When stickers are thrown into wrong platforms!

Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter
“TINASHE, Tinashe, Tinashe,” has been the most said phrase lately on social media as masses are still trying to get to grips with how communication has drastically changed and at the click of a button, all may go south.

This has been by far, one of the most trending videos on social media with different perceptions plastered on it.
For those who haven’t seen the video with the aforementioned phrase, well . . . let me try to paint the picture for you.

The characters of this 15-second video are quite simple. Sekuru Christopher is the one recording a voice note on the now-popular Rukambe family WhatsApp group raising Cain on what Sekuru Tinashe has pasted therein.

Sekuru Tinashe starts off by greeting other family members in Rukambe’s name before deciding five minutes later that it was time to throw in the big guns. I usually hear of two minutes of madness for mankind, but what Sekuru Tinashe does between 08:44am and 08:49 am is beyond words.

He posted what is seemingly people “having conjugal fun”. That is how euphemistic one can go in describing the scenario in question.

Part of the set includes Mai Muwenga, Sekuru Christopher, mum and Sekuru Tinashe who are supposedly engaged in a conversation about . . . only God knows what when the now-iconic Sekuru Tinashe sends a bomb into the group.

What looks like a pair of individuals exchanging pleasantries in the morning find themselves having to watch an obscene sticker which blows the family WhatsApp group wide open.

Such kind of a move is just one of many that social media has grown to accept into the social fabric over recent times.

Stickers make communicating more effective and easier and heartfelt since they show emotion, but what happens when a wrong sticker is used?

Even Harare fast-food outlet, Mambos Chicken got in on the act. The establishment’s media team ain’t a bunch of laggards indeed. They struck while the iron was hot. They flighted a commercial with the words, “Tinashe, don’t share the wrong meat inn the group.”

Indeed, Tinashe had sent in the wrong meat in the group and left family members dumbfounded. No one knows whether he deleted the animated sticker or left it like that, but one thing is for sure, stickers are not a new thing online, but with this new wave of sticker makers like Sticker Maker, Sticker Studio and Stickerly have bred a new way of communication, especially with animated stickers ruling the roost nowadays.

Now, Tinashe is one unfortunate fellow to be exposed to possessing despicable stickers, but the general consensus is that all over, people have and still share these types of stickers.

What makes everything worse is the fact that modified WhatsApps have emerged and with them, a feature meant to restrict or block the deleting of unwanted information.

This means that even if you delete something, if someone is using a modified WhatsApp with the anti-delete feature, deleting will be a waste of time and the “shame” will stick for long.

Remember what happened to Stella Mhlanga? In July this year, the Kumalo Primary School headmistress rued the day she was born as she is alleged to have accidentally posted a picture of her shaved privates on her WhatsApp status.

Even after deleting, those with anti-delete on their phones feasted on her and even shared it with colleagues and the picture spread like wildfire. Why did she send that picture to the group, let alone be in possession of one?

Is Sekuru Tinashe your “throw a cat amongst the pigeons” kind of man or his was a genuine error of judgment or that was a stray sticker?

Chronicle Showbiz engaged users of social media platforms to pick their brain on the new way of communicating which is “textless” but more on the visual side of things.

Is this culture causing moral decadence or it’s just harmless fun? Bulawayo residents had all the answers (or at least we hoped they would open that veil.) One resident from Lobengula West, Siphakeme Mnindwa was of the idea that stickers and emojis make communication easy.

“These things enhance our communication, making it fun and easy. Sometimes, typing through texts is time-consuming so an emoji or a sticker saves you the trouble. As far as the Tinashe issue goes, it keeps people entertained, having something to talk about before the next sticker comes,” she said.

Another one, Patience Sibanda was worried that our culture was on the line of fire with the nascent “lewd” stickers.

“I think it’s affecting us culturally. We are a very conservative nation and seeing such despicable acts is very disturbing. Imagine what that Tinashe guy did, especially in a family group with different blood ties. Not only is the situation not in line with social etiquette, but it is also equally very awkward as well,” commented Patience.

One interesting respondent to our questionnaire was Mandla Zondo from Gwabalanda. He borrowed the famous “not guilty until proven otherwise” phrase as he was of the idea that, “Tinashe’s Achilles heel was his carelessness, but as far as him being in possession of such content was nothing to worry about” by his standards.

Indeed stickers and emojis have changed the game but the 1s and 2s that have come into play have landed some in trouble before. The problematic stickers are those ones that people create for themselves. The in-built ones usually keep it simple, but sticker makers experiment to the point that sparks fly and eventually, someone gets in the line of fire and gets burnt.

What’s your take on this whole issue about stickers and emojis? Where should we draw the line between socially-etiquette stickers and the ones like what Tinashe has made himself an internet sensation out of?

As always, my inbox is always wide open for interaction on these and other issues. My WhatsApp number is +263 777 337 776 and my email is [email protected]. So long, readers! – @eMKlass_49