COMMENT: Taxing social media

Social media should be regulated because it gives out so much information all day long but destroys common sense

COMMENT | MICHAEL WOIRA | I know any increase of taxes, as is being proposed by the government in the 2018/19 Financial Year, is a thorny issue. However, I believe in better service delivery, infrastructural development, good health, and good education for those studying. As a good citizen of Uganda, I urge fellow citizens to support a raise in our taxes rather than get a cut in services.

Social media is a waste of valuable time in exchange for nothing. A tweet of 140 characters is creating an entire generation of distracted, zoned out individuals. While social media’s original goal was to enhance communication, in reality it hinders productivity, spreads unreliable and false information, and has significant and negative effects on our social lives.

Social media serves as the black hole of productivity. Countless studies have shown that students who use social media while studying experience a lower score than those who do not engage in social networking all the time. In addition to that startling information, students who are always on social media are always unserious; especially in concentrating on school related issues than the students who do not. Since the rise of social media, education standards have declined in countries where social networking is prevalent. Only those of countries, like China, who severely limit the use of social media, have not suffered.

I support taxing social media because, at least, the noise will decrease. As one elite said, “Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.” Social media is a space where unreliable and false information can be spread with the click of a button.

In several of the recent worldwide tragedies that involved violence, many of the perpetrators were heavily influenced by militant terror groups through social media. Individuals who might have once been good people have lost their common sense and have these days been attracted to a world of darkness and violence. This is always seen at universities where students use social media to mobilise themselves for the wrong things. All this comes about because Uganda’s social media is not regulated or taxed and everyone can easily use it when and for whatever they feel like. In addition, social media sites like Facebook can be the perfect place for people to “pretend” to be something that they are not.

Many people put up fake profiles to maliciously commit crimes and some of them pretend to be what they have never been. One of my friends told me that one day he sent a friend request to a female social media user who looked very beautiful on Facebook. In a few exchanges, they engaged in a chat and shared each other’s phone number. However, when my called the new friend he expected to be female because of the profile pic but was surprised that the female he was chatting with was in fact a male.

This also brings out the fact that even headlines you read on Twitter or Facebook might not be based on the absolute truth. So you have to interact with social media with caution and common sense.

Finally, the proposed taxing that is making many social media users mad should be allowed to operate because it will increase revenue in our national coffers so that we get reasonable service. The word “over the top “has made people very confused but I think this refers to too extreme and not suitable, or demanding too much attention or effort; especially in an uncontrolled way. Relating it to social media, people have been using Imo, whatsapp and Facebook to call, have video chats, and this is what they want people to pay for because it’s over the top.

*****

Michael Woira is a social commentator