When a person lies on social media for pity, it is the people who have genuine needs who often suffer for it.
Asking favours on social media is not particularly new; it’s been called Bambiala Twitter by pop culture commentators, a reference to the beggars who say prayers and beg for money around Nigeria. But the version practised by persons like the infamous Pablo Ayodeji is different in one key regard; we’ve long suspected that beggars lie and sometimes go as far as fabricating their ‘conditions’, but none of them will hold a knife to their neck to get your pity.
Yesterday, in between the aftershocks of the Big Brother Naija finale and the reactions to Chimamanda’s slide tackle on Hillary Clinton’s feminist values, Nigerians on social media had their attention piqued by a particular alarming tweet from a relatively familiar name, Pablo Ayodeji.
“This is my final tweet. After 22 years on earth, I’ve decided to call it quits.”, the main tweet reads. “I can’t keep living this way. I’ve been strong for so long and I’ve reached my breaking point. I realise now that dying is easy and living is hard. And I’ve chosen the easy way out. Goodbye”
Anyone could be forgiven for expecting that Pablo would get the full weight of Twitter’s benevolence behind him.
Recent history has taught us that when a person posts what appears to be a suicide note on social media, it's important to try to reach them as quickly as possible. But when that person is Pablo Ayodeji, exceptions are often made.
Nigerian social media is a very small place, and Twitter, the perfect agora for the kinds of conversations we love to have, is even smaller.
Within those hallowed halls, Pablo Ayodeji is a prodigal child, the kind who you let into your home regularly but only so you can catch him stealing something and voila! you have a valid reason to send him packing for good.
A pattern of behaviour
Pablo’s rise to infamy reached a crescendo with 2017’s #5kbae debacle, where he took to Twitter to rant about a date that did not go as he envisioned and got one of the most classic clapbacks in Twitter Nigeria’s history.
Ayodeji’s tone during that episode offered a glimpse into a dangerous sense of entitlement that should have been addressed.
Instead, he got cash gifts from people (read: men) who were tired of seeing a man getting beaten down.
He got transfers for his trouble and continued to grow his follower base. As of now, he has over 12 thousand followers on Twitter, a small feat considering he adds nearly no value.
When months later, when he was found to have used his newfound fame to push false campaigns to raise money for medical expenses, this after he had severally tweeted “I scam people without using jazz”, it was a kick in the gut.
Pabloayodeji’s eye for a quick buck is only matched by his thirst for attention.
The elder statesmen of Twitter Nigeria say he has threatened to commit suicide at least twice; only to resurface days later and revert to business as usual.
It is why, when he tweeted this latest suicide call, Twitter Nigeria simply waited.
Waited, because history suggested nothing would come of it, and to a lesser degree, to see if there would be another typically amusing, slightly-unnerving conclusion.
Soon enough, there was.
We don’t know the exact details but as far as the screenshots show, few hours after he wrote that he would end it all, someone offered in the DMs to send Pablo 500 thousand naira so he’d call off his suicide and “see how it goes from there”.
As if on cue, Pablo responded, and hours later, when he had not gotten the transfer as promised, he let his benefactor know in clear terms.
“I’ve confirmed. I didn’t get any alert really”
We can’t see the future but I can say that following these recent events, except there’s live footage of him being led to an unmarked bus by thick men dressed in black, Pablo Ayodeji has exhausted whatever cache of pity he was pulling from.
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Distrust, and its side effects
Social media has created a world where more is less, and anonymity is a few clicks away. It means as we share stories and problems, the average user relies on little more than trust and a bit of empathy when he gravitates towards stories that strike a familiar chord.
It is why communities are created and flourish around just about any topic of interest on social media. It is why certain ordinary individuals have built large followings off their stories and submissions on particular topics. It is also why a select few, thirsty for your compassion, will take advantage of just about any trending topic to coax your attention.
The problem with Pablo Ayodeji and social media hustlers who want your pity is that they discredit those who come with good intentions or out of genuine need.
Ultimately, it is not Pablo who loses most in this but the tens and hundreds of other people who are genuinely in the same position, who are seriously considering suicide or need financial assistance, but will not get a look-in because of the precedent he has set.
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Between false stories and genuine need
On the surface, it may appear harmless. But in a society where many rely on acts of charity for sustenance or GoFundMe to pay for emergency medical expenses, it threatens to create a place where caution overtakes kind-hearted generosity.
When incidents like this occur, we are accustomed to seeing the person at fault, in this case, Pablo Ayodeji, brought to book or at the least, made to answer for what they have done.
That Pablo has, repeatedly, manipulated Twitter Nigeria has led many to question the kind of social platform that it has become; a place where attention whores can do nearly anything for a few RTs and know fully well that they will get a reaction.
But we cannot blame a platform for the wrongs that people have caused. We should be more concerned with how many people will have to explain their depression in 280 characters because Pablo Ayodeji decided to use suicide as a marketing tool.
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