Best use of social media: CSC’s ten tips for Burkinabè citizens

The ceremony of official presentation of the ten councils of the Superior Council of Communication (CSC) to the citizens of Burkina Faso took place this Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at the headquarters of the institution in Ouagadougou. Objective, to encourage better use of social media in this context of socio-security crisis and social tension.

In this situation that our country is going through, the Superior Council of Communication (CSC) has found that non-professional information, through fake news and hate speech, dangerously threatens peace and living together. Indeed, it is not uncommon to see publications on social networks relating to military strategies, messages of verbal violence, stigmatization and social hatred, the dissemination of fake news on sensitive subjects, etc.

Faced with this danger and in view of the legal limits imposed on it in the regulation of social networks, the CSC deemed it essential to explore means of action more suited to the new situation with a view to a healthy and new media manager. “It is in this perspective that the regulatory body has drawn up a list of ten pieces of advice addressed to our fellow citizens with a view to encouraging them to adopt responsible behavior on social networks and in direct expression broadcasts. said Abdoulazize Bamogo, president of the CSC.

These ten pieces of advice can be summed up as follows: Citizens of Burkina Faso, let us always express ourselves with honesty. The second invites us to use common sense and critical thinking when we receive sensational information. The third piece of advice is to not approve or relay serious messages when we do not know the source. The fourth urges us to avoid indexing a specific person, ethnicity, religion, group. For the fifth piece of advice, it is a question of avoiding incitement to hatred, the glorification of violence, the fueling of conflicts and stigmatization. The sixth invites us not to attack anyone in our words. Regarding the seventh tip, before sharing an image, video or audio let’s check if it is authentic and if its source is credible.

Before publishing, sharing, liking or commenting, let’s make sure that the message transmitted is not prohibited by law, according to the eighth tip. The penultimate requires Burkinabè citizens before sharing, liking or commenting, to ensure that the message is not incompatible with our personal convictions and ambitions. The last is an invitation to publish, share, like, comment on content that contributes to strengthening social cohesion and building peace.

Bernadette W GANSONRE/Trainee