Youth & Social Media

                               Youth & Social Media

             
Everything has pros and cons, especially social media. So we should not blindly say that social media is either fruitful or deleterious, because it depends on the individuals and how they use it. In other words, it is beneficial to us if we use it productively, and it can bring undesirable consequences or can put a serious damper on our lives if we use it improperly.

            
Among social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Viber, Facebook is the most popular social networking site in our country. It is prevalent among youths, some of whom use it for more than just posting selfies and keeping up with friends. Facebook offers valuable sources of information on assorted fields such as education, economics, politics, and technology.

        
Via Facebook, they are accessible to valuable information, which lets them gain once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, such as studying at prestigious universities abroad through fully-funded scholarships. Such information would never have possibly been seen if not of the popular social media site. It is undeniable that such an opportunity seems like a divine gift from the heavens for an impoverished youth who is passionate  to pursue a quality education abroad. Moreover, through available information from Facebook, underprivileged students  can also  apply for stipends, and continue their tertiary education. For some youths, Facebook becomes a place to search for information about free seminars, talks, workshops and online courses. Some of  young people who have a thirst for knowledge can read local and international news from the official pages of media companies, and keep abreast of the latest developments in technology and hot issues of the world. Some are seeking jobs on Facebook, where various types of jobs in a wide range of industries are disseminated by companies large and small.

           
On the other hand, the drawbacks are more likely to outweigh the advantages for some teenagers who use Facebook in a wrong way. Some of them tend to encounter cyber-bullying and security attacks. Others are likely to become distressed, depressed and discontented when they happen to compare their lives with those of others that they come across on Facebook. Some tyoung people happen to allow  Facebook to take up too much of their time. As a negative consequence, they have less time to study, and to engage in face-to-face communication with their beloved ones. This, in turn, causes them to suffer academically, and their physical interaction with others gradually fades away. What’s worse, some teenagers have a tendency to spend their time on cyber-chatting with strangers they have never met. What's worse, they often find those strangers charming and admirable. In some cases, they fall in love with them without considering the potentially disastrous situations of committing themselves to someone they have seen only on the screen of a smartphone. This impulsiveness could probably put them in danger. In these afundesirable aforementioned  cases, social media could be regarded as a source of trouble.

          
In a nutshell, it is manifest that the use of social media can result not only in  harmless fun, but also in serious danger. So, being human beings with sapient brains, we should aim to be the masters, not the slaves, of social media, by availing ourselves of the ample opportunities they offer.

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Kyal Sin Phu
Sunday Special
The Global New Light of Myanmar

15 July 2018