What's on your FYP

What media do you consume?

I’ll start this newsletter by reminding us that:

EVERYTHING IS POLITICAL

From basic human rights to other elaborate social constructs, such as labour laws and marriage; everything is political. And we all have to be involved in politics.

Unless you’re some sort of Nepo baby, that laws will never affect. Even with that, some Nepo babies choose to be activists.

keyword: Choose

Choice.

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gotten from Washington post by Pranshu Verma

What media do you consume?

In an age where the reading culture is deteriorating at a speed faster than light and anti-intellectualism is beginning to surround us like a restricting dome, I have noticed that many youths lack knowledge or interest in political matters. Content on social media being the most sought form of entertainment, with over 5.4 billion users worldwide, one would assume that the information that was gotten from reading or watching the daily news is being properly replaced. Sadly, that isn’t the case in some parts of the world. The consumption of “brain rot” media by phone users reshapes the brain’s conditioning, causing a disinterest in media that isn’t short spanned, simple, or repetitive. However, some use the same media to be informed about the happenings around the world.

Brain rot is a colloquial term that refers to the negative cognitive, emotional,and behavioral effects resulting from the purposeless, repetitive,and excessive consumption of trivial,unchallenging,and low-quality digital media content,primarily for short-form entertainment.

The inability of some youths to follow through or contribute to discussions on certain topics baffles me. This can be attributed to the media the current generation consumes. It is one of the contributing factors to the rise of anti-intellectualism in the country. Why is politics important you might ask. Politics or Political discussions is the bedrock to human rights as well as laws that have been passed through ages. Without politics or people involving themselves in political discussions, Black people will still be considered as slaves today. Women will have no basic human rights ad wrong traditional practices would still be glorified. Even if these topics are still being battled out, politics has helped with the progression of the society.

FYP...for you page
FYP most commonly stands for “For You Page,” which is a personalized feed of content on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube that is curated by an algorithm based on a user’s interests and behavior.

People no longer bother to consume media that keeps them informed and would rather choose to drown in the depths of ignorance. Focusing on brain-rot videos like those of Peller and those weird Italian characters who rose to fame based on mediocre skits. The attention span of an average teenager has been compromised, thereby damaging their ability to comprehend important information.
How can one not know about the genocide in Congo or the signing of Child marriage in Somalia?

It brings me to wonder, what exactly do people have on their FYPs?
And it’s not just the youths. The adults, too. Especially the educated population. They believe the only information they require to survive is buried between the pages of textbooks curated for their degrees that were created decades ago, and they remain adamant to “Learn. Unlearn and Relearn”
I remember during an argument with an aged scholar on Senator Natasha’s harassment. He argued that it was a lie. His argument, a woman of that hierarchy cannot be sexually harassed.....
I was confused as to how someone could make such a statement. The statement reeks of so much ignorance because everyone (or not everyone) knows that sexual harassment doesn’t care about hierarchy. In the same way, misogyny doesn’t. There’s always a taste of misogyny wherever a woman and a man can be found. It’s, however, ironic that some people choose to believe that misogyny is a mere made-up concept for lousy women to wag their tails just because they’re not on the receiving end of whatever oppression or ban on privilege.

Let’s not even speak about the usage of AI. Artificial intelligence has taken over people’s abilities to think for themselves, work for themselves, or even discover new things on their own. People, again, the educated population relies heavily on AI too much, constantly feeding it information and not considering the disadvantages of their actions. Why would an “ESQUIRE” place his/her pictures on AI and order the photograph to be altered, ask for a fountain of anointing oil to be poured all over him? The same AI that has been reported to risk a lead of identity theft or the release of deepfakes that can be used to ruin people’s reputations. It’s the same way a 79-year-old Professor stands the chance of being duped courtesy of AI videos used by rather smart but dubious criminals on the internet.

And how about the crazed youths on Twitter that use AI to naked or dress a woman. The nuisance that the creators of AI permit while trying to rob us of our sanity.

It brings me to wonder if the Nigerian educational system has a hand in this degeneracy. Forcing students to study strictly and not use this knowledge outside classroom walls or result boards instead of urging them to read for pleasure, read for inquisition beyond their course of interest. It would be an insult to compare the youths of Nepal to the youths of Nigeria. From the actions of the Nepali youths, one can come to a conclusion that they’re actively involved in the politics of their country as opposed to a country where democracy has been stolen from its citizens in broad daylight.

Or if this is just a result of people with privilege choosing to be ignorant or having a distaste for intelligent conversations

Why not build your FYP in a way that you’re informed about the politics around the world? It won’t hurt to watch the news once in a while. I especially have taken a liking to the journalism displayed on Arise News; it’s lovely and bold to see free practice of journalism and not just people dressed in suits and ties reading the news. Read an article. Scroll through that Instagram post that is on Women’s rights. Be informed about the financial state of your country. Life has been made so easy that there are “videos for dummies” to break down whatever elaborate concept or topic. Stay informed, and let’s wash away the drought of anti-intellectualism.