Do Apology Videos Really Mean Anything These Days?

It's as though we're in the era of apology videos, as it's one of the most common things you'll find in our social space lately. With how common this has become, it's as though people are intentionally delving into outrageous and scandalous things with the mindset that if it's not taken in good faith, they'll simply just do an apology video and move on with their lives. But are those really enough for someone to do something bad or tarnish another person's image only to sit in front of a video and say, I'm sorry if I hurt anyone"? It's pretty difficult to take most of these videos seriously, especially from people who have turned it into a resort in making content.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm saying people can't learn from their mistakes and genuinely feel sorry to the point of making an apology video aimed at righting their wrongs; it's just that many apology videos we see out there seem like a scripted movie, making many wonder if the intention of that video was to save their face or make amends, especially in situations when someone calls out someone who has helped them countless times for being stingy or something and then after the victim calls you out, you then come out to apologize like it's so easy to forget someone helps you in your difficult moments.

Saying this based on the most recent of such videos I saw on the internet last week relating to former England women's international Eni Aluko and ex-England men's international Ian Wright, it all began with the latter calling out some male pundit for blocking the path of women from developing in that field, and she uses the latter as an example, only for her to get backlash all over the internet even from female footballers past and present who have defended Ian Wright and went on to highlight his impact on different female players and pundits. Eni, after the backlash all over the internet, went on to apologize publicly to Wright, even to the point of saying they made a mistake using Ian as an example in such a context, given the fact that he had helped her countless times.

Ian, on the other hand, was hurt by the initial statement that almost tarnished his image; if not for those who stood up for him to say far from who Eni said, Ian is one of the few who has helped women in the football industry, so when the apology video got to him, he blatantly rejected it and went on to recount how he'd helped the accuser personally, even down to the previous month when she approached him and his management for help, just like how people sit in front of a mic at a podcast and leave their brains at home only to start spitting trash they'll go on to regret later on.

A genuine apology video for me should go beyond just sitting in front of the camera looking sad or shedding tears; it should be more about the body language and what follows after such an apology. You'll find many of these people going on with the same act; it's just like the apology was just a facade or a damage control, while I believe in genuine repentance, and when someone is in such a state, you'll know and feel it in the way they take responsibility without making excuses or shifting blame and how they work towards making things right both publicly and privately.

People chase clout nowadays on the social, via podcasts and the likes, and when they say what they shouldn't say, they end up apologizing. We've seen these play out on several occasions, from the guy who made false accusations about Mercy Chinwo's son paternity to the situation of Eni Aluko and the like, so rather than take apology videos seriously, I guess it's about time we shift attention to apology action, where they go directly and apologize to the person affected, reflect on their actions, and take corrective steps, and most importantly, let them face consequences for their actions. Apologizing and being let go without facing consequences is one reason why many kept on misbehaving, so facing consequences shows they've grown and are accountable for their wrongdoing.

I understand we all make mistakes, which is normal, but the way we handle the situation speaks to who we are; an apology video is one step towards restitution, but never the full resolve.

All photos are taken and edited on canva.