By Nothando Mkhize
Gone are the days when people took to social media to post tributes and condolences when a prominent figure died. With content monetisation rapidly gaining momentum, platforms such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) have sacrificed truth, creating an environment where misinformation is easily disseminated.
Following the tragic death of South Africa’s ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, we witnessed these social media platforms become fertile ground for lies to spread, go unchecked, and without consequence.
Mthethwa, also a former minister, reportedly fell from the 22nd floor of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Paris three weeks ago. According to French media reports, his wife had raised the alarm on his disappearance following a worrisome text she received from him. His body was found the next day.
The news of his passing sent a shockwave to not only the country’s citizens but also the international diplomatic community, as he had been serving as South Africa’s ambassador to Paris since December 2023. While the circumstances surrounding Mthethwa’s death are still being investigated by French authorities and a five-member team of seasoned South African investigators, speculation on social media was rife, with social media users too quick to reach their own conclusions. These speculations were ferocious, distasteful, and mostly untrue; they went viral across numerous platforms. Before the family could even issue a statement, South Africans online were already scrutinising the story, creating their own theories, versions, and narratives.
The damage that comes with content monetisation
Social media has always had a good and bad side to it. Various social media platforms were initially introduced as a virtual tool widely known for networking, doing business, and connecting with friends and family. For example, on Facebook, you would connect with your long-lost friends and former classmates, post pictures about what you got up to during the day, and at some point, you would even private message celebrities hoping they would respond. I recall once when I tagged an international celebrity on Twitter, and they liked and responded to my tweet, which made my heart smile for weeks on end.
Over time, platforms such as Facebook and X changed their business model, paying users for engagement with content posted on their personal accounts. In recent times, users now earn money based on how much attention and engagement their posts attract. According to the latest worldwide data, Facebook has over three billion monthly active users, and it is the only platform where you can make money every time you post. What is particularly concerning is that Facebook is also the only platform that pays for all types of content formats, whether it is video, photos, text posts, or stories.
This is the social media economy at work, but at what cost? When a user spreads misinformation about one’s death, that post can go viral due to engagement and they can generate money, even as it causes pain to the deceaseds family and friends.
Content monetisation is unfortunately worsening and fuelling the already troubling phenomenon of misinformation into a viable hustle. The past week I have observed Facebook and X in particular, and it is rather shameful that people resorted to making a mockery of such a painful death. Some of the conspiracies were that Mthethwa is still alive and had faked his own death, while others used an artificially intelligence (AI) generated image of him jumping off a platform .lunging through cracked glass window. Some claimed Mthethwa was evading testifying in the Madlanga Commission which is looking into political interference, and corruption in the criminal justice system after KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi implicated him in acts of political interference in the work of the police while serving as minister.
Seemingly, it is no longer just trolls or bots spreading fake news; we see it through profiles of ordinary people, some of whom we know, who see an opportunity to profit from tragedy. Insensitivity is not content.
Culture of cruelty
As a society, we need to stop normalising the act of ridiculing the deceased, regardless of their status or reputation. Similarly to Mthethwa’s death, we witnessed many celebrating when the news of American political activist Charlie Kirk’s tragic assassination made headlines globally.
Instead of shock or sympathy, posts from users exposed once again how social media has become vile and has numbed our collective empathy. We can only imagine how many people were renumerated for sharing the content of his gruesome murder.
In black communities, it is a custom that when one dies, whether it is a family member or a neighbour, deaths and funerals are community affairs in which the whole community feels the grief and joins the family in mourning. We respect the dead, and this culture of cruelty and indecent behaviour during a death is ‘unAfrican’, it lacks Ubuntu. This culture of digital heartlessness reflects how the monetisation of content has distorted our moral compass.
A threat to journalism
Journalists wait tirelessly for verification of information, but with content monetisation, there seems to be an even greater need to post news first, as fake news spreads faster. When citizens get their news from monetised social media pages instead of credible sources, rumours replace reporting, and emotion replaces facts. It also confuses, as oftentimes the media is accused of withholding information while they are waiting to get all their facts in check. By the time relevant people label certain posts or information as fake, the posts have already reached hundreds of thousands of users, and the damage is done.
What should be done?
Social media platforms need to have a feature where users can flag posts suspected of spreading misinformation for proper review because reporting content and blocking pages and profiles does not suffice. At the same time, there is an urgent need for digital literacy campaigns where users can differentiate when information posted is not verified and inaccurate. In the era of AI, the potential for manipulated or misleading content is only growing and without proper regulation of content monetisation, the situation will worsen.
Posting fake news should be a punishable offence where one’s monetisation ability is not just paused but revoked. Facebook says it has paid over $2 billion (over R34 trillion), which is a staggering figure that highlights how much money circulates within this largely unregulated ecosystem. Creators should be paid for their creativity and authenticity, but those contributing to the negative culture of fake news should not be rewarded for spreading misinformation that takes advantage of public trust and exploits human suffering for remuneration.
Nothando Mkhize is a student at Durban University of Technology, studying towards the Bachelor of Journalism Honours degree. The views in this piece are expressed in her personal capacity.
