The invention of the television in the 1920s was spectacular. It was a turning point in human discovery. Whoever looked at it got hooked.
It did not matter that pictures were in black and white. Seeing someone singing on television was so interesting. Then came live coverage. And by the time the Vietnam war happened, it is reported that so many Americans watched the war live on Television.
Television became so popular that someone called it the “opium for the masses.”
Opium for the masses? Why? It made everyone get excited about it the way opium addicts behave.
Then the computer, laptop and mobile phones happened. With fast internet access and lots of online entertainment and resources, a mobile phone is new opium.
The ability to send messages to one or many people. To chat with strangers etc… has brought new risks that were never imagined. Today, we have cyberstalking, cyberbullying, cyber fraud, cyber warfare, cyber harassment and many more crimes. All traditional crimes have a cyber equivalent. All you need do is to add the word “cyber” or “digital” to mean crimes committed using a digital device, involves the use of a digital device or is made possible using a digital device. Of course, if I throw a phone or laptop at you, and you get injured, that is called assault! You get the gist.
In Uganda, the recent case of cyberstalking was reported by a member of Parliament, of Uganda. She accused a young man of sending unsolicited messages that disturbed her peace.
As reported in the news, “in November 2017, Sylvia Rwaboogo, a member of the Ugandan parliament, began to get unsolicited text messages from 25-year-old Brian Isiko. Her attempts to block Isiko did not stop him from expressing “his love”. To Rwaboogo, it felt like harassment. After she alerted the police, Isiko was arrested in June 2018. Even in police custody, he continued to send her text messages.”
Now you know what that means.
Technology has given the power to weak men to speak to any woman they get attracted to using the cover of Mr Cyber or behind the mask of the keyboard and computer screen.
To be continued… part 2.
Copyright Mustapha B Mugisa, 2020. All rights reserved.
