Social Networks As Tools For Development.

Working conditions in Nigeria may be anything but friendly, however i am opportune to be currently employed in an employee friendly institution where my right to human dignity is not being trampled upon. However i am not implying that the job is easy.
I had gone to bed early the previous night being a Friday and as customary to me, i woke at about midnight. Everywhere was silent and quiet except for the distant sound of steady music drifting in from a night club nearby.
I just picked up my phone and between reading the horde of emails, Whatsapp and Bbm messages that had accumulated, i felt the urge to change my PM 'personal message', of all things, i felt like changing it to 'it is banging in the club now', a phrase to indicate that i was not only present in a club, but also enjoying the entire clubbing process, meanwhile i was having a 'quiet time' at home.
This is one of the challenges posed by the advent of social networking as part of our everyday existence. Social networking has facilitated communication beyond our widest imagination, enhanced self-expression and to some other people, it has become a medium for emotional rendition of their feelings and thoughts. However valid these reasons and several others may be, it is undoubtedly true that social networking has also enhanced the spread of numerous social vices, in addition, it has also become a very efficient medium to spread rumours, share pornography and like a wildfire, spread scandalous gossips, articles and information about people, especially public figures, even as our ever-increasing army of bloggers keeps churning out such 'juicy gists'. Efforts should however be made at the individual level to reduce and possibly proscribe these rampant misuse of this great tool. Concerted efforts should be directed towards profitable and positive use and exploitation of the social media for personal and public growth and development, it could also be an integral tool for the dissemination of important news and information,personal business transactions and the likes. Cases of Internet bullying, abuse and swindling should be stopped. If everyone would make a personal commitment today towards a more responsible and profitable use of the opportunities inherent in the social media networks our society would become allot more safe and sane.