Peer pressure and celebrity influence: My take on the Kasoa Boy killing

“Peer pressure is the direct influence on people by peers, or the effect on an individual who is encouraged and wants to follow their peers by changing their attitudes, values or behaviors to conform to those of the influencing group or individual.”

I have carefully followed the discussions and the arguments over the alleged killing of the 11-year-old from Kasoa; a crime perpetuated by two teenagers for money rituals and I ask myself what might have caused these young boys to do such a thing.

One question that comes to mind is the pressures from social media as well as celebrity influences.

Of all the arguments about the so-called fake pastors, mallams, money doublers and the like who have dominated our television and radio space, preaching about how you can get quick money, that is not quite all the point.

Increasingly, there are so many self-styled celebrities who have taken over our airwaves, living fake lives today. How can a 25-year-old who has only one hit music song to his name, all of a sudden own houses, jeeps, range rovers, and cars?

Have we considered the fact that some of these young people with all these large followings on social media could have a place in this whole influencing game on the youth?

These young kids look at them as role models and copy them – their lifestyles and their interests. What I find difficult to understand is why these influencers will not use these platforms to educate these followers about the differences between show-offs and businesses which are made up for showbiz? This country seems to be at doom.

Now our society is all about how to make money, buy expensive cars or build big houses without focusing on how to encourage or inspire our youth to learn how to be diligent and work hard for themselves. We need to go back to teaching our young ones to work hard and aim for success that is not tied to premature pleasures.

To my celebs, we plead with you to educate your followers so they know that not all that they see you displaying in your videos mean are yours and that many of them are just showbusiness.

Let us rise to our core values as Ghanaians and to fight this together.

God bless our home land Ghana.