By Amara Thoronka
Social media is obviously the easiest and most powerful platform to connect people, do marketing and social engagements across the world. Notwithstanding its huge benefits, many people use it to incite violence, blackmail people and cause mishaps in society. Social media also known as the newest media in the broader mass communication world, has the potential to break society when misused and on the other hand make society when used in accordance with acceptable social norms and ethical standards.
Recently, in Sierra Leone, a very emotionally appealing video went viral on social media. The said video depicts an extremely feeble and emaciated dying seven-year-old boy with a broken decomposing left foot. In the video, one can vividly see the broken bone which sticks out and the flesh gradually peeling off.
The boy lives with his parents at a hard-to-reach village, far from the country’s second capital, Makeni City northern Sierra Leone. According to the parents, they are so poor that they could not afford the medical bills of their son when they first brought him to the capital, Freetown for medical attention. They had to return to the village and accept anything that would happen.
While they gave up hope and left everything in the hands of fate, one day a man from the city was passing by the village and saw the boy coming from the farm together with his parents. He was shocked to see a very young boy in such condition, so he went close and did a video with an audio calling on the attention of government and people to come to the aid of the dying seven-year-old boy.
As stated earlier, the video went viral and caught the attention of many people including the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Brigadier (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio who instructed his Minister of Heath and Sanitation, Dr. Austin Demby, to locate the boy together with his parents and bring them to Freetown for proper medical attention.
According to the Press Secretary to the President, Yusuf Keketoma Sandy, the boy is now undergoing series of medical checkups and is now said to be in a better condition.
This is a bright example for nations across the globe, particularly developing countries, on how social media can be used to save lives, constructively critic duty-bearers, expose ills in society and inform/educate people on pertinent issues bordering on national building.
