Shiv Kumar Padha
These days, everyone in the society seems linked with the social media in one form or the other suiting to one’s taste and necessity. We often find the teenagers on the Tik Tok, influencers and the small businesses on Instagram, face book and the professionals on LinkedIn. Social media has become the first option that comes to mind when looking for expanding connections in any field. The modern age is the age of science and technology which has conquered the whole universe by dint of its latest inventions and innovations, amongst which the information technology is worth mentioning as it has enabled the mankind access the global information only by the click of the button.
Internet, mobiles and the screen media is proving a great source of knowledge, information and entertainment to the subscribers in the modern world.
Where, on the one hand the information technology has brought in a great revolution in the field of global trade, health, information, weather forecasting, entertainment and surveillance, on the other its addiction and excessive exposure has brought with it many physical, moral and emotional hazards for the innocent children and the adolescents.
We daily observe the young children and adolescents watching the video clips silently and without being noticed lonely in their rooms, or in a groups huddled in a corner of public places away from the crowd. The importance of the social media cannot be under estimated in the present times, but its misuse by both the selfish and anti social uploaders of objectionable contents and the innocent users have brought the entire social media under scanner.
Social media, if used intelligently can bring in loads of success because it is the best form of direct contact with the target audience. These platforms have made any one’s life better. May it be for staying connected with the people, friends and relatives every day, staying opinionated safely with a large number of people on line social media provides platform for entertainments with customized feeds consisting of Memes, news and short clips which gives relief after day long hectic work. The social media has become a means increasing popularity by uploading such material which they deem fit and appropriate for their popularity unmindful of its consequences on oneself or on the society. One of the most important impacts of social media in a today’s worldliest within its ability to distribute information to the whole world.
Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks like Face book, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and You Tube. Apart from the useful, desirable and beneficial information, the social media is becoming a source of serving unwanted and objectionable information which is proving detrimental particularly in the case of the viewers falling in the category of children and the innocent youth. While going through the relevant information on the mobile screen we come across such type of lecherous, seductive and arousing visuals which allure the immature minds with the result they become addicted of provocative clips and information. The you tube and the face book is becoming a source of cheap entertainment for the young hearts and minds as they easily feel tempted toward the mischievous intents and designs of the up loaders of such filthy information in the shape of erotic video clips under one or the other pretext.
The video clips from the porn and blue films, exposing private parts nudity, publically stripping, ,un hesitating nasty gestures by the sex workers, undressing before the camera in order to arouse suggestiveness through visual, verbal or behavioral material or action with sexual undertones. Cosmetic, undergarment, and the ads promoting the sales of the medicines enhancing vigor, strength and stamina in the both the genders through the cheap and sensuous clips which appeal to the young one’s. This way these business houses kill two birds with one stone where on the one hand they promote their sale by serving the youth with vulgarity and eroticity on the other they earn TRP simultaneously.
The social media which is supposed to contribute towards making the society crime and violence free seems hell-bent serving the viewers with the incidents of crimes, like stabbing, picking up quarrels over trifles, shooting incidents, bloody scuffle erupting as a result of individual and group revelries, fatal highway stunts, hitting and dragging the victims dozens of kilometers deliberately on the busy and crowded highways and slaughtering of the animals in public leave an indelible mark on the mental horizon of the children and the younger generation which in no way conform to the goals and objectives of making a civilized and disciplined society.
There is mushrooming of the infinite you tube channels on the social media where majority of such channels, instead of giving appropriate and healthy information for the harmony brotherhood in the society, have become a source and tools in the hands of rumor mongers, misinformers, those spreading hatred through venomous and communal speeches blatantly which tantamount to breaking the secular and social and delicate fiber of social network of the country. The entire social media seems over occupied with the ads promoting the sale of the banned products like different Pan Masalas, Gutkas, Khaini Nebla chewable Chutkies, Raj Niwas, Kamla Pasand Zuban Kesri Rajnigandha etc, by the celebrities who don’t take even tea in their lives. The social media is becoming a rein less beast, which, if not , controlled immediately, will definitely land the entire nation and the youth in shallow waters. In order to nip the evil in the bud the Union ministry of information and broadcasting should at once take cognizance about the working of such you tube channels or issue an advisory for banning them which are vitiating the peaceful environment of the country and helping propagating wrong and biased narrative against the people and the popular governments of the country. Moreover it is the high time to plug the sources of funding of such channels working against the progress and advancement of the country unscrupulously.
(The author is a social activist Basohli).