The video trended across social media platforms. A video she made to show off the new car her husband got her for her fortieth birthday. A brand new Range Rover.
Social media being social media, some were genuinely happy for her, while others were not. Lucy did not care. She loved her beautiful new car and wanted to show off to the world.
For Lucy, it seemed like lines were finally falling into place. Shortly after her birthday, her son got an academic scholarship from Harvard for his exceptional performance. And further congratulations were in order.
With each new piece of good news, she got a bit more carried away and soon began sharing every life experience with the world. Her husband’s promotion at the oil firm where he worked. Their newly completed Banana Island mansion, complete with a tour around the house and surroundings. Her son’s return back to Nigeria from his Ivy League school abroad. With the ecstasy of a proud mother, she made a well-detailed video and shared it across all platforms.
If only she knew!
It happened in the blink of an eye. Armed with the specific details pieced together from her video, two masked men and a dark truck lay awaiting her only son’s return.
It was all planned to a T, and the result was the death of an innocent victim. Pete was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
As you guessed right, Lucy never forgave herself and learnt a lesson in the hardest way possible.
Lucy’s story is just one instance out of the numerous that exist. I can tell you for a fact that scrolling through the profiles of some of my online friends, I feel like I can write a book about them.
Although I have never met with or even chatted with a great number of them, from their media I daresay I can tell you about their family home, their first daughter’s result from kindergarten, the boss they hate, or their relationship that didn’t bring forth the ring.
I could go on and on, but I’m pretty sure that you get my point.
The increasing popularity of social media has drastically changed the way we handle the relationships in our lives.
While social media gives us an avenue to connect with different people, it has also provided ample opportunity for us to share events that happen in our lives. And then to over-share.
I get that it is in human nature to naturally want to share the good news with our loved ones. That isn’t bad in itself, but you must consider what you are putting out before you post. You need discernment to differentiate between those that are in your corner and genuinely care about you and those that do not need to have access to the information.
You may argue that you are a social butterfly, but we should all try to exercise caution in the information we put out. More importantly, we should never forget the thin line between personal information and the ones meant for public consumption. Just like Lucy did.
What are your thoughts on this? To comment on this, kindly input “admin” as the username and password if a prompt request for this. This shows for first-time comments only.
Love,
Diane
