Significance of social media in today’s life – APSC Mains Essay
(Essay submitted in APSC Mains Essay Writing Contest 2019 – Essay Topics for week 1)
Significance of social media in today’s life
By Parashar Talukdar
Introduction – Man, by nature, is a social animal. Since time immemorial, man likes to form groups and bands. With the passage of time, our lifestyle changed. But this social nature is present. In this age of 4G, man creates several platforms of social gatherings and one such platform is social median. Social media like Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp etc. become a part of us now.
Historical background -The credit of creating first ever social media goes to Dave Woolley and Douglas Brown when they created Talkomomatic, a multi-user chatroom. In 1980s, Bulletin Board System (BBS) emerges as a popular form of Social site. SixDegree.com became the first ever social media in 1997. The popular forms social media like Facebook and Youtube was launched in 2004 and 2005 respectively.
Merits of Social media – Social media have multi folded benefits. It is a powerful tool that creates public opinion. Someone aptly said, “The power of social media is that it forces necessary changes”. In 2010, the autocratic regime of the Middle-East was challenged, known as the Arab-Spring, by massive public opinion created through social media. It creates awareness about several issues. These forms of media advocate the right of common man. We can still remember how a strong public opinion was created during the Nirbhaya Gang rape case in 2012 which forced the Government to pass stringent legislation against such heinous crime.
Secondly, social media used for business purpose. Some sites like Linked-in are a great resource for business owners to find new talents. It is also used for free business promotion. About 78% of small businesses all over the world trust in social media to validate the authenticity of their product. Thirdly, it is social media which has transformed our planet to a global-village. With the ease of communication, a son sitting in some corner of this planet can keep in touch with his sick mother. Since the connectivity is cheap, he no longer worries for money.
Fourthly, social media is also helpful for politicians where they can spread the party’s agenda before the election.
Lastly, social media is especially helpful for students to collect news and views. It is also good means of passing our leisure.
Demerits of social media – Social media also have some demerits like it makes the users lazy, obese, depressed and self-centered. Social media can also spread rumours as in Karbi-anglong lynch mob case when two Assamese youths were killed suspected of being kidnappers. Sometimes it spreads religious hatred leading to clash of different religions. Trolling and abusing or harassing women are also seen in social media.
Way Ahead – To restrict the misuse of social media, Government should take some measures. The implementation aspects of Section 79 of IT Act, 2000 should be strengthened. Moreover, there should be a strict cyber security system which will ensure anti-hacking and non-misuses of social media.
Conclusion– Although the Government is trying to regulate the social media, it is not only desirable but also tough. We, the users, should behave responsively for making Social media self-regulatory in itself.
[ 500 Words ]
Liked it? Give your feedback in the comment section below..
Want to see your Essay published here? Participate in APSC Mains Essay Writing Contest 2019 (Weekly) – Home Page
- APSC Mains English – Essay writing Tips
- APSC Mains English Syllabus & Books
- APSC Mains 2006 English Qs Paper
- APSC Mains English Pattern Analysis
- APSC Mains Essay Topics List
- APSC Mains English Paper – How to write Report, Letter
- APSC Questions – Mains Answer Writing [Main Page]
