Day 22 – Q.4. While the role of social media as a powerful tool for empowerment can’t be denied, it has also distorted the perception and priorities of the youth in India. Comment.
4. While the role of social media as a powerful tool for empowerment can’t be denied, it has also distorted the perception and priorities of the youth in India. Comment.
जबकि सशक्तिकरण के लिए एक शक्तिशाली उपकरण के रूप में सोशल मीडिया की भूमिका से इनकार नहीं किया जा सकता है, इसने भारत में युवाओं की धारणा और प्राथमिकताओं को भी विकृत कर दिया है। टिप्पणी करें।
Introduction
Social media are interactive computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks.
Body
Social Media and its benefits for youth
Education:
- Teachers are able to easily collaborate and communicate with students and one another.
- Students have easy, free access to resources online to help them learn.
- Grades improve and absenteeism is reduced.
Politics:
- Social media facilitates political change: Online networks give social movements a quick, cheap method of disseminating information and mobilizing people.
Awareness/Being Informed:
- Information spreads faster online than any other media. More than 50% learn about breaking news on social media.
- Social networking provides academic research to everyone with online access, allowing people access to previously unavailable resources.
- Social media sites inform and empower individuals to change themselves and their communities.
Social Benefits:
- Social media allow people to communicate with friends and this increased online communication strengthens those relationships. 52% of online teens say social media have helped their friendships. 88% say being online helps them stay in touch with friends they don’t see regularly.
- People make new friends. 57% online teens report making new friends online.
Job Opportunities:
- Great for professionals for marketing, connecting, and finding business opportunities.
- Employers find employees and unemployed find work. 89% of job recruiters have hired via LinkedIn, 26% via Facebook, and 15% via Twitter.
- Social media sites have created thousands of jobs and new avenues of income
However, there have been few pitfalls of social media as well
The negatives of social media:
Lack of Privacy:
- People, especially the young, are often too open and public with personal information when online. Most don’t read privacy policies and may be unaware that their information may be used by third parties, like advertisers, insurance companies…
- Exposure to corporate and governmental intrusions…
- Insurance companies use information gleaned from social media, as well. If you have “liked” a medical-related page or a post about a health condition, that information is sometimes used by insurance companies to determine eligibility and raise rates.
- Online advertising policies are an invasion of privacy. If you “like” a brand, you’re giving that company access to your personal information.
Users Vulnerable to Crime:
- Social networking sites allow hate groups to recruit and distribute propaganda online.
- Unauthorized sharing and copyright infringement threatens intellectual property and causes loss of income.
- Security attacks such as hacking, identity theft, and phishing scams, and viruses are common online. 68% of users share their real birth date, 63% share the name of their high school, 18% share their phone number, 12% share a pet’s name: This information might be used in identity theft.
- Criminals use social media to commit crimes. Robbers know when you’re away from your home on vacation and stalkers get information about your whereabouts via social media.
- Sexual predators find, stalk, and assault victims through social media.
- Sexting (texting sexual content) can be a big problem.
- Security attacks such as hacking, identity theft, and viruses and exposure to phishing scams are common via social media.
Social Detriments:
- Cyber-bullying (the use of electronic communication to bully someone, usually by sending intimidating or threatening messages) is commonplace online, causes emotional trauma, and sometimes even leads to suicide. 49.5% of students reported victimization by bullying online and 33.7% admitted to online bullying.
- Extensive online engagement is correlated with personality and brain disorders like poor social skills, ADHD, narcissistic tendencies, a need for instant gratification, and addictive behaviours and other emotional distress like depression, anxiety, and loneliness.
- Less time for face-to-face interaction with loved ones. 47% of 18-34-year-old users reported using social media or texting during meals. 10% of people younger than 25 reported checking their phones and social media during sex.
- Children at higher risk for depression, low self-esteem, and eating disorders and more prone to feeling isolated and disconnected (especially youth with disabilities).
Misinformation:
- Enables the spread of false rumours and unreliable information: 49.1% of users have read false news on social media.
- Encourages amateur medical advice and self-diagnosis of health problems, which can be dangerous and life-threatening.
Advertising:
- Studies have shown that sites such as Facebook influence you, via advertisements, to spend more money.
- Advertisers gain all kinds of personal information about you via your social media, information they use to persuade you to buy their product.
A Waste of Time:
- When alerted to a new post or tweet, it takes about 20 to 25 minutes for the average user to return to their original task. 30% of the time it takes two hours for the user to return to their original task
Conclusion
Social media is an enabler to share information but should be used with caution. It is time that pitfalls of social media and ways to protect oneself are taught in schools.
Best Answer: Christina
