Lost in social media frenzy

Malawi moves at a supersonic speed so much that events overtake our perceptions on the necessary issues.

Social media has brought a deep touch of the feeling that things are happening so fast. As I write, a few days ago it was posted that a certain prophet had seen a vision that a famous social media influencer would die tomorrow [April 22]. And the social influencer has been all over the place asking people for prayers.

When you are about to get to the bottom of it all comes the musician the social media influencer was managing, claiming that she is dating him and before she gives more details, she is gone.

In no time, social media is awash with a video recording of a woman who locked her late-coming hubby out deep in the night!

Too fast and furious, I dare say. How sad that some people are living their private lives in public on social media!

On the crime scene, things are equally going fast. As I write, a man in Dowa has hung himself because his daughter cooked ndiwo without tomatoes; A police officer in Karonga has been arrested for defiling a 13-year-old; Police in Ntcheu have arrested nine robbers who pounced on road users along the M1; a Lilongwe magistrate is set to sentence a man who killed 10 kabaza operators with his bare hands; four gate cashiers suspected of having pocketed money at a football game deny the charges and are denied bail….

I can’t bore you well enough with the liturgy. But hey, is Malawi a crime scene? Are we becoming more criminal or the police are doing a greater job, or is this just because of how social media has increased the frenzy?

By the way, how could the police who are supposed to protect citizens, especially children let go of that photo of the little girl identifying the one who defiled her? How on earth could the police go ahead and identify the minor victim to the world? Is this part of the police book of ethics?

Even in politics, the day has been so fast. One question  rolled: How can it happen that both President Lazarus Chakwera and Vice-President Saulos Chilima should be abroad at the same time? Why should that happen, the tongues are wagging.

The UDF suspends one of its functionaries for allegedly moving the courts to start proceedings against Anti-Corruption Bureau chief Martha Chizuma. Fast, so fast. From one unknown citizen to a party functionary, linked to a vocal activist. Let us slow down, please!

But then, all this speed makes us forget some very difficult issues that have come out on social media.

Take, for instance, news that a certain Malawi Congress Party (MCP) functionary is believed to have pocketed money from some willing-to-be-employed by the Malawi Police Service. We saw the dude in party regalia. We hear he has links to a minister. The MCP denounced him.

Yet, as I write nothing has been done about this serious offence. The police are aware. This borders on national security. How did the dude get the MPS stamp? Who was behind his back? Who is behind his back?

We are lost in the maze of social media to follow up issues because so many events are occurring at a supersonic speed.