There is no denying that social media has played a crucial
role in spreading awareness regarding politics, health, economy, sports,
fashion, entertainment etc. It has given people an outlet to voice their
opinions, express their frustrations and share whatever they feel holds greater
priority in the world. However, in my opinion, as much as the social media has
contributed towards awareness and self-education, it has also produced an
illusion of control.
We believe that the social media has given us power and
ability to take things into our own hands. With the increasing talk of ‘inqilaab’
and ‘tabdeeli’, social media is the ultimate outlet to fight for progress and
freedom. How many times have a majority of us felt overwhelmed by the fact that
freedom, revolution and change is hurling itself towards us by looking at the
number of #tabdeeli hashtags on our twitters and newsfeeds? But is change
really coming?
Being a huge critic of social media and the latest smart
phone technology in general, I would like to direct attention to a particular
issue which has been bothering me for months. Last summer, my Facebook newsfeed
was flooded with posts regarding the killing of innocent Palestinians. Display
pictures changed, tweets rolled in, articles were shared and debates and
discussions were sparked. As time passed, display pictures returned to our
extremely photogenic faces and normal life resumed on social media after the
uproar against Israel. But are Palestinians still not suffering? Have broken
families found a source of shelter and comfort and will they ever? Why have we
forgotten about our Muslim brothers whom we felt so deeply about? I understand
that ‘life must go on’ but as a cynic of social media, I cannot help but ponder
as to why we act the way we do on social media.
Personally, I do not believe in uploading a black picture to
show my support for and unity with the people who have lost their loved ones. I
have never seen the point in posting a status condemning an attack. In my
opinion, as human beings, we look for social verification. We have a desire to
feel like we are a part of something bigger, something revolutionary. We want
to show the world that we are just as aware of political events and happenings
in the world just as any other knowledgeable person. But we forget that if we
really want change and progress, it needs to begin with deep introspection, because
at the end of the day, the whole is the sum of its parts. Then again, this is
just my opinion.
Wonderful! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your piece and to some extent agree to your points. I too have noticed that it just takes another tragedy to shift the focus from the previous unfortunate event. First the abduction of Nigerian girls, then the Gaza conflict, followed by APS mishap and now the church incident. We all were very enthusiastic about each one of the events and wanted to help until another incident happened and we forgot about the previous one. I just hope that instead of all the useless talking, people come forward and help these individuals.
ReplyDeleteGood piece. I agree that social media suffers from short term memory loss. But isn’t that the same case with print and TV media as well? Even human beings have a very short attention span. We also tend to forget a story once it loses steam if it is not affecting us directly. So I don’t think it is a vice of social media. More of a vice of man. What is out of sight eventually does get out of mind.
ReplyDeleteRather, I think social media democratizes information dissemination. It can still show us what is happening in Gaza long after the TV channels and newspapers stop finding it a profitable and milk worthy story. This has merits and demerits both. At the end of the day, I think it all comes down to how you use it yourself, responsibly or recklessly, that is what matters.
Rida, does social media really democratize information dissemination if some of it proves to be untrue? And what narratives get promoted over others? Why is it that the Kardashians of the world can get a bajillion Twitter followers, but academics and knowledgeable folk only reach a few hundred followers?
DeleteI think it still does, because it gives the public a choice. The Kardashians (ughhh) have a lot of exposure due to TV and more so due to social media. That's true. But social media and internet has made many more things a lot more accessible, it has increased the public choice as well. Years ago i could have only found Waltz's writing in a corner of library, now i can find his work and quotes on the internet and social media. I can even talk to academic scholars in every part of the world if i wanted to without actually meeting them via social media. An option i wouldn't have without it. So i do believe social media has given as more freedom to choose. How we use that choice is up to us at the end of the day.
DeleteSee comments like this make me wish Google blogger had a "like" button. Because I agree with your sentiment, but don't really have anything more to substantively say about the topic. Anyhow, good point.
DeleteThis was a great piece to read, Mariyam! Although I'll have to agree with Rida that social media that case of memory loss is prevalent in print media as well as TV.
ReplyDeleteThe internet definitely makes most delusional, and makes them feel like they're doing something significant to change the world by posting a status that condemns, say, a terrorist attack.
ReplyDeletePlus, with extreme governmental control over the internet and increased censorship, the democratization effect of the internet is also weakened. Perhaps, if these people are aided to circumvent such censorship and find out the truth about their oppressive governments, the internet can do wonders.
Does the internet "definitely makes most [people] delusional"? Pretty bold statement, though I agree with your latter point that we should be fighting censorship in order to learn more about what is actually going on in the world today.
DeleteSocial media has created an illusion of control you argue? We're all just looking for 'social verification' you say? While deep introspection and individual change helps societies improve from a micro-level on up, I think there is still a place for social media to raise awareness and create a sense of solidarity. Raising awareness can lead to change; after all, if it were not for social media, would we have had the Arab Spring?
ReplyDeleteA famous hadith that I personally subscribe to notes that if there is a wrong, it is incumbent upon us to correct that wrong. If we cannot correct it personally, at least we should denounce it. If we cannot denounce it, we should at least hate it in our heart. This is an especially important hadith to remember when thinking about how we, as individuals, fit into broader meta-narratives. We as humans do have agency, even if it is on a micro scale.
Also, you're too jaded for your age. Be more optimistic!