Staged social media apologies

Do you know one of the things I hate most on social media? It's the staged and fake crying and apologising videos. Those things irritate me so much that I don't hesitate to scroll past them whenever I come across such videos. The truth is, no matter how people try to justify these acts, they can never come from the heart. Never!

Okay, you mean someone can actually set up a camera and be crying while recording it? Isn't that acting? Even if the tears are real and it's a genuine cry, the only better explanation for it is just acting and nothing more. I have seen a video of someone apologising and shedding tears, and all I could say was, “Shut up there!” If the person wasn't forced or pressured to do that, they wouldn't have thought of coming up with a video like that. Also, if they get the chance to commit the same offence that pushed them to that stage, they would do it again and again.

Anything staged or forced can never be real, no matter how it's presented. We know the truth, but because the public—especially social media—provides a kind of validation that is pleasing to people, we keep doing it. Oh yes, everyone in their right mind knows that staging an apology on social media is never a real thing.

For about two months or so, there has been a big saga in the government house of Nigeria, which brought division. It's about a top politician holding a high post in Nigeria, said to be sexually harassing one of the top female members too, who found it offensive. The lady took it personally and began to drag the top politician, even when she knewthat her position was at stake, she did it extensively to the extent that a lot of people backed her up. But in all this, the top politician is bigger than her and her entire supporters. After weeks and months of talks, dragging, and controversy, the woman was forced (of course she was forced) to tender a public apology letter. When I read the letter, I laughed because it was very obvious that she was forced to make that public apology to the politician because of the conditions in the political setting of the country. We all know that deep down, if she sees an opportunity where she knows she’ll win with the sexual harassment scandal, she will resurrect the issue and use it very well to her advantage.

What other means can we use to do that?
Unfortunately, we are in an era that loves public judgement, and anything aside from this is taken to mean the apology, judgement, or settlement didn’t happen. If it were possible to take apologies secretly—I mean individually—without faking it in public, it would be far better. But we can’t do anything currently because the world, as it is right now, loves public judgement and apologies.

Thanks for reading.

Image source: MetaAI