“It’s not official until it’s Facebook official.” Nowadays, one cannot imagine a life without a Facebook, Instagram, or a twitter profile; in other words, without a social media platform to voice their unheard opinions, to share updates of their daily lives and so on. In this article, let’s discuss how social media plays an agathokakological role in today’s world.
In simple words, social media can be defined as a virtual platform that helps people from different corners of the world to create means of interaction which allow them to share or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. Social media is one vital platform for showcasing and communicating with the diversities that exist between people living in different corners of the world or even in different regions of a nation.
Social networking sites are a convenient platform for presenting oneself to a larger audience. It is one of the most vital reasons why the world today is known as a Global Village as it has contributed a great deal in increasing the social web drastically. The advantages of the social media as a platform for communication is diverse- for instance, it provides a convenient place for the people to connect with families, friends over long distances; maintain contacts with people whom they have lost contact with; sitting in the comfort of their homes, with just a few click away, they can share daily updates of their life with the larger audience.
The evolution of the social media platform has globally shifted the way every individual in a society interacts, communicates and develops with time. Sociologically speaking, the advent of social media and its rapid growth and evolution has brought about a change in the dynamics of human interactions and relationships, which comes with its own boons and banes. As a social being, it is of utmost importance for an individual to interact and develop relationships with fellow human beings and in the 21st century, these social media platforms are proving to be the most reliable, flexible and comfortable means to do so.
But everything comes at a cost, even the advantages of the modern developed and easier means of communication through the social network. When people actively take part in various social media platforms, these decisions that they are a part of, affect them at a personal level– these decisions in turn affect a million others knowingly or unknowingly in either a positive or a negative way. For instance, the youth is largely unaware of the reality prevailing in the world as they are consuming whatever comes their way on their newsfeed every morning. The depiction of an “Instagram-able” life, which apparently seems absolutely perfect is NOT the reality. But young consumers are driven by their lack of awareness and a desire to lead that so-called perfect life, which results in depression, lack of self-confidence and various other delusional psychological illnesses. Also, the social media platforms are hugely responsible for the diminishing emotional connection among people, creating communication gaps.
As a social being, it is of utmost importance for an individual to interact and develop relationships with fellow human beings and in the 21st century, these social media platforms are proving to be the most reliable, flexible and comfortable means to do so.
It is difficult to express emotions and feelings online– as a result of which, people have trust issues, lack of empathy and other humane characteristics. Social media has disastrously impacted the quality of real-time face-to-face conversations, eroding the human warmth and love and also contributing to the degraded quality of conversations and understanding skills. Although social media platforms are helpful when it comes to education or spreading awareness and so on, it also is a source of distraction for youngsters. It has been found that social media users have become sedentary, developed many physical illnesses; there is an increased risk of cyberbullying and hacking; teenagers have become addicted to these platforms especially after the pandemic.
In conclusion, we can say Social Media is a mere tool for communication, which has its own positives and negatives. There is nothing to blame social media for the deteriorating relationships and communications among people. Ultimately, it is us, the humans who have the ultimate power to choose what we want for ourselves. But at the same time, we cannot dodge the fact that the changing social dynamic with the advent of these platforms, sometimes leaves us with no choice but to consume whatever we are served and be affected by it, like the dwindling connections of love, warmth and compassion among humans in the 21st century.
Images courtesy: Pixabay
