WEB 2.0; MY GRIM REAPER EXPERIENCE

How does a black cloaked scythe wielding personification of death relates to the web 2.0 phenomenon? The relationship, I daresay is inherant in the power of web 2.0 to change the world by breaking barriers through the death of distance, restriction, control, limitation and even time.

As a young women living in a tough social political terrain in Africa's most populous country, I find web 2.0 to be an effective tool in reaching out to the world. It has also kept me motivated to learn and think out of the box by not dwelling in self-pity and becoming a victim of circumstance. This is the story I want to share with women and web 2.0 avails me the chance of reaching out, taking advantage of the vast population of young people in Nigeria who access the world through the internet on their mobile phone.

It was through web 2.0 that I watched a video of Nadia Alsakkaf, a woman from Yemen who runs a newspaper which is a strong voice against tyranny in her country. I was inspired by her words that "a woman is got to do what a woman got to do". I recall the potency of these words as a student when I joined a movement to advocate for better living conditions in my hall of residence at the university. It is also these words that inspired me to participate in an outreach at Famia, a village in south west Nigeria where I encountered young women who are aging beyond their years owing to numerous child births since some of them are ignorant about birth control.

As a blogger, I believe in the ability of stories to change the world. Stories can be used to empower and humanize. I have since realized that if we want the world to be a place where women rights are fully realized as human rights, then we need to take web 2.0 beyond entertainment and fun on the internet. We must use it as a tool of social engagement. I may not be financially capable of distributing lap tops to girls in my area but I can raise a movement for policy makers in my country to see the importance of ICT in education as it is being done in a state in south west Nigeria where the ministry of education distributes lap tops to deserving students in public schools through the Opon Imo (tablet of knowledge) initiative. I may not be in the position to grant loans to women to trade with but I can draw attention to the need for women to be economically empowered since some of us are responsible for the financial burden of our children's upbringing.

My grim reaper experience with web 2.0 has indeed assisted in building a world without frontiers. One that has been fused into one, accesible from any of its part, just by the click on the computer!