The plague on Kenya’s army of peeving online bullies

My theory is that there are a lot of compensatory narcissists lurking online, many behind anonymous accounts, feeling so inadequate in their own lives that their self-worth can only be reclaimed by bringing down others. FILE PHOTO |

What you need to know:

  • In the last few months alone, author Binyavanga Wainaina, afro-pop band Sauti Sol, TV reporter Willis Raburu, comedienne Teacher Wanjiku and “socialite” Vera Sidika have all fallen afoul of this virtual lynch mob.
  • I admire outliers and seek them out, I’m fascinated by how they think and see the world. I interview many of them and they make for some great conversations.
  • It is not easy to expose yourself to ridicule by putting your craft out there, whatever it might be.

I got into a little fight a few months ago with the blogger who made me famous.

And by fight I mean a little verbal joust loaded with stinging truth.

As everybody knows, I became “famous” by picking fights with this infamous blogger on Twitter (which goes by the inelegant portmanteau of tweef; twitter beef), according to his version anyway.

I was mildly embarrassed by the tiff because this most ungentlemanly of outbursts happened at Her Majesty’s residence in Nairobi, and over a delightful dinner (gasp!) no less.

See, the inimitable British High Commissioner, Dr Christian Turner, was hosting some politicians, business leaders, lawyers, journalists and the twitterati to a dinner and chatfest called ‘Eat and Tweet’.

I told the good ambassador’s (mostly) august gathering that some Kenyans online, such as this blogger, were responsible for the huge echo chamber of nonsense on the Internet.

INANE AND TASTELESS

Now I can build on that. I have always been fascinated by the Kenyan psyche online.

From attention-seeking “celebrity” types to self-proclaimed bigwigs specialising in the inane and the tasteless, the explosion of speech online has been both astounding and horrifying.

Nowhere else is brainless, vindictive character assassination glorified as I have seen with Kenyans on the Internet.

Anybody who holds a divergent opinion or who goes against the grain and does something unique and extraordinary almost immediately meets the wrath of this e-mob.

It’s almost as if they are only satisfied if everyone has uniform opinions, no one dares to be different and nothing is achieved.

FALLEN AFOUL

In the last few months alone, author Binyavanga Wainaina, afro-pop band Sauti Sol, TV reporter Willis Raburu, comedienne Teacher Wanjiku and “socialite” Vera Sidika have all fallen afoul of this virtual lynch mob.

I admire outliers and seek them out, I’m fascinated by how they think and see the world. I interview many of them and they make for some great conversations.

It is not easy to expose yourself to ridicule by putting your craft out there, whatever it might be.

The vulnerability of having your work critiqued, torn apart and found wanting can be quite unnerving for those without a thick skin.

ANONYMOUS ACCOUNTS

Yet every great development, innovation or human achievement depends on taking an unbeaten path. Mercifully, even the inventors of yore were ridiculed and dismissed before they changed the world.

Why do we seem to excel in this criticism complex online? Why do overly critical blog posts, tweets and updates get shared around a dizzying number of times?

My theory is that there are a lot of compensatory narcissists lurking online, many behind anonymous accounts, feeling so inadequate in their own lives that their self-worth can only be reclaimed by bringing down others.

These folks are unhappy that their peers are succeeding, following their dreams, meeting interesting people and going to fun places around the world.

These subjects of their hatred are putting out their music, hosting TV and radio shows, getting important awards, writing books, getting big roles or jobs and generally winning in life.

My other theory is that it is easy to gain notoriety, which is often confused with fame, by attacking someone else. This is especially so if that person is prominent, popular, or has some kind of public role.

NEVER ERECTED

The most notorious bigwigs quickly earn followers by consistently taking on their targets with hateful, abusive and shameful comments in embarrassingly inarticulate street language.

This is a sad way to live. You can be anything on the Internet, goes a common saying, so many people choose to be thoughtless.

I don’t see why any self-respecting person would spend his or her time attacking someone else instead of using it to do something worth attacking.

I have always believed that talkers should stand aside and let the doers do. As Jean Sibelius said, a statue has never been erected in honour of a critic.

Don’t get me wrong; I have a healthy appreciation for helpful criticism. I love it when people can respectfully disagree with a story, interview or segment I did.

It is a useful exercise that helps develop skills, provides much-needed feedback and keeps people focused.

UNHAPPY WITH LIFE

But I have no time for a malicious take-down intended to achieve nothing more than retweets and a little attention.

Anybody who engages in cyber-bullying is really just trying to cover up their own feelings of inadequacy and disillusionment with life.

Here is the thing: do something worth criticising. How much more awesome would it be if we all put ourselves out there, challenging convention, slaying mediocrity, disrupting established norms and not just living a generic lifestyle without adding value to the world?

But if you choose to channel negative energy online and get by on your conveyor-belt existence, I am sorry you’re so evidently unhappy with life. Finding something to be passionate about, and learning to be good at it, is an immeasurably rewarding experience.

Nothing annoys the cyberbullies more than being ignored. And nothing is more satisfying.

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WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ESTHER ARUNGA I KNEW?

In early February 2010, the much beloved KTN anchor Esther Arunga and I were chatting in the newsroom.

Deep in the middle of planning her wedding (to Wilson Malaba, not current husband Quincy Timberlake), she was preparing her guest list.

She had a spreadsheet open with the names of friends and relatives she wanted to invite. “Your parents might bring a full bus from the village,” I joked, drawing hysterical laughter from her.

A week later, Arunga famously quit, diving into an extended and embarrassing public spectacle with the Finger of God group. We spoke in person, on phone and via Skype, and I have often wondered what happened to the Esther of February 2010.

I watched a video clip of her being led to an Australian courthouse to answer to charges of being an accessory to her son’s killing by Quincy.

I was stunned and heartbroken. She looked subdued, out of pace with the complications of her world. I met master Sinclair a few months after he was born and took a liking to him, the innocent by-product of a drama-filled union.

Her lawyer, Chris Ford, said she had two other children to take care of. What could motivate a man to kill his three-year-old son as the prosecution alleges? And what kind of woman lives with that kind of man? How I long for the Esther I knew.

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EUROPE GOES REFERENDUM-CRAZY

I arrived in London last week to mass panic and hysteria over a referendum.

You see, the 300-year-old United Kingdom could fall apart on Thursday if Scotland votes to be an independent country. On TV, a BBC reporter was chasing down people on the street in Edinburgh asking how they would vote.

There is a dizzying number of polls being done about this thing and they all say the same thing — it is too close to call. But one said a “yes” vote was likely and Scots would vote for independence.

The three most powerful men rushed to the north to appeal to the voters. To the south of the continent, the Spanish province of Catalonia was riding on the momentum of their Scottish cousins.

The region of seven million people will have an unofficial referendum on November 9, though Madrid says it won’t recognise the outcome. If only London had that option!

Madowo is the Online and Technology Editor at NTV. He is also a weekend news anchor and host of the Friday night chat show #TheTrend, as well as a radio show on Nation FM on Sundays from 2pm. Email him on [email protected] or blog your feedback at www.nation.co.ke