10/05/2026
SOCIAL MEDIA IS MAKING PEOPLE CONFIDENTLY WRONG ABOUT CONSTRUCTION
Let me say something that has been bothering me about social media, especially when it comes to construction.
Social media has created a situation where almost anybody can present themselves as an expert, and because they have thousands of followers, people automatically assume they know what they are talking about.
You will see somebody who isn’t an Engineer, have construction background or a professionals in construction industry, teaching people construction on the internet, even all in the name they are helping young professionals in the industry from their teaching, you will know
And the scary part is that thousands of people are watching, learning and applying what they are being taught on their own projects.
Now, I’m not saying you must be an engineer before you can know anything about construction. No.
understanding why something is done, where it should be done, and where it should NOT be done.
A real professional doesn’t just teach you:
They should also be able to explain:
Why are we doing it?
When should we do it?
When should we not do it?
What happens if we do it wrongly?
And what conditions can change the method?
That is where professional knowledge comes in.
Let me give you a very simple example.
I recently saw a video of a hair vendor complaining about an aluminium window installation. She was using a tape measure to measure from the face of the blockwork to the bottom of the window frame and was saying the measurements were different, therefore the aluminium guy had done a bad job.
But hold on.
Are you measuring the window installation against a properly established reference line, or are you simply measuring from an uneven blockwork surface?
Those are two completely different things.
Blockwork surfaces can have variations. The important thing is to establish the correct reference, check the opening, plumb, level, dimensions and installation requirements—not just put a tape against different faces of blocks and conclude that the installer has failed.
And this is exactly the problem I am talking about.
Someone watches construction content online, learns one measurement or one method, and suddenly thinks they understand the entire construction process.
That’s dangerous.
Construction is not just about blocks, cement, sand and measurements.
There is design.
There are drawings.
There are structural considerations.
There are tolerances.
There are setting-out principles.
There are different site conditions.
There are specifications.
And there is professional judgement.
So please, before you condemn somebody’s work because of something you learnt from Facebook or TikTok, make sure you actually understand what you are looking at.
And to those who genuinely work in this industry and are using social media to educate people correctly, I appreciate you.
May God continue to guide you, increase your knowledge and give you the wisdom to teach responsibly.
But if you are not sure of what you are doing, please don’t package yourself as an authority just because you have followers of you want monetization
And if you believe you really know construction, come to Lagos.
Come and deal with the real site conditions. Come and deal with the different soils, waterlogged sites, existing structures, difficult clients, poor access, irregular plots, approvals, setting out, workmanship and all the other challenges that construction brings.
Let’s see the knowledge you have in practice.
Because construction is bigger than taking pictures of blockwork, making AI-generated construction images and giving people instructions online..
Some people are here on facebook just to show people how good they are, in other to get job and do the right things and correct decades errors in construction..not for engagement or monetization
And to everybody reading these, don’t just listen because somebody has 100,000 followers.
Check who is teaching you. Check their experience. Check their work. Understand the principle behind what they are teaching.
Because if you keep listening to the wrong people, eventually…
you will learn the hard way…
