“Don’t use Social Media to impress people, use it to impact people”
Mhademo Patton
Hope Academy School, Dimapur
Social media is developing fast in this modern technological era, being used by people of all ages all around the world. However, a common question arises among people in this regard: Are social media and the youth a good mix, or does it adversely affect their well-being? This is one of the controversial questions regarding the use of social media, with studies showing varied results, including recent research on the use of social media during the pandemic.
With the advent of computer and smartphone technology, the use of social media for interaction has increased exponentially due to easier access even from both middle and lower-income families. The use of social media and technology has immense advantages and benefits if used with good intention and purpose. However, if used excessively, it can lead to mental harm among the youngsters.
Due to the inability to conduct regular classes during the pandemic, the students and teachers have been compelled to conduct online classes by using text messages, WhatsApp, Google Classroom, etc. Online classes, serving both as an asset and liability for the people, have had a fair share in the education process amid the pandemic. Online classes offer greater flexibility and have been useful in providing education from home, along with providing some financial benefits as well. On the contrary, some students use the mere excuse of having a poor network as a cover to exempt themselves from not attending the classes. This causes both mental strains to the students as well as to teachers, who might blame themselves if the students’ grades are not up to their expectations. The students might also attempt to cheat during assessments, considering the fact that the teachers won’t be there at home to keep a watch on them during the assessment. This causes the students to rely on cheating and not on his/her own capability to score good marks.
Social media not only includes online classes, but other online sites and applications we might be familiar with: Tik-Tok, Facebook, Instagram, Discord and many others. These apps have their advantages and disadvantages as well.
The use of social media has helped people keep themselves entertained during this pandemic. They’ve also helped people make new friends online and keep people in touch with each other. Social media also helped people in getting the latest news updates, making them know about the world better.
On the other hand, excessive usage of social media has led to social isolation among youngsters, often leading to depression and in some rare, unfortunate cases, even suicidal death. Social media also causes strain on the eyes, because the devices on which these apps are used emit harmful lights that may damage the vision of the people. All these make excessive usage of social media a problem that can’t be overlooked by the people and authorities.
In Nagaland itself, the poor network and lack of devices in rural areas have been serving as an exigent problem. Due to these issues, the students are unable to attend proper online classes, which is the only hope for continuing education amidst this pandemic. Official news channels on YouTube and television also addressed this issue publicly, hoping to resolve this problem, leading to some donations made by the people and government and promoting good usage of those devices for online classes. Thus, social media has played a huge role in bringing people together in helping each other out during the pandemic along with educating children and other people about the use of these electronic devices.
Therefore, the use of social media has both its positive and negative influence on the youth on Nagaland. If used with proper intention, it can immensely benefit the user whereby they can get an enormous amount of knowledge and information along with keeping in touch with our friends and family. However, excessive usage of social media may lead to addiction and it can rob the youth of their normal childhood life and growth due to decreased physical and mental activity, lesser social interaction at the personal level, loss of adequate physical and mental rest, etc., which may ultimately lead to loss of attention and concentration in their studies, thereby affecting their ultimate performance and achievements in life. In the end, it all depends on the person who uses it. If he/she can control over and limit the use of social media, it is bound to benefit him/her greatly and vice versa.
This is the first prize winner of the Kohima Education Society essay competition in Category A with the theme ‘Influence of Social Media on Naga Youth’
