By Isaac Chol Aguer
“The internet gives voice to the voiceless — and unfortunately, also to the brainless.”
Last week on 18th June the world marks the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, the United Nations warns that biased algorithms and digital platforms are breeding grounds for toxic content and abuse.
But before we point fingers, it’s worth glancing at our own feeds. The Facebook lives, midnight TikTok clashes, and WhatsApp groups where emojis have become digital spears. Here lies the real war.
This wasn’t the future imagined by those who marched barefoot for freedom. A nation born in collective struggle now bleeds in comment sections. It starts as curiosity, becomes outrage, and soon work is abandoned, church pews empty, and dignity lost — not for rebellion or survival, but for the thrill of online confrontations.
Even abroad, where many sought refuge and better lives, noble advocacy has turned into livestreamed insult matches. It’s not politics. It’s not debate. It’s digital mob justice — where no elder’s name is safe, no tribe spared, and no slur too obscene.
A country can survive bullets. It cannot survive digital civil wars.
This isn’t technology’s fault alone. Algorithms reward conflict because we click on conflict. A post about peace fetches five likes. A reckless lie about a minister’s affair reaches thousands.
If the first liberation was fought with guns, the next must be fought in comment sections. Not with bullets, but with wisdom. Citizens must ask before posting: Is this building or burning my country?
South Sudan’s wounds are deep — but not beyond healing. It’s time to unfriend hate, unfollow chaos, and choose dignity over division.