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Tafadzwa Zimoyo Senior Lifestyle Writer

On March 27, during the live television broadcast of the 94th Academy Awards held in Los Angeles, the US, host Chris Rock’s comedic monologue included a joke about actress Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.

Piffed by the joke that he considered out of line, Jada’s husband Will Smith walked on stage and slapped Rock.

This did not go down well with some fans.

At first they thought it was a skit, but it later turned out to be real, after it was clear Rock was left in unbearable pain.

The award-winning Will Smith has suffered a lot from the incident since then, and has lost some contracts over the incident.

There is no doubt that this incident demonstrated the power of social media, which can spread incidents very fast.

Social media can also blur, as many at first interpreted the Will Smith/Chris Rock incident as a skit.

But social media has been helpful, especially in shaping the careers of some actors and the emergence of overnight celebrities.

In fact, the emergence of social media has seen an evolution of entertainment trends, with comic skits proving to be one of the most popular genres.

The skits have reshaped the entertainment scene and have seen the birth of some celebrities, some of whom are basking in fortune and fame.

The local social media scene has witnessed the rise of the likes of Mai TT, Madam Boss, Mama Vee, Mbuya VaPiyasoni, Comic Pastor, Bhutisi, Bee WeZhira and Boss Kedha, among others.

These comics earn some incomes through social media skits.

They have also managed to create both positive and negative content that has kept the social media fabric interesting.

We then have the likes of Cde Fatso and Doc Vikela who major in political satire, although most of it is in very bad taste.

Other social media characters have also had their skits becoming viral on social media platforms.

In an interview, content creator Lucky Aaron of BuStop TV, said social media skits were a blessing to the arts sector and film industry at large.

“The social media wave has helped in warming up our audience to local content,” he said. “From social media skits, we have created potential stars for big and small screen and also as filmmakers we have been sharpening our skills through mass productions.

“To a lesser extent, social media skits have created a wrong impression of showbiz, people now assume you don’t need proper showbiz ways of doing things and its easy to be famous, I just need my cellphone.”

In spite of bringing a new feel in the discharge of entertainment, social media has undoubtedly brought both negative and positive impact on society in Zimbabwe and the world over.

The role of comedy is to keep society in check through satire, but some comedy content creators have crossed the line with their content.

In fact, they are helping to destroy the social fabric.

“In the beginning, it was good when they did political satire, but now some are being unethical to get followers and a fan base,” said entertainment consultant Nyasha Chuma.

“The younger generation, or rather their followers, end up trying to imitate these comedians since they idolise them. They have also become a source of disseminating false information and agenda setting.”

Recently, there was a trending skit dubbed ‘Snake under grass’ where a youthful man who is presumably under the influence of drugs, makes funny stunts using street lingua that went viral.

Some other social media characters created a “Snake Under Grass Challenge” imitating him and making him a street ‘hero’, yet the visual was celebrating the abuse of drugs.

“These kinds of skits are detrimental to society, especially at a time when the Government is on an anti-drug abuse campaign,” said Chuma.

Some of these skits are actually promoting social ills like drug abuse and prostitution.

“Some youths are also trying hard to join the bandwagon and a few of them end up developing a compulsive urge to crack jokes every minute, leading to a medical condition called Witzelsucht,” explained Maxwel Bake, a Harare-based sociologist.

To give credence to the negative side of comedy, the Chris Rock incident was considered in bad taste by Will Smith, leading to the slapping.

This is testimony that the ugly side of comedy always manifests when the comedians become reckless and dwell on sensitive issues that harm the intended targets.

There has also been a rise in sexually provocative skits and with the easy accessibility of the internet, young children are being exposed to undesirable content that corrupts their minds.

The advent of these social media skits in Zimbabwe is actually killing talent, as no one has the time to follow dramas that have various episodes.

The likes of Mai TT, Madam Boss, Comic Pastor and Mama Vee are slowly but surely replacing the rise of decent actors in the mould of Parafin, Safirio Madzikatire, Mutirowafanza and Gringo.

Always under pressure to release something new, lest they become irrelevant, these social media comics end up pushing any content without considering the impact it will have on society.

One has to live a pretentious life to make it in the social media comic circles.

But hate them or love them, social media comics are the new stars in local and global entertainment trends.

For how long they will hold, only time will tell.