After calling on South Africans to take a stand against high data prices by boycotting social media on Wednesdays, the planned #SocialMediaShutdown appears to have failed to get a positive reaction.
The campaign, spearheaded by activist Ntsiki Mazwai, urged users to not buy data or make use of any social media platforms on the day, in a bid to force network providers to lower their data prices.
The campaign kicked off on Wednesday, June 21, and was meant to run for three Wednesdays from 12am-12am. If this failed to elicit a reaction from network providers, Mazwai had urged users to port to a network provider that offered data at a cheaper price.
Twitter users, however, were having none of that, with the hashtag continuing to trend on Wednesday despite the planned "shutdown".
Users took to social media to ridicule the failed campaign, questioning if there was any possibility the shutdown would succeed.
You see why I never trust celebrities. They said #SocialMediaShutdown nywee...nywee...but here they are tweeting. My people have been played pic.twitter.com/qnylWNdux1
— Hloni Nyetanyane (@HloniNyetanyane) June 21, 2017
#SocialMediaShutdown some people made Airtime Advances today just to be on social media pic.twitter.com/qCdgBl9EH7
— Diteboho 🙏😌 (@Snob_sa_Kasi) June 21, 2017
Even network providers took a jibe at the failed shutdown, with Telkom offering Tweeps free airtime to use during the shutdown.
Enjoy the #SocialMediaShutdown
9272306416063689 9232948593785871 9212739127460296 pic.twitter.com/wuFn4cgsI5
— Telkom (@TelkomZA) June 21, 2017
Hilarious reactions to the failed #SocialMediaShutdown:
😂😂😂 I'm here to see if the #SocialMediaShutdown is happening.
— Broke Billionare (@tholumusa21) June 21, 2017
#SocialMediaShutdown Is the no 1 trending topic but Its social media shutdown, Lets Just admit we cant go a day without social media pic.twitter.com/yTcZsF6zjH
— Dumi Nwayila (@DNgwaila) June 21, 2017
#SocialMediaShutdown reading the tweets like: pic.twitter.com/SHkBD6vWPB
— Siiyanda⚡ (@_Siiyanda) June 21, 2017
The floor is #SocialMediaShutdown
And tweleps be like: pic.twitter.com/bjdPGNyF07
— Gucci Bear. (@masenya_piet) June 21, 2017
Some of us saw this epic fail from miles away #SocialMediaShutdown😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/M101uFRx6o
— •·️ᶳℽℋℱℴ·•☄ (@iamSYHFO) June 21, 2017
The floor is the #SocialMediaShutdown #SocialMediaBlackout
Tweeps:👇 😄 pic.twitter.com/FGWfdSZyq5
— Ashley Dorothy (@Ashley_Dorothy) June 21, 2017
#SocialMediaShutdown? but the twelebs that were promoting it are tweeting. Social network addiction is like nyaope ningazodlala! pic.twitter.com/f7FC0Dj9Qm
— Simphiwe Sbu Duma🇿🇦 (@SSbudaDuma) June 21, 2017