Technological advancement, access to Internet and introduction of social networking have brought about an unstoppable revolution in our lives, while reducting our dependence on printed materials for getting information of our interest, for which we used to travel and spend money. Currently, there are 4.388 billion Internet users with an increase of 9.1 percent each year. As many as 3.484 billion Internet clients are using social networking sites and applications worldwide with 9 percent increase each year. The 1 percent Internet users who don’t use social media, or avoid using social media do so out of personal choices, priorities and time space. Statistics show that 5.112 billion cellular phones are being used worldwide with an increase of 2 per cent each year.
Facebook, which is credited with being the pioneer in social networking, currently, has more than 2.38 billion monthly active users. Is immediate competitor, Twitter, has 330 million monthly active users. LinkedIn has more than 575 million active users. There are more than 65 popular networking sites. Many other are stepping in. A huge number of applications are used worldwide for the purpose of social connectivity. Statistics about using social networking might have no worth, as it is the purpose of using social networking that matters.
Facebook, the giant father of social networking, was created by a team of brilliant minds, including Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Savarin, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes, at Harvard, aimed to be in connection with others for learning and sharing ideas while sitting miles way.
There is no denying that social networking platforms such as Facebook provide a floor for sharing ideas, knowledge, innovation, and exposure to happenings, whether good or bad, around us, and play a great role in imposing the narrative of global village in the real sense. The emergence of social media has strengthened political understanding of the masses; it sheds light upon social work, philanthropy and volunteerism. Social media has created motivation for youth leadership; it has broadened the concept of social and cultural capital; it has stretched the lines of cultural endorsement, from north to south and west to east; it has promoted tourism, and raised trade and business on individual, company, corporate, countries, regions and continents levels.
Facebook, which is credited with being the pioneer in social networking, currently, has more than 2.38 billion monthly active users
On the other hand, there is evidence of negative impact in the form of political turmoil; increasing extremism across the globe, a peril to world peace and stability, pushing youngsters toward terrorism, violence, and creating problems of privacy breach. We are closely connected on social media, from one remote corner of the world to the other, through cellphones and other digital gadgets, physically, we behave as if we are absent.
The realm of social connectivity has been attacked in the recent past for immoral use of social media. Sharing of pornography increases the evils of rape, sexual assault on teen girls and boys, and paedophilia. Posting images of violent scenes and bomb blasts is injecting a virus of social alienation among the young in pursuit of their objectives. There is persuasion for sexual contact instead of developing a social bond. Sending irritating personal messages through social applivations, and blackmailing on failure to get the desired is routine. Obnoxious attacks on personality, gender, race, colour, creed, religion, and political affiliation also show a dark side of social media addiction.
There is no proper time and schedule for using social media. School, college and university students remain active on social media in their study and class attendance hours. Teachers, lecturers and professors appear on social media during their lecture delivery time. Doctors, nurses and attendants are found busy posting their statuses while sitting in clinics and hospitals. Engineers share their project achievements while working on site.
In a nutshell, the extensive use of social media in an unsocial way has not only disconnected us from our blood relatives, friends, peers, colleagues, and official duties, but also brought us moral disconnect. To reduce the drastic impact of social media use on our moral values, there is an urgent need for reforms on policy level. There is also a personal moral responsibility; there must be awareness on societal level.
The writer is an Islamabad-based freelance journalist. He can be reached at [email protected]