Social media vital in development
There is need for collaborative efforts from various sectors, including the church, to ensure the sustainability and proper use of the social media as it plays a crucial role in development.
Malawi’s Minister of Information Moses Kunkuyu said this in Zomba on Sunday when he presided over commemoration activities of the 47th World Communications Day held at the Zomba Cathedral Parish of the Zomba Catholic Diocese.
He said the social media such as Facebook, Twitter and the short message service (SMS) provides a new platform for enhancing people’s lives as Malawi joins other countries in migrating from analogue to digital broadcasting.
Kunkuyu said: “Today, everything seems impossible without the help of the social media. None of us here would contest how these (social media networks) speed up communication and simplify our lives.
“This therefore calls on government, the church and the private sector, to jealously guard against the abuse and misuse of the social media to avert catastrophic media effects for the youthful generation.”
He emphasised that media practitioners and media houses need to be sensitive to the use of the modern methods of communication so that they do not impact negatively on the youth.
Added the minister: “Government will continue to provide conducive environment for freedom of expression and free speech. It will however not give a blind eye to abuses of the social media in the name of this freedom.”
The theme for this year’s commemoration was ‘Social Networks: Portals of Truth and Faith and New Spaces for Evangalisation’. Catholic priests, government officials and members of the Catholic community, and others, attended the event.
