Media personality, Berla Mundi has explained what she believes is the reason negative news gets a lot of traction particularly on social media than news about positivity.
She posited that most people are not interested in and do not celebrate positive news or news about others’ successes because their lives are messed up.
Berla Mundi observed that such people prefer negative news and news about other people’s failures so as to comfort themselves and to wallow in their failed lives since they are not alone in such situations.
“I think a lot of people are broken and even though they may be trying to get out of that brokenness, they are also looking for people to identify with and so if there is negativity on social media then I realize that I’m not the only one going through the bad stuff. There are people who are going through it so let’s all just wallow in our pity and just keep talking about it.
Unlike seeing someone post something positive because that means you are doing better than I am and I don’t see why I should support you because my life is a mess and I will rather identify with people who have similar issues as well. I think that is what it is. I think we are cynical and maybe it is not our fault but the society we find ourselves in so we’ve learnt it from what was done in the past,” she told Albert Ocran on his Springboard show.
The media personality, however, wants that changed as she asserted that people can still support and celebrate the success story of others even if they are not doing well in life.
While blaming the trend on the Ghanaian society, she said it is pointless to dwell on negative news just to feel good when such energy and time could be channeled to helping others get better and seeking solutions to your problems.
Through her B. You Project, Berla Mundi indicated that she has been encouraging young people particularly women to seek help from mentors to better themselves and use social media to their advantage instead of trolling people over their failures and shortcomings.
“I realize there was the need to have deep conversations with these young people just to let them understand that it is ok to celebrate someone else, it is ok to want to push someone up even if things are not going right for you because you never know, along the line that is when you might also get your big break. Anytime that we meet, we always remind them why they should use social media for the right purpose and not the wrong purpose. What is the point in rejoicing over someone’s failure and just going on social media and constantly just talking about them when you could use same energy to also push everyone up?”
She added, “If you are going through a challenge, you should find people, mentors to talk to, let them help you so that you don’t also wallow in pity and now start looking for similar people just so you can go on social media and make fun of them”.
