Sorito P Quinker
Hope Academy School, Dimapur
Naga Youths these days are vulnerable to persuasive technologies. These technologies, whether they're social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, are designed to convince their users to spend more time on them. To influence how they pay attention, what they pay attention to, and for as long as possible. People spend atleast half of their day on social media. The creative use of technology can also change peoples' lives and this is an example of just that. On the negative end, the more the people spend with their phones and on social media, the less engaged they are with the actual world around them and the more obsessed they become with attention getting soundbyte headlines as opposed to real and nuanced information. This holds true to my experience with social media. A while back I started to wonder why there was such a disconnect between the news I was reading and the actual picture that there is in Nagaland's grass root politics.
In Nagaland there are Naga Youths promoting exclusive events on social media: With around 40% of customers getting inspiration for their purchases from social media sites. About a decade or so ago there was a big push for towards internet marketing in Nagaland. But I caution against solely using the internet and social media for marketing and promoting ones work.
Social media has grown tremendously in the last few years. From 2006 onwards the growth rate is unexpectedly very high. Especially Facebook and Twitter have grown much faster and captured millions of users in just a few years. The way technology is growing, it is obvious that more and more people are going to grasp its benefits. It has brought a lot of advantages for the society. From progressed nations to under-developed countries, every nation is utilizing the power of social media to enhance life and use it for the bitterness of the people.
In my experience now as a 15 -year-old student, the early contact of expressing interest in someone is known as "talking to" them, usually via text or social media platforms.Whilemy friend and I met in person in class, once we exchanged phone numbers we constantly texted each other about everything, the phase known as "talking to someone." Sometimes we would report to each other funny or interesting events that happened to us that day, or ideas, or possible plans. Once we started hanging out in person, we were basically inseparable.
There are also various reasons why social media indulgence can lead to a corrupted emotional intelligence. The longer a Naga youth or a teenager spends time on social media websites such as Facebook or Instagram, more are the chances of them becoming victims of cyber-bullying. Then there are other aspects, such as artificial manifestations of the actual lives on social media which tend to elicit a strong feeling of envy and self-doubt in the observers. In fact, these days’ people go to lengths just to brag about their "perfect lives," which is why now and then there is news about something falling to their death from a building in an attempt to take a "glamorous selfie. One way in which social media undermines teen mental health is through social comparison. Teenagers on social media spend much of their time observing the lives and images of their peers. Therefore, this leads to constant comparisons. And this can damage self-esteem and body image.
Moreover, it can lead to depression. Social media can cause what's called social media anxiety disorder. This occurs when a person is unable to check their social media accounts often. For some, the anxiety can kick in after just a few minutes, while others don't feel it until it's been a few hours. Either way, it causes unsettling feelings and can disrupt one's normal life. The addictive part of the social media is very bad and can disturb personal lives as well. The teenagers are the most affected by the addiction of the social media. They get involved very extensively and are eventually cut off from the society. It can also waste individual time that could have been utilized by productive tasks and activities.
According to a Time Magazine article titled, “Teen Depression and Anxiety: Why the Kids Are Not Alright,” today’s teens are, “The post 9/11 generation, raised in an era of economic and national insecurity… They grew up watching their parents weather a severe recession, and, perhaps most important, they hit puberty at a time when technology and social media were transforming society.
This is the third prize winner of the Kohima Education Society essay competition in Category A with the theme ‘Influence of Social Media on Naga Youth’
