Whenever something like this happens the hip and happy take to social media to argue with social media citizens or simply to gloat about the achievement. So half the local population migrated to social media to let the world know that their country is the first in Africa to get a gold medal in a 200m sprint. Not to be outdone I hobbled along, crocked knees and all. The digital streets went abuzz, every keyboard warrior and hashtag enthusiast was out in full force, celebrating the first African country to clinch this title. And there I was, amidst the virtual fanfare, trying to keep up with the youthful exuberance, my enthusiasm slightly hampered by the reality of my less-than-cooperative keyboard competence. The problem with social media is that it's a bit like a high school reunion; it's all fun and games until you start comparing achievements. You've got the overachievers, the humble braggers, and then there's me, trying to navigate the digital space with the grace of a three-legged giraffe.
Social media wars also come with a slew of their own problems. There you have to sustain an argument with English–spewing natives whose athlete has just lost and they have now converted into bile-spewing factories. Our English bundles depleted faster than the local economy. A gallant friend said she pulled out a dictionary and downloaded Chat GP to supply armoury to her arguments and chisel out her bullets but it didn’t get far. The native speakers obliterated her charge faster than Letsile’s legs.
