Sheersho Zaman
With the advent of the internet, people sought to find a way to connect to the world. Emails were great and all, but it felt too “stagnant” and hence the concept of “chatting” was introduced. That too did not satisfy the needs of the people. Much like with everything else, they felt they needed more. And more they got. People found a way to “connect” with other people all over the world in the most optimal way possible then, thus leading to the start of the golden age of “social media.”
Today, social networking sites like “Facebook” and “Twitter” have become a part of daily life. People are constantly “instagram-ing” pictures of lunch, updating their “followers” on their day-to-day trivial activities with a plethora of “hastags” or even ranting about some social injustice on their facebook status. This all sounds great and all. People are engaged in other people’s lives, and overall, the entire world has become much more globalized. Someone from India can now connect and talk with their significant other who might be all the way over in Egypt. Someone living in Beverly Hills can look up and learn the difficulties faced by someone in Dhaka first hand by the push of a button. On paper, this looks like an absolute wonderful way to connect with the rest of the world. However, is it all sunshine and butterflies?
Well, like with everything else, social media has its own set of drawbacks. People may seem to be “connected” on the surface, but in truth, this social media “addiction” of sorts is turning a lot of the population into as disconnected as one can be. Trains are full of people glued to the screens of their phones. The streets, where people would stop to smile or say hello before, has now become similar to scene in some sci-fi horror film, where everyone walks by with their heads drooped over their phone. Coffee shops are no longer a place to meet interesting new people as the “free wifi” tag with most of them has gotten the customers engaged with how many “likes” they got in the picture they uploaded the day before. Even family dinners have not been able to escape to clutches of this addiction, as the place that was previously known to be a conversation hub among family members, is now just everyone quietly eating while going through their phones, tablets, or laptops.
People are always out to get more “likes” and “shares” on their own pictures or “statuses”. Some are willing to trade in their souls for a few more “retweets”. We have become so busy on our quest for self-glorification that we have forgotten a very simple basic human principle and that is what it is like to truly communicate with another person. When was the last time you talked to an unknown person, perhaps someone sitting next to you at class or at the library?
As great as social media is, nothing truly beats real human interaction. Going out and meeting someone and getting to know them through heart to heart conversations instead of hours of “Facebook stalking” is perhaps one of the most gratifying things in the world. Do not misunderstand. Social media is in no means an inherently bad thing. It is great the amount of opportunities that it provides. However, it is by no means a substitution for real life interaction.
So, go out and meet new people. Put your phone away and look up from your laptop screen. Show up at your friend’s house unannounced instead of knocking him on “Facebook”. Tell your family about your day at school instead of trying to beat your high score in “Farmville”. Live your life in with the comfort of “genuine” connections.
The viral Youtube video “Look Up” inspired this article. It is highly recommended to watch the video.