I walked into my class; it was a usual Thursday morning. I started the lecture, and one of my students was sitting in a corner, tensed. That girl is a bright, chirpy, and attentive student, so I could not figure out what was wrong with her. Weeks passed by; I was starting to get worried about her, so I decided to approach her. And what she told me then, left me shaken. She said somebody was following her around. The person found out where she lives and studies through the internet, and now they are always around. I felt awful for her; it is a tough place to be in. This instance made me wonder, how often it happens. Almost 90% of students are on the social media, and there might be so many instances happening to children which they do not talk to anybody about and go through it by themselves.
Since the time social media craze began, the youth has become very self-conscious; peer pressure has increased to a significant level. Everybody wants to look good enough for validation, but maintaining social media behavior is critical. Children must be taught from a young age that outer beauty is not as crucial as social media behavior is. Their pictures and personal details can be misused to a great extent. Alas! The academic teaching does not include ‘net ethics’ or ‘dos and don’ts on the Internet.’ Teachers can coach the students on what is a responsible use of social media and beware them of what could be the consequences of them sharing too much.
India is a country with one of the highest internet penetration rates. The statistics include the population from the urban as well as rural areas. The internet is a useful and convenient medium for a lot of reasons like communicating, information gathering, world news, political and current affairs. What people do not realize is how important education on social media behavior is. Responsible use of social media is essential in today’s time of information leaking, abuse of personal details, and an extremely transparent global exposure. For instance, you go to a place and check in on a social media platform, it quickly gives access to anybody with wrong intentions, as to where you are. Internet users have no clue of who is stalking or following them. It is terrifying to find out somebody has been following you and knows exactly where you are. This kind of things need to be considered, and internet users must be educated about the discretion of information.
Another factor that comes to mind is that people in power must make effective use of social media. They must spread awareness of the responsible use of social media. The participation of youth in politics is an excellent way for making people aware of social media behavior. There are perks of youth being in politics, and it must be used effectively. The recent ad campaign from ‘Whatsapp’ is quite effective in educating people to avoid spreading rumors and start spreading happiness through messaging. Why do you think the social platform had to come up with such an advertisement? This in itself indicates how alarming misuse of social media can be.
In this growing age of social media, it is crucial to stay ‘wired,’ but as they these connections come with riders, it is essential to coach children from a young age how to use this global medium responsibly. It is only then we can say that a responsible use of social media makes a responsible citizen.
