CAMERA lenses preserve history, much of which would otherwise be forever lost to us from a visual point of view.
Think of all the historic events such as wars and disasters preserved by photographs and movie or television cameras.
From the comfort of our living room couches we are instantly transported right into the core of any happening in the world.
The educational benefits are enormous.
However, the explosion of live, violent videos – specifically those involving our youth – requires that we sit back and rethink the misuse of the power of the lens.
It is a fact that the constant barrage of negative images tends to move people to behave in a manner they would normally not behave.
While the camera can be used to document history or as a marketing tool, its drawbacks are innumerable.
Many promising talents have been cut short and dignities irreversibly tainted.
Because of exposure by the lens, sports people, entertainers and indeed politicians often find themselves on the wrong side of the moral divide.
As if not to be outdone, the men of the cloth stretch the envelope a little further with their escapades as they attempt to ensnare unsuspecting, gullible and often desperate congregants.
Interestingly, in many of these instances those who are caught on camera are aware of its glare and willingly bask in it.
The scariest factor though is the havoc the lens visits on our sometimes naïve youth.
The viral video of Thoriso Themane’s recent murder in Polokwane is a case in point.That the youths who committed the killing recorded themselves during the act is not only galling in the extreme, but also points to the disjuncture we find ourselves in as a society.
Ditto the mass killings of Muslim worshippers at mosques in New Zealand, where the gun-toting madman filmed the whole gruesome incident, which was posted on social media.
There is no doubt that such behaviour is often exacerbated by the knowledge that ‘big brother’ is watching.
The fact that murderers post videos on social media is a clear indication that they want to be seen.
A sick culture of ‘celebrity’ status.
It is unfortunate that being seen on social media behaving in the worst possible fashion has become a trend in our country.
Videos of bullies, gang rapes and nudity have become synonymous with our youth.
With the fourth industrial revolution upon us, perhaps it is time we seriously consider how to save our youth from further degeneration.
While the wave of the new technology cannot be stopped, measures should be put in place to address the unintended risks that come with it.
Teachers alone cannot be expected to carry the burden because this is a national problem that needs all stakeholders to roll up their sleeves and deal with the allure of the lens on our youth – before it is too late.
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