Technological developments have brought this world closer than ever. The connection between people all over the world has become easier and such capabilities shall be used to the maximum to achieve the greatest benefit.
Elon Musk, who is planning an interplanetary launch vehicle, says the updated rocket, which can still carry up to 100 passengers, could also be used to establish a moon base or shuttle people between any two points on Earth in under an hour.
Mankind is on the cusp of such technology, supposedly, to make our life happier, our nights prettier and our days joyful. But the ugly reality is the abuse of such technology as communication technology that allows us to network.
Social networking websites are now widely used by the youth the world over. The case in the Sultanate is not different. You may have seen even adults texting while driving. Teenagers often get hooked to social networking websites as these help them provide the latest ‘status update’ regarding their activities to their friends, instead of proving to be a platform for something far more productive.
There is no doubt news regarding friends on the Internet has been skyrocketing. As it is difficult to differentiate between good people and the bad ones in the virtual world, teenagers may be deceived by others easily.
It is high time people paid attention towards this negative aspect of social media and not spend too much time on it. They should be careful about how they spend their time surfing websites in order to avoid getting addicted to them. Schools should teach youngsters about the advantages and detrimental effects of visiting these websites so they can learn how to surf wisely.
In the Sultanate, some people mainly use the Internet to spread rumours. Even a small lie is punished by God, and still people resort to such heinous crimes.
What has happened to the world? They are speaking for God. Some are claiming that if you didn’t publish or forward such messages, you would be prevented from entering paradise. WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter messages have become a gateway, paradise or what?
We are in the age of social media terror, hell is nearer to us than ever, and they claim, to be far from hell, to send messages through social media, to be forgiven by God. The new ignorance is widespread through social media.
In the middle of this darkness, there is some light, there are messages that please us, give us a glimpse of hope. Some Islamic scholars give us happiness and wisdom. They interpret Holy Quran in a right way away from this darkness.
In the same social media, we find scientists, authors and such people giving us experiences of different countries, people and divergent cultures, literature, poetry, and prose that please the reader enriching minds that are thirsty for knowledge.
We ask God to bless such people, as it is for them such inventions were made. As for those who are still living in the dark ages, there must be laws to stop them, as they have turned our life into hell.
Laws in this regard need to be strongly enforced as laws are formed on the basis of certain principles. Written or unwritten, they provide a system to regulate the members of a community or group, so that a certain order that is largely beneficial to all may prevail. Any deviance may be dealt with through the imposition of penalties.
In essence, a law is enacted to provide protection. Because there are laws, a citizen is assured of financial, emotional and mental security. The authorities need to keep a track of what is being transmitted on social media and issue warnings against spread of rumours and abuse of social media.
Ali Al Matani
ali.matani2@gmail.com
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