Social media distancing social life

 

Just today morning, I received a message from my grandma on Instagram about a new Yoga routine. Even better my great grandma enquired about my health and sent me a new crocheting video through Facebook. My cousin, just born yesterday, is already going viral on TikTok. Nowadays, from a small child to old grandmas, everyone knows how to use a mobile phone and moreover are on social media. Not a day begins without scrolling through the top Instagram Posts. Daily WhatsApp status updates, Facebook stories. Even Prime Ministers and Presidents connect with the public through social media. Virtual birthday gatherings, Virtual classes, and even Virtual weddings through social media. Wow!! That’s quite a lot!! What comes to our mind when we think of social media ? Perhaps platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And even WhatsApp. Social Media has become the center of attraction these days. More than our name, our social media username has garnered more importance. Earlier when finding pen pals, 40-50 years ago, the question that was asked was, “What’s your address for receiving letters ?” But now communication through letters ? The idea itself is laughable. Only communication through social media has a place in this highly competitive world. We have come up to such an extent that we think if a person is not on social media, the person doesn’t exist in real life. We think we are socially connected if our friends and family are on social media. We think we are socially connected if we can virtually connect through a virtual platform. We think we are socially connected if and only if we have interchanged social media handles. No. No. No. No. Where has social life gone ? I yearn to connect with my friends and family, not through social media, but through social gatherings. Social media has brought nothing, absolutely nothing but enmity and competitiveness. Nothing is social about social media, where anyone and everyone can conceal their name and real identity. There are people who have 1000 friends, but do they know each other personally? We believe social media has brought us closer when in reality it has made us distant. Ironically, while we are so intent on giving robots feelings, we are becoming the robots of the future by concealing our social identity. Please share and comment if you liked this post!