Remember when our parents reminded us of the uses of Social Media?? How would they constantly warn us of the dangers these popular Social Media platforms pose to us as their kids and how we’re expected to conduct ourselves and the content we post?
It makes you think, doesn’t it? Well, today we are not going to be your parents or teachers. We are here to remind you of the dangers AS well as the good side of Social Media and the way you represent yourself on Social Media.
Let us first talk about one of the most used applications(Platforms) in Southern Africa:
Facebook is the first platform I am going to be briefly going into. A whopping 30 Million citizens of Southern Africa. That is 21.4% of the users being your age group.
Facebook may be an amazing way to connect with friends, long-distance family members and many other connections that will be made. Like finding new friends. Moulding your personality into who you need to solely rely on the friends that you either Add or Accept.
While some connections are wholesome and beautiful, some are not. Cases of cyberbullies and Hackers are an encounter that you must expect. You need not wait for it to happen, no, be conscious of such happenings and occurrences.
For hackers, the best way to possibly protect yourself and your account is to amp up your security. A lengthy password THAT YOU WILL REMEMBER is very imperative.
For Cyberbullies the best way is to report to an older person and report the account too. You will be given prompts to choose from to tell the Facebook team why you are reporting this particular person and action will be taken swiftly.
But in my group, Talking Technology to Power, we use this particular media site in a way that helps grow our community……..digitally.
TALKING TECHNOLOGY TO POWER
This group comprises a group of young activists who strive for Digital ACCESS within our local communities. The group strives to conscientize the different communities on using digital devices. Consuming digital media and gaining Wi-Fi access opens doors to the plethora that is the INTERNET.
In 2023, the group spearheaded campaigns and approached different schools within the location. Said schools would often be impoverished and have no digital devices such as computers, projectors, towers and other devices the scholars would need to enrich and educate. The Wi-Fi would only be used by the teachers, the teachers would then inform the group that that particular router was to be used in the administration building, but it can not reach the class designated to be the laboratory.
A few schools grew disheartened at the attempts to establish computer labs for the learners and only one school, Archie Mbolekwa, was keen and persevered until a computer lab was finally brought back to life and is in use. A few members of our group, namely, Dumisa Nyongo, Ayanda Tapi and Mvuyisi Nelani, are lab operators and teaching the kids basic computer operations and using apps to enrich the kids’ vocabulary,hand-and-eye coordination and how to type on a computer.
Another success our group celebrated was the establishment of a community wifi that anyone could sign onto and use to their heart’s content. As our group advocates for access to such networks and celebrates when pioneers take the initiative to establish such networks. 
Another group that flourished was our Media/Lebone group. One of the aims and objectives of this group is to introduce certain households to the use of enriching programs as well as educational material as well. Last year, the group introduced 5 households, households that live in a semi-urban neighbourhood, to the program, giving the parents 64 and 32 GigaByte memory cards filled with content the young ones could consume. The group this year aims at increasing the number of five households to 50. The group is quite excited about this initiative as it’s another year of doing what they love.
Another cluster that TTP has and is on the ground doing revolutionary work is IQONGA. This group works hand in hand with some researchers at the Environmental, Learning and Research Centre at Rhodes University, taking up space in the hopes of translating some high school textbooks to IsiXhosa. This group aims to introduce such concepts at schools and introduce a sense of pride in the children’s home language while hoping it’ll improve their marks in that particular subject. While the translations are in the works; this group also partakes in Soil-testing.
Also conducted and brainstormed at the ELRC, the group were fortunate enough to elect an individual to go to Durban and attend a conference. The electee came back and shared with us the information she gathered and the Soil-testing group was formed from there on out.
Another group that does astounding work is the TTP Research, Advocacy and Media Club. It comprises mostly of three members and they would be in charge of the Media surrounding the group: the Research that the group aims to use and finally Advocate on the digital divide our quaint little town is subjected to, more specifically the location. The group has a series of podcasts ready to be released this year and a few more in the works. Focuses on topics related to the digital disparities the community faces, the inequalities that are being perpetuated against our schools and the disregard our leaders have.
The separate clusters make the big group, TTP, a group of young active citizens of Makhanda. Passionate in their cause to bridge the digital divide. In conclusion, Makhanda has a future in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with this group in tow, we will push for the entire town to gain access, one push at a time. Talking technology to Power.