- Nollywood actress Toyin Alausa criticizes the trend of sharing images and videos of deceased individuals on social media.
- She describes this practice as disturbing, disrespectful, and unnecessary.
- Alausa questions the motives behind exposing the dead publicly.
Nollywood actress Toyin Alausa has criticized the growing trend of sharing photos and videos of deceased individuals on social media, calling it disturbing, disrespectful, and unnecessary.
In a post on her Instagram page on Monday, Alausa questioned the motive behind publicly exposing the dead, warning that such actions strip individuals of dignity and intensify the grief of their families.
She highlighted that the rush to post graphic content for online engagement has become increasingly common.
“The way people just expose the dead on social media these days is so annoying and mind-boggling. What’s the point, actually?” she wrote.
The actress encouraged social media users to show empathy by at least covering the faces of deceased persons, particularly in situations involving accidents or sudden deaths. She emphasized that this is a basic act of respect that helps protect the emotional wellbeing of grieving relatives.
“Immediately it’s confirmed that someone has passed, the right thing to do is to cover them, at least the face. It’s about showing respect, offering dignity, and, in a way, providing emotional closure for their relatives,” she said.
While acknowledging that documenting such situations may sometimes be necessary for clarification or public interest, Alausa stressed that these visuals should not be used as viral content.
“This inhumane attitude has sadly become the norm. It may be important to get footage for clarification or when immediate relatives aren’t nearby, but not to be splashed as content on social media. It’s so disrespectful,” she added.
Alausa further warned that repeated exposure to images of the deceased can be traumatic, not only for families but for the wider public, calling for greater sensitivity and restraint online.
“Seeing a blank face devoid of life and emotions can be extremely traumatic. We can do better and be more empathic,” she said.
