Social Media and Our Future Generation

With the advancement of science and technology, every aspect of human life has seen a drastic change. It not only has made our lives quite easier and comfortable but also has compelled us to face some challenges. Invention of aeroplane, computer, mobile phone and other diagnostic machines used for varied medical investigations of man are the biggest blessings from science for mankind. In the era of computer age and the tremendous advancements in information technology, we are almost independent on manpower because the routine daily business is done now through digital mode.
However with the appearance of mobile phones in our daily lives, though it has made our lives more than enough easier and comfortable, our nears and dears studying and dwelling in intercontinental lands seem no longer far away from us due to this great scientific gift but at the same time it has put us to a tough tests. Our older generation is making good use of it by enquiring about the wellbeing of their loved ones through voice calling and sometimes during leisure times enjoy the music of their taste or watch the morally upright videos through internet. But the mobile phones in the hands of our young and future generation has given rise to a number of issues. Instead of making judicious and positive use of mobile phones, they are degrading themselves morally and ethically by unnecessarily indulging in antisocial and inhuman practices on different social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube etc.
From morning to evenings till late night our young generation remain busy on social media. It has not only distanced them from their parents and siblings but has also impedimental in shaping their personality in right directions. Honestly speaking few days before I was returning from market to my residence accompanied by another person, I met a teen aged guy. I told the person accompanying me “This guy is smart and morally upright. He is a noble boy”
In reply the person told me. “Are you in his friend list on social media? Do you watch his comments, posts and shares? He is the dirtiest guy of our locality”
To reply him I found no words at the time. Like me to more others the guy might have been regarded as the noblest one but it is his negative and misuse of social media that his inner behaviour and traits were extracted out. Making WhatsApp groups among the peers and then sharing nuisance things and chatting even during night times has deteriorated their physical health as well as downgraded them morally. Uploading unethical video items on YouTube and making short videos on TikTok app has now become a new norm of our young generation. They keep themselves over busy on these social sites without considering its repercussions. Our future generation has become much addicted to social media now.
Of all the social networking sites Mark Zukerberg’s Facebook is much popular and most used platform to express one’s feelings, share knowledge, experience and to communicate with fellow beings. Islamic renowned scholars have made it a good platform to invite nonbelievers to the right path. Mission of Dawah has been much easier with the emergence of Facebook. But the most disappointing fact is that, our youth is misusing this site. Sharing unethical items recklessly, writing negative and unacceptable comments on good Facebook posts has become their habit. Creating fake Facebook Id’s and pretending something else what they actually are, is a growing evil among the youth.
Intensity of social media addition can be analysed from the fact that even our children instead of being taught good moral lesson right from the beginning by their mothers are fetched mobile phones to watch videos on YouTube all the time. Now they take the lunch and dinners only after YouTube videos are run before them otherwise they deny altogether.
Furthermore our youth are playing games on mobile phones without feeling tired day and night. It not only has worried their parents but the people of good intellect are constantly raising these issues in their discussions. If you have gone through the front page of today’s (02-03-2021) Kashmir Uzma the leading Urdu daily of valley. Its headline was written like this ” Athara mah baid taleemi idaare khul gaye. Chubees ghante mobile games khelne ka silsila ruk gaya”
From this we can analyse the direction towards which our future generation is heading. If you won’t give them the food for days together, won’t ask them to read and write and won’t restrict them from social media addiction, availability of mobile phones in their hands is enough for them. We need to think about the degrading morality of our young generation and take extra care while fetching mobile phones in their hands. Instead of making them social media addicts we must try to make them responsible citizens of the society.