By Dr. Amna Ansar
The 21st century is the era of social media and technology. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, and many other platforms are now a part of our daily lives.
Through social media, we can connect with another person living across the sea. It seems like the world has shrunk. Social media is like a double-edged sword. Through it, we can stay in touch with our loved ones, either through calls or text messages. We can also carry out certain official tasks through these platforms. However, excessive use of social media can affect our daily lives, critical thinking, intellectual awareness, emotional well-being, and relationships.
Social media has changed our ways of expression. We have created our own new language to express ourselves, such as using abbreviations and emojis to shorten conversations or give quick responses. This growing habit is one of the reasons why the younger generation is losing its ability to think critically and develop strong writing skills. Using concise texts during casual conversations is convenient, but changing the language and the way we express ourselves should not become a permanent habit.
We are becoming increasingly disconnected from our families. We are neglecting our blood relationships. Even in a room full of family members, instead of sharing our thoughts with one another and talking about things that concern us all. We prefer to interact with strangers and people online instead. This is creating a communication gap between family members, resulting in weaker families and the establishment of weak, externally dependent, and approval-seeking societies.
Moreover, we are becoming invisible as we communicate with people through social media, we cannot see their expressions, hear their tone of voice, observe their body language, or read their facial expressions. Sometimes, the absence of these things makes situations worse and can lead to misunderstandings. On the other hand, when we talk to people in person, we understand them better and listen to them more attentively.
We should be more cautious, sensible, and articulate while using social media, specifically applications that allow us to communicate with others. Otherwise, it may become destructive rather than beneficial for us.
