Social Media: Hero or Villian

Beginning from ancient times, connectivity and communication have been the basis of sharing
information.It is of no surprise that human being is often referred to as a “social animal”. With time,
transformation in technology has led to innovations in the content and means of
communication.From pigeon posts,postal letters to telephones,smart phones and social media we
have discovered new means to stay connected. Today, social media has become a platform to create
information,connect with people around the globe and has shrinked the world into a tiny hub.

Social Media has revolutionized the way people see,act,believe and socialize on the web. LIKE,
SHARE AND COMMENT has become an indispensable part of our lives.A single click opens us to the
horizon of opportunities.Ease of use,flexibility and the speed at which data can be shared has made
everyone fond of it.

Social Media has helped in the assemination of cultures.The diverse ideologies,thoughts ,beliefs
have proliferated via this medium and broadened our mental horizon.Social Media forces necessary
change.It has witnessed widespread discontent against inequality in the form of Arab Spring. It
provided a platform to millions of muffled and unheard voices through #Me too campaign.This
movement against sexual harassment helped in demonstrating the struggles of women at
workplace.The war of Net Neutrality was not fought on any ground,water or space but on Social
Media.

Socail Media is rightly called the fifth pillar of democracy.It has been used for eliciting people’s
opinions on giovernance and social issues that matter to them.It acts as a tool for enforcing
transparency and accountability.It has given rise to Citizen journalism.

A number of startups have grown and reached millions of customers via digital presence.E-
commerce organisations have widened their scope and made huge impact through social media and
creating awareness among people through advertisements,posts .Undoubtedly, this has made the
world a better place to live in.

Just like a double edged sword, social platforms have their limitations.What was designed to bridge
gaps and connect hearts has widened the gaps between family members.Our face to face
communication has lowered to such extents that we have become more isolated and socially
insecure than before.The spread of Blue Whale challenge has witnessed this loneliness in the form of
suicides. Socializing is addictive.The number of likes,shares and comments define the scale of our
happiness.The very purpose of conveying information is lost.Hyper networking has led to
laziness,obesity,depression,emotional imbalance among teens.

The era of technological growth has witnessed breaches in security and the harm it has caused.It has
given rise to cyber crimes,cyber bullying .Trolling has become a favourite hobby of media and
celebrities where mutual respect and sense of dignity has been long lost.We harbour people of
various cultural beliefs and religious ideologies.The outcome of mass cultural exchange is not always
pleasant.A mere comment or opinion spreads like wildfire leading to riots and destructive rallies.

We live in a world where we are not only consumers but also creators of information.Where our
extent and reach seems to have widened,we are only getting trapped in narrower world views day
by day.Fake news has created a havoc and has lead to deaths of hundreds of innocents. Competition
among various platforms has led to producing that content which has the potential to attract
crowd.The authencity of information has been brutually murdered at the hands of media to sell
what’s popular.Whatsapp faced severe criticism as lynching incidents flared up by free flow of fake
news.

Social media has the power to build as well as destroy.So what is it? A hero or a villain? Just like the
shape of the pot depends on how the potter moulds it,the use of social media depends on how the
user views and understands it.Whatsapp, Facebook,Twitter and other platforms have been working
to eliminate the spread of hate and fake news by their campaigns.Government is keeping a hawk’s
eye vigil on social media to prevent it from misuse.Stricter formulation and enforcement of privacy
and security laws ,mass awareness have been implemented to weed out its evils.

Values of social media like freedom,transparency,openness are innate to human beings.Today the
platform to provide wings to your ideas in Social Media but the power to make it hero or villain
solely lies in our hands

Vedita Kamat

TE Comp

GEC,Farmagudi Goa.