Is Social Media a bane or boon for the Indian Youth?
Social Media basically came as a means for people who are geographically
distant, to stay connected through internet-based applications; it was to bring
the world closer, a wonderful addition to personal communication and
relationships. In other words, social media was supposed to be a small but
welcome part of our world. It was also to learn, share and build a knowledge
community, make the whole world your audience and your friend.
But standing in 2019, amidst the gigantic envelope of Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Pinterest and more, a question is looming in
front of us- is social media a part of us, or are we a part of it? Is it a tool for
us, or are we dragged along by it? Social media has not just touched the youth,
but has penetrated amongst all age groups, still, since the youth is the torch
bearer of any economy, society and country, our major concern is directed
towards the impact of social media on our country’s youth.
Is Social media a blessing or a curse for the youth ?
Before delving into the good, bad and ugly, one needs to understand the world
of social media, the different types that make for this massive medium.
Social media can be broadly classified into seven types
Social Networking sites: The platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
which, as the name suggests, help us build a network, connect and
communicate to build a personal or professional community.
Social Review Sites : These are platforms that guide you towards making a
decision, be it to shop , to travel or to invest, this is where one heads to , to
check reviews; honest experiences that do not come from marketers but come
from the consumers. These sites like Yelp, Trip Advisor, Manta, Foursquare
and more, help us make quick and effective decisions by eliminating a lot of
guesswork.
Image Sharing Sites: Out of our five active senses, most of us are guided by
the visual sense- pictures, videos, infographics and illustrations, vividly
capture memories, precious moments, or candidly tell us a story. Social media platforms like Instagram, Imgur, Snapchat, feed our visual sense, and are
designed to amplify the power of images.
Video Hosting Sites: Moving images, music, dialogue and the works, makes
for the most entertaining and engaging means of consuming information.
YouTube revolutionise the way we watch, think and create content. These
days not just film makers, but professionals from all walks of life like to
market, brand or reach out to their audience, and build an engaged
community through videos, and platforms like YouTube and Vimeo and more.
Community Blogs: The word limits of Twitter, or image sizes permitted by
Instagram, may not be enough or even apt for you to share a complex
message, or be a voice to a movement. But for those who want to be able to
write more, customize their content, and add multiple pictures and links,
running a blog from a self-hosted website can be very daunting. That is where
shared blogging platforms like Medium, Tumblr, Squarespace, Hub pages,
Weebly and more, act as a platform for you to share your message, or tell a
story, or be a part of a movement, along with likeminded people.
Discussion Sites: All social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, leave ample
room for a heated discussion but its limited to your friends, followers or your
privacy settings. Without revealing much about you, yet being able to freely
ask a question, engage in meaningful discussions, whilst being discreet,
forums like Quora and Reddit, are very helpful and attract people with shared
curiosities.
Sharing Economy Networks: Platforms like AirBnB and Rover help bring
people opportunities by pooling resources on a large scale, that wouldn’t have
been possible with technology.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Fortis Hospital, in July 2019,
around 82% of students studying psychology in classes xi and xii in at least
200 schools, have said social media influenced their opinions and attitudes.
94% of the students believed that social media was a great tool to create
awareness about mental health issues. Social media is churning out a more understanding and tolerant youth when
it comes to cultural differences, homosexuality, animal welfare and making
them more aware of their rights, by bringing out instances of sexual
harassment ; allowing every single citizen to have a voice, irrespective of their
social or financial status, giving them a platform and an audience who cares
to listen and support.
When social media gives us oodles of support, love, sharing and connection,
why is there even a discussion on it being a bane?
Is there something behind the glitz and glamour?
A weapon can be used to protect, and the same weapon can be used to
cause massive destruction, it all depends on who is using it and how.
The Dark Side of Social Media
Relationship Issues : According to State Nodal Officer for Mental Health. Tamil Nadu, when he asked a couple having relationship problems in their
marriage, to video graph the time they spent together, the video showed the
wife on her smartphone, husband on his laptop, daughter on Facebook and
son on WhatsApp.
Mental Health Issues : According to Dr Shweta Sharma, Clinical Psychologist
and Consultant, Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurgaon, “ Paranoia is a tendency
to be suspicious about everything, whether it is someone , some place, some
group, or some object, Though it’s related to a type of personality disorder, it’s
fast becoming a habit due to excessive use of social networking sites. Poor
attention span, memory loss, temper tantrums and frequent bursts of anger
are also consequences of being too involved in the virtual world.”
Suicides:
▪ November 6, 2018: A special investigation team in Kozihikode, is
probing the suicide of two children from Kambalakkad, Wayanad
district, and the suspected culprit, are Instagram and WhatsApp
groups, who have been promoting music and posts, that glorify death
and suicide and these two teens were members of these groups. The two children hanged themselves while the music played in the
background.
▪ March 8, 2019: A girl in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir,
committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance, after a
man named Khanday had posted objectionable pictures of her on social
media.
Social Media is a weapon and a very powerful one at that; if used correctly it
can bring transformative results in the lives of people, in the trajectory of
businesses, to get justice, to create awareness, to generate funds for a noble
cause…the list goes on. But misused it is sure to create havoc in people’s lives
and minds, causing irreparable damages.
To cut a long story short …use social channels with your conscience and
intellect ON