By Dr AK Srivastava
“Think about what people are doing on Facebook today. They’re keeping up with their friends and family, but they’re also building an image and identity for themselves, which in a sense is their brand. They’re connecting with the audience that they want to connect with. It’s almost a disadvantage if you’re not on it now.” — Mark Zuckerberg, Co-founder and CEO of Facebook
Social media is a recent and attractive phenomenon with various dimensions and it is progressing with miraculous speed. Ten years ago, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp, etc., were not known to the common person. But, today, they are part and parcel of our lives. Social media plays a vital role in the field of education, information and entertainment. Its impact is felt in many other fields like medical services, sports, tourism and politics.
“The first rule of social media is that everything changes all the time. What won’t change is the community’s desire to network.” — Kami Huyse, PR & social media strategist, entrepreneur, CEO Zoetica Media
In the field of education, social media played a significant role in the time of Covid 19 when the world experienced an unprecedented lockdown. All schools, colleges and universities were closed, and social media emerged as a prominent instrument of the teaching and learning process. Online education became very popular, and its use increased tremendously. Parents could not send their children to educational institutions and hence they turned to social media for the education of their wards. Now, the popularity of online education is increasing. There are several advantages to online education as its approach is global. It is economical and student-centred.
Social media has played a very vital role in the field of communication. Whatsapp messages, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, e-mail, etc., have been instrumental in sending and receiving information across the globe in a fraction of a second. This has helped in trade and commerce as well as in numerous other fields. Voice calls and video calls are cheap, and we can stay connected with the world. Social media keeps us well informed about the latest developments in all fields of knowledge right from sport to politics. The news can be updated frequently and quickly as per the need.
Social media is also a source of entertainment. Now we can get almost every imaginable entertainment material on YouTube. Reviews of the latest movies, songs and theatres are promptly available. It has reduced crowds in cinema halls as we can watch almost everything sitting at home. We can remain connected with our friends, relatives and children all the time. Now, gone are the days when we used to write letters and wait for their response.
We can get all the information of our interest and need from various websites. With the help of diverse search engines, we can visit international libraries of top universities and consult with doctors of international repute.
It is extremely easy to reach any destination with the use of the internet. The invention of the internet has actually changed the mental horizons of people. Both, national and international boundaries have become meaningless and we are living in a global village and enjoying transcontinental culture. The internet has an enormous impact on the vision and understanding of modern subjects of science and technology like artificial intelligence. The best thing is that internet service is quite cheap and easily available all the time and across the globe. There is no limit to human interest and fantasy, but the internet is a wonderful service that caters to everyone’s curiosity and imagination.
“Right now, with social networks and other tools on the Internet, all of these 500 million people have a way to say what they’re thinking and have their voice heard.” — Mark Zuckerberg, Co-founder and CEO of Facebook.
It is said that every coin has two sides and so does social media. It has played a very negative and harmful role in diverse fields. Children have become screen addicted and social media seems to be the greatest need in their life. They spend too much time on social media ignoring their natural requirements for health and academic obligations. Parents find it difficult to detach them from such a farrago of baneful addiction. Too much screen time leads to depression and loneliness. The time which is to be spent on play fields is being spent on YouTube and Facebook.
We often see that news shown on YouTube is fake and with dubious intentions leading to unrest and suspicion among the public. Sometimes, such news and rumours result in communal clashes and disharmony. The government is trying to put strict restrictions on it, but they are still rampant in the public domain.
We often see that children are glued to programmes that attack their positivity and take them to the world of weird and uncanny imagination. They fail to distinguish between fact and fiction. Pseudo romanticism and chivalry painted in the most convincing matters spoil their power of judgment and rational approach.
The time which should be spent on studies and character building is spent on the glamorous and fictitious world of social media. Hence, many young persons are lost in gloomy depression as their precious time, energy and opportunities are wasted. Their potential is spoiled and prospects of good settlement in life are hampered. All this leads to anxiety, depression and frustration.
Finally, we can say that social media is a two-edged sword. If used nicely, it can be very useful and productive; if misused, it can be fatal and devastating. Much depends on our wisdom.
“Use social media for your increase, not your decrease. Be mindful of what you post, use socials for good, and be proud of what you share.” ― Germany Kent
(Dr AK Srivastava is Principal, DAV Inter College, Dehradun)
