How social media gives a false perception to the world about South Africa
To people that know South Africa, they'll know that not all of us are as fluent in English, French or Afrikaans as it may seem to the rest of the world on the internet. We use English online to convey a message online & when we're out in public we speak our home languages. But it may not seem so to someone from outside South Africa. When I look at some South African internet posts, YouTube & Twitter in particular, I can see how it can be misleading to someone who is not from South Africa. From an outsiders perspective, South Africa might seem like a country in revolution of some sorts or a country where everything is happening at once, while this is the case on several occasions, it is not the entire truth. South Africa is as typical a country as probably any other, what sets it apart is it's awkward cosmopolitan nature. A stark contrast to it's nationalist history & background. A history of Apartheid almost forgotten by the world & South Africa itself, a history I don't think should be forgotten by blacks or whites of South Africa.
What the world sees being posted online by South Africans is people living lavish lifestyles, drinking expensive champagne, speaking "big" English & it doesn't help that these are the select few that can afford expensive smartphones that tell the South African narrative through their priviliged perspective & I always do my best to ensure that the full story is told & we aren't living in the lap of luxury & drinking expensive liquor in haute couture (or whatever they call it) exclusive nightclubs. But then again, these are the people the world cares about. The world doesn't care about the real story of real people struggling against adversity on South Africa's streets. "The world loves a winner" is the common quote. No matter how many people had to be sacrificed & stepped on for that "winner" to come out tops. This is why in recent times social media has become a field of competition... who has the most followers, who has the most tweets, who has the most trends etc.
Perhaps this is the case for all social media. People only post the good for followers & likes from strangers, we're not going to post things that will make us seem terrible to the world. We're not going to post ugly & unflattering photos of ourselves.
But then, maybe I'm the odd one out & the online world is full of surprisingly rich South Africans that are masters of the English language. If that's the case, my apologies & I would like to know how these people made all this money. One thing is for sure though, the story of Mthoko Mpofana is not the story of all South Africans or even the story of most South Africans & perhaps some might see that when others will not. I will post unflattering things about others & myself online because I'm not a person who whispers a story, I tell the story in full & for everyone to see. It might make some feel ashamed, I might feel ashamed but I'm not a person of any public importance so even if my whole story was told to the world, it really doesn't mean much as opposed to someone who is in the public eye. Anyone who sees my story fit to be told worldwide will be disappointed that no one cares, least of all me. Perhaps, because I'm on Twitter, people assume I'm one of these outgoing, fancy model C types & are disappointed that I'm on social media for ordinary, mundane things. But since I'm online, I may as well open people's eyes to my truth & the world I live in. That's just me kurzgesagt.
Many are on social media because they were bored & some out of necessity but I don't think people would post unflattering images of themselves online & would rather post images of themselves doing lavish things. We're not going to post pictures of ourselves doing laundry or doing the garden. To be offended that someone is drinking expensive champagne at an exclusive nightclub or driving a car says more about you than it does about the person you're criticising no matter how misleading the the image being posted is.
What the world sees being posted online by South Africans is people living lavish lifestyles, drinking expensive champagne, speaking "big" English & it doesn't help that these are the select few that can afford expensive smartphones that tell the South African narrative through their priviliged perspective & I always do my best to ensure that the full story is told & we aren't living in the lap of luxury & drinking expensive liquor in haute couture (or whatever they call it) exclusive nightclubs. But then again, these are the people the world cares about. The world doesn't care about the real story of real people struggling against adversity on South Africa's streets. "The world loves a winner" is the common quote. No matter how many people had to be sacrificed & stepped on for that "winner" to come out tops. This is why in recent times social media has become a field of competition... who has the most followers, who has the most tweets, who has the most trends etc.
Perhaps this is the case for all social media. People only post the good for followers & likes from strangers, we're not going to post things that will make us seem terrible to the world. We're not going to post ugly & unflattering photos of ourselves.
But then, maybe I'm the odd one out & the online world is full of surprisingly rich South Africans that are masters of the English language. If that's the case, my apologies & I would like to know how these people made all this money. One thing is for sure though, the story of Mthoko Mpofana is not the story of all South Africans or even the story of most South Africans & perhaps some might see that when others will not. I will post unflattering things about others & myself online because I'm not a person who whispers a story, I tell the story in full & for everyone to see. It might make some feel ashamed, I might feel ashamed but I'm not a person of any public importance so even if my whole story was told to the world, it really doesn't mean much as opposed to someone who is in the public eye. Anyone who sees my story fit to be told worldwide will be disappointed that no one cares, least of all me. Perhaps, because I'm on Twitter, people assume I'm one of these outgoing, fancy model C types & are disappointed that I'm on social media for ordinary, mundane things. But since I'm online, I may as well open people's eyes to my truth & the world I live in. That's just me kurzgesagt.
Many are on social media because they were bored & some out of necessity but I don't think people would post unflattering images of themselves online & would rather post images of themselves doing lavish things. We're not going to post pictures of ourselves doing laundry or doing the garden. To be offended that someone is drinking expensive champagne at an exclusive nightclub or driving a car says more about you than it does about the person you're criticising no matter how misleading the the image being posted is.
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