Dear Editor,
In the vast landscape of human interaction, social media stands as a virtual realm-a terrain that has reshaped the way we communicate, connect, and consume information. Like any Geological feature, it has its distinct features, and one of the prominent ones is the prevalence of selfishness.
Social media, as a tool for communication and self-expression, often reflects elements of human nature, including selfishness. Users frequently engage in a manner that prioritize personal gratification, self-promotion, and the pursuit of individual interests. This is evident in the thoughtfully chosen self-presentation, the craving for attention and validation, and the formation of filter bubbles that insulate users from diverse perspectives. While social media isn’t inherently selfish, it can amplify and encourage such behaviours. It is the responsibility of users to balance self-interest with broader societal considerations in the digital age.
Social media, the e world where billions of voices converge, has emerged as a double-edged sword in our interconnected world. It is a landscape shaped by human nature’s duality, where the instinct for self-preservation and self-promotion interlaces with the aspiration for connection and communal well-being. Beneath the shiny facade of perfectly filtered photos and precisely assembled posts, a profound question lingers: Is social media inherently a selfish medium?
At the very surface of this digital landscape, we encounter the Self-Presentation contradiction. This is a place where people work very hard to make themselves look good online, like artists painting a perfect picture. Everything they post, every photo they share, is like adding a piece to this digital version of themselves. But underneath all this, there’s a big focus on getting likes, comments, and shares from others to feel good about themselves. This is where selfishness starts – wanting recognition and approval from others on the internet. It’s like we’re sculpting our digital selves, hiding our flaws, and showing only the best parts of who we are. While it gives us a sense of control and makes us feel good about ourselves, it also makes us very focused on ourselves.
But in this strange world, there’s also a desire for real connections with people. We sometimes show our true selves, our vulnerabilities. This creates a conflict between how we show ourselves and who we really are. This makes us wonder if social media is inherently selfish.
One of the biggest drawback of Social media is, it gives birth to the expression of excessive and inappropriate ads. The random occurrence of inappropriate ads on social media can have profoundly negative effects on individuals’ lives, particularly on children. These ads often feature explicit content, misleading information, or promote harmful products, and their presence can lead to various detrimental consequences. First and foremost, the exposure to inappropriate ads can harm the mental and emotional well-being of children. Young minds are impressionable, and witnessing explicit or disturbing content at an early age can lead to confusion, anxiety, and even desensitization to inappropriate material. These experiences may contribute to the development of unhealthy attitudes and behaviour.
Furthermore, these ads can compromise children’s online safety. Clicking on inappropriate ads may lead to malicious websites, putting them at risk of encountering harmful content or potential cyber threats. Moreover, the constant exposure to these ads can hinder children’s ability to focus and engage in productive activities. The click bait nature of many inappropriate ads can be distracting, pulling them away from educational or constructive pursuits, ultimately affecting their academic performance and personal development.
The frequent engagement, a complex construct that controls the distribution of attention throughout the digital landscape, is encountered as we go more beneath the surface of the social media ecosystem. Users compete for the limited resource of viewer’s time and attention in this competitive ecology, acting like attention-seeking organisms. Like skilled predators, social media sites have mastered the art of grabbing and retaining our attention. They seduce us with notifications, enticing scrollable feeds, and recommendations for tailored content. But this competition for our attention, which is frequently fuelled by algorithms created to optimize user engagement, turns social media into a place for selfish actions. Sensational, emotionally charged, or provocative content usually gets the most attention because it appeals to our fundamental needs for novelty and excitement. In this competition for attention, people cultivate a culture of self-promotion where they compete to make their voices heard and get followers. Users prioritize their own content and need for attention, frequently at the expense of fair and meaningful connections, which fosters selfishness in this environment. Like an expedition into the depths of the digital ocean, our search for our own treasures-likes, shares, and followers-can sometimes obfuscate the real gems of connection, empathy, and understanding the mixed experiences.
Jugesh Singh Thakur
Pogal Paristan
