I’m a firm believer that everybody needs someone in their life to tell them when to shut the hell up. For me, that was my older sister. As a kid when I started yapping away with some bullshit, big sis was always there to tell me to put a sock in it because I didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. At the time it would just piss me off because I knew I was completely and undeniably 100% correct without a doubt of course, right? But as much as I hated being told to shut up, it became clear to me later on that that was a crucial part of growing up. And by the time I got to college, I realized a lot of people never experienced that. You know the kinds of people I’m talking about? The ones that have clearly never heard the words “nobody asked you” in their entire life and upbringing? Yep. There’s a whole lot of them out there. They’re often the loudest people in person. And they’re always the loudest people on the Internet.
The internet tells us more about our collective character as a generation than anything else. So let’s look at some recent trends.
If you have a Twitter account then you’ve definitely seen the phrase “sco pa tu manaa” all over your timeline. And unless you’re into the Ghanaian music scene where the phrase originated, you also probably had no clue what it meant when you first saw it. The words are actually just gibberish that became an inside joke on Twitter and then a trend where if you attach the phrase to any topic, people are challenged to respond with their thoughts on it. Basically it means “what’s your opinion on this matter?” The reason I’m bringing this up is because I’m fascinated by how something so simple became so popular on a platform largely dominated by young people like me. And I think the answer is that our generation LOVES to weigh in on anything and everything, even when we have no real understanding of what we’re talking about. In fact, we love sharing our unwanted opinion so much that we made an excuse for giving it— in the form of a meme!
Mostly that kind of chatter online is harmless, right? Usually the subject of conversation on social media is just something fun and relatable. But more and more often, the heat has been getting turned up with political topics that create hostile tensions and resentment. For years now I’ve been watching the people I follow take to Twitter and Facebook to shout their political opinions from the rooftops. Regardless of their ignorance on a subject, generation Z and younger millennials tend to share their ideas online with blind over-confidence. And don’t get me wrong— this definitely happens on both ends of the spectrum for various reasons. A lot of times it’s just pressure to confirm to your friends that you have the “correct” stance on a subject. A lot of times it’s more of an internal pressure to confirm to yourself some belief that comforts you. In any case there’s something about the way we were raised, educated, or otherwise exposed to the world that made us have these tendencies.
At this point, I am acutely aware of some hypocrisy in what I’m saying since obviously I write a blog on topics that probably make some people say “nobody asked you dude.” But I certainly don’t purport to be an expert on anything. And believe it or not, I actually do my best to avoid speaking to issues that I’m not well equipped to make any valuable commentary on. Trust me, there’s a whole lot of content that I’m tempted to publish but I decide not to. When I hear my big sister’s voice in my head telling me to shut up, I think twice before putting something in ink.
Okay so I’m not saying you can’t contribute to a conversation unless you’re an expert in the field. Of course not. What I mean is that the internet will never encourage any healthy amount of humility. So it’s on each of us to enforce it in ourselves. Don’t preach anything as fact just because someone told you it’s the “woke” or the “Christian” thing to believe.
Doubt your beliefs at least a little bit. See if you can provide yourself strong support for what you believe. And if your opinion passes that test, then by all means sco pa tu manaa!
Filip, again.
filipagain 
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