used her for a ritual. She was such a beautiful girl. That such a beautiful girl’s life with a future ahead of her was cut short by the two low-lives who murdered her is so painful. How do you protect yourself from these predators who use false profiles on Facebook and other social media?

 Firstly, do not make your profile public. Facebook has put in place security measures to protect users but most people are not just aware. When you make your profile public, anybody in the world can see you and send you a friend request and most people want to have so many friends on their friend list. Maybe it gives them a false sense of popularity; popularity to strangers? You don’t need to be Jane FriendsLimitReached. If you set your profile and pictures to friends, at the most only friends of your friends can see you on Facebook. If a friend of your friend sends you a friend request, you can do a check with your friend before accepting.    

Secondly, don’t ever make the mistake of meeting a stranger in a secluded place like Cynthia did. After how long can you meet a new friend in a secluded place? Always, let someone know who are meeting and where you are meeting. The sad reality is that anything can happen anytime you are alone with someone. Some people will take their time and earn your trust before they unleash their plans. You just cannot trust people anymore. Follow your gut feeling, if your intuition tells you not to go out alone with someone, don’t go. If you are not comfortable going out with someone, don’t go. May Cynthia’s soul rest in peace and may her killers die a slow, painful death, just like how they killed Cynthia. 

Culled from Life & StyleSavvy with Susan Ikhine column,City People Magazine