The Nigerian Students Society on May 7th 2019 organized a media and technology event which was themed “Media and Technology, a Pathway to Infinite Possibilities”. Graced by the presence and guest speaker Bilkisu Labaran, News Editor of BBC Africa English, the event that was held at the Blue Hall in Eastern Mediterranean University received interested attendees from across the campus.
Starting with an opening speech by Abdrasheed Mohammed who is the Director of Education in EMU, the guests of the evening were then addressed by VACD Senior Instructor Nkoro Anselem Ire, in his presentation of the use of YouTube to earn money. He advised that in order to do this, students should first think about an idea or content they would love to share/create and choose the social media platform that would benefit them. They should explore ideas and connect/collaborate with other people on that platform. He explained that his channel ASKNK is growing very fast and getting better because he had followed these processes and steps and he now has more than about 13k subscribers and is getting paid by YouTube. He further advised students should avoid copyright strikes from YouTube because if they have up to three strikes, YouTube shuts down the channel.
Picking a topic you enjoy is key
Second speaker of the organisation, Abdulgaffar Olawale Arikewuyo who is a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Communications and Media Studies at EMU, explained that unlike before, we now have a convergence of all social media platforms in our mobile devices which can easily be accessed and has changed the dynamics of our lives. He expressed the fact that social media can help build your future, but you just need more expertise to stand out. Elaborating further on this subject, Arikewuyo spoke about three areas to utilise; BLOGS, videography (VLOGS) and audio PODCASTS. Arikewuyo’s professional advice with relation to blogging included avoiding verbosity and minimising our write up, making it straight to the point, utilising interesting headlines to get people’s attention and appealing to their psychological needs and emotions. When it comes to VLOG’s, adding the right sound effect she exclaimed was key. Focusing more on PODCASTS, Arikewuyo explained that they are highly engaging due to its educative and entertaining nature. Within his final comments, Arikewuyo reminded students that they should always plan ahead, because the first step to failure is not planning and that choosing a topic you enjoy is key to staying committed and remaining consistent.
Using the power of Social Media
During the Interlude the audience enjoyed a musical performance by ‘Ozie’ singing ‘Bridges not Walls’ and ‘Stand By Me’, who was followed by the guest speaker Bilkisu Labaran, News Editor of BBC Africa English. Speaking about her journey in the BBC, she explained that BBC media is all about reaching people and giving them information and the online presence due to people being online now. She talked about how technology is about innovation and journalism is about content creation and information. She elaborated on the power of social media, using the example of the ‘Bring Back our Girls Campaign’, which spread all the way from Nigeria to America and got to the then first lady of America, Michelle Obama.
Labaran advised the students that their future career’s are in their hands and on their mobile phones, and they should choose to make use of online platforms with social media breaking all borders and boundaries. She noted that despite the fact that social media is important and beneficial in our lives, we shouldn’t allow social media platforms and phones to distract us, forgetting to socialize and interact with people in our environment. She reminded students to avoid the pitfalls of using social media to post things that we would later regret or that will create a scandal. She encouraged students to use their networking skills, sense of organization and ideas that will help them succeed, and that even the simple things work out as long as they are persistent and never give up.
The event ended with awards presentations to the speakers, guest speaker and the organizers of the event, and all the audience departed better for their attendance.
