The social suicidal

Social media has thronged our minds with unwanted information. The addiction to reels or shorts of social media is causing great harm to society by making people myopic in their thought processes. The society that once had a broad intellection and was less judgmental is becoming opinionated towards right and wrong. There are very few people who share research-based information. Others, with thousands of followers, choose a side without knowing the facts and share whatever comes to mind. Generally, to have more followers such people share extremist views that are divergent from the basic soft core of society. Earlier, such unresearched opinions were restricted to a particular surrounding, but today, due to access to unchecked social platforms, they are taking centre stage and impacting overall society. There is no one to correct their unresearched self-created narrative. On the contrary, society is ardent about embracing diverse perspectives without weighing for righteousness.

For instance, ‘Self-Love,’ a beautiful concept coined to give positive regard to oneself, accept oneself, and recognize self-worth, is gradually slipping towards self-centeredness and narcissism. Ideally, self-love has the potential to heal mental health, has the power to define personal boundaries of right and wrong, and has the essence for one to be confident in their skin to express their ‘self’ confidently in society. But speculative thoughts on self-love have caused a stir in society.

Unresearched conjectures have shifted self-love towards self-centeredness, where commitment, love, and relationships have no space. Families are breaking apart as adjustment is not considered a parameter to weigh an untoward situation, but rather a reason to break ties and move forward for oneself. It has given rise to a new concept of ‘Solo Living,’ where one is away from most societal norms and lives a free life. These influencers have even created a community of such solo livers, which, unfortunately, at a later stage, causes self-isolation. The reality of finding time for oneself in a family has been replaced by the concept of personal space.

Self-love is just one example showcasing the impact on society of unfounded notions shared by people on social media. Every belief that has been core to our society for years, is being countered today with diverse views in just a 30-second reel, which people take on heart & mind.

Social media today is a reality and part of our life. Irrespective of the flipside that exists, it has multiple positives as well. It is not limited to cities only but has spread its tentacles to the distant villages of our country. People belonging to every strata of our society are consuming it. The free flow of information is a reality and will exist. “Therefore, it’s imperative to protect oneself, particularly children, from its adverse effects.

Hence, the skill to ‘filter information’ is paramount. This skill or wisdom can be acquired through holy scriptures. Every occurrence in our religious saga – Ramayana and Mahabharata – outlines life skills. These skills are called ‘values,’ which are hidden in every episode of sacred tales. They need to be read with a peaceful mind to unravel the essence hidden in multiple layers. The acquired ‘values’ helps one gain self-awareness, and screen out unnecessary information.

An elevated awareness prevents from being swayed by a brief reel or video. Re-examine the content for its rightfulness before letting it affect our minds and hearts. Moreover, there should be a limit on the time spent on social media for a mentally healthy lifestyle.

Let’s aim to be part of a god-fearing, liberal society where people stay in the real world not reel world, are not judged as right or wrong but considered as humans who are bound to make mistakes and are given space to correct them.