Empowerment Through Social Change


Recently I visited my local supermarket to purchase a few items. One would think rice is rice and potatoes are potatoes, but it is not so. Having spent several minutes reading the contents listed on the packaging of the items of interest, I was overwhelmed and confused. These days you need a Ph.D. to understand what items such as cereals, milk, eggs, washing detergents, bathing soaps, and body lotions, etc. actually contain.

From the fruits and vegetables to the meat, poultry, and seafood, including the water we drink, worldwide the public is sliding down a slippery slope. Consumers are being stripped of the power or knowledge to ascertain the contents of what we consume. The same could be said for many of the electronic gadgets, household appliances, and the services we subscribe to.

For instance, are you experiencing Wi-Fi difficulties: during peak times – evenings and weekends your Wi-Fi becomes exceedingly slow? Videos play in horrible quality, films do not load or buffer incessantly. Online games lag and you are on the verge of smashing your computer. Most of the time the problem is not in your computer – it is the Wi-Fi.

Some internet service providers (ISPs) are providing subscribers with cheap, substandard Wi-Fi routers. Some ISPs even slow down your internet speed. Consequently, the signal is too weak to travel through walls. With the routers unable to handle many devices or sustain heavy use, you are left with weak Wi-Fi and dead spots across your home. This is a common scam or fraud some ISPs are using to lure unsuspecting subscribers into paying more for purported upgrades.

Contrary to popular belief, Nigeria does not hold a monopoly on fraud, scams or theft by conversion. Worldwide, everyday state and non-state sanctioned scams are being perpetrated against unsuspecting citizens. In Germany, in August 2018 I began experiencing internet connectivity issues. Although the Wi-Fi icon on my computer displayed full bars, videos played in horrible quality, films would not load or buffered incessantly. I began troubleshooting but my efforts proved futile because results from the diagnostics proffered no solution. It became so bad I was convinced there was a problem with my computer. Eventually, I changed my computer drive at a whopping cost. Despite its substandard services the ISP continued to debit my bank account at the full rate.

The good news is there are devices – repeaters – capable of fixing slow Wi-Fi and exposing greedy ISPs. Many of these devices are so easy to use. Simply plug the device into any socket and you will observe a significant increase in the range and speed of your existing home or office Wi-Fi. By connecting to your existing network and acting as a signal repeater literally doubling your network range, these devices also eliminate dead spots.

Social change is a concept many people take for granted. Chiefly concerned with the way human interactions and relationships transform cultural and social institutions over time, it can have profound impacts on societies or even organisations. Social change can be a game changer.

Ita is a Nigerian environment consultant and independent journalist based in Germany.