We live in a digital domain today. Digital systems are steadily impacting everything we do from downloading music & movies to browsing a menu before we gel with our buddies. So has the “net” finally ensnared us? Social media is a vital link in almost every young person’s life with smart phones redefining what it is to be connected. Twitter, instagram, Facebook and Skype have made cool platforms to interact connecting friends and family from across the globe. As my former editor Lakshman Gunasekera once told me “Communication is a celebration of Life”.
Yet within this relentless celebration of freedom, expression and self endorsement there lies a dormant demon. Once you begin to be enticed with social media it can ‘virtually’ (pun intended) ruin your life at 360 degrees. Behavioral analysts and psychologists are today diagnosing young people (and old folks chatting with younger profiles) to be afflicted with narcissism. This originates from the Greek myth of the handsome young man Narcissus who went into the forest and sat by a pond. The clear water reflected his flawless face and he thought it to be a celestial friend. The youth became captivated by him self. He sat there for days admiring his own beauty until he went insane. So this is the affliction that has shattered many young lives. Teens have even committed suicide due to adverse comments posted by friends and strangers. As the ancient Saint Jerome said ‘The face is the mirror of the mind”.
We have all heard of stories of people accepting friend requests from strangers whom they thought were cool and ended up in some kind of “fix”. Social media is a powerful weapon and can be brilliantly used for creative marketing campaigns and a platform for loads of good reasons and motives. Yet we have an inclination towards things which are deceptive and offer cheap thrills. Many students have become addicted to chatting online and texting. Some have moved onto “sexting’- texting messages with sexual content and thoughts. One of the primary reasons for unstable relationships among today’s guys and gals is that facebook friends begin to influence a couple ie- comment on uploaded selfies. Soon the couple is on a helter skelter route to separation. Within weeks one of the demented souls who posted the adverse comments will send a red heart to the dejected lover and ‘pick up’ from where the other left.
So what’s up? If you really know yourself, you don’t need to impress or get the endorsement of others. Of course you can upload photos, but what do the photos really carry to the viewer? Does the number of likes define you or transform you? As a friend of mine told me social media to some youth is a ‘psychological makeup”- trying to be something that your not, and living in a world of fantasy. If you’re spending too much time on social media you are unable to meet and mix with real people and spend quality time doing fun things. Online dating and sex is another day’s article, as it has ruined many teens. On a positive side social media can be used to garner support for social issues and problems faced by teens. It can be a ‘happening” platform for youth to share their views and make changes where there is need for such change. Blogs that promote worthy and decent themes can establish you as a recognized writer in that particular field. At the end of the day social media is a tool.
The mind is a greater tool. Use both wisely.”No one can make you inferior without your consent - Eleanor Roosevelt.