Tuesday, April 23, 2024 | Shawwal 13, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Don't bother much with the whole social media thing

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matani2@gmail.com -


Every passing day there is a technological onslaught on human beings. There are many advantages to these developments. But nobody can deny the adverse effects of these advancements on conservative societies which are very sensitive about their beliefs, faiths, social practices and traditions. Every time they feel offended, they blow a whistle of alert and call for prohibition or a complete ban.


At the same time, one cannot deny the fact that the skies are always open. There are positive and negative reactions, warnings, and alerts whenever the tide turns towards an undesired direction. There is no power which can completely ban and control it. There are technologies which help in bypassing all sorts of controls and restrictions. Build whatever wall you can, it is weak in the face of technological advancements. There will always be a loophole to evade any restrictions. Therefore, instead of wasting energy in building iron walls, there should be a search for alternatives.


There will always be ripples or sometimes storms which will keep the local spaces engaged in debates and discussions. Most of such deliberations on these open skies are useless and not worth engaging with. They are neither beneficial for the society nor for the individual who is busy in such activities. These are just facts, figures, realities, and logic according to the faiths, ethics, moral values, practices, traditions and healthy thought process which actually work and have long lasting positive effects.


Therefore, there is no need to be concerned. Because such practices lack these qualities. They are superficial. They cannot become a public opinion. They do not even fulfil the least requirements to be able to influence minds and have any sorts of impact on society. On the contrary, the people have strong traditions, values and ethics in all aspects of their lives, from their thought process to everyday practices. They maintain balance in their views and perspectives about what they face in their day to day lives. They would never compromise in their national identity and ethos. When we talk about what is happening in the cloud, we should also not express our concerns beyond a proportion.


What is required from all of us is that we deal with such issues with positive minds and avoid indulging in such activities more than their value. Otherwise, we would help them in their objectives. People do not want to engage with any subject which does not have any value in their life or what would not benefit them. Present any topic or issue to the people to discuss on virtual platforms, you would realise what I am trying to argue.


For example, health related issues are taken with due importance more than any political issues. This is because health is wealth. It is one of the most important bounties of the Almighty Allah. If there is no health, life is meaningless and devoid of any taste. Whatever the political situation, and how intense the political storm, when people feel that they are served with basic health requirements, they would not care about what is happening in their political surroundings. They do not want to bang their heads to the walls. They want to live healthy and happily.


People do not want to watch programmes on television channels which add tension in their minds. Therefore, political programmes are never watched by most of the viewers. Instead, people prefer watching broadcasts which add happiness and satisfaction to their lives. Same is the case of issues discussed on social media and exchanged on WhatsApp and other platforms.


I am not trying to deny the fact that every communication means, and platforms have their characteristics. Twitter is one of them, where people engage on certain subjects with their pseudonyms, instead of mentioning their real identity, to discuss issues which create tension in people's lives. They attack people, their faith, beliefs, social ethos and understandings with pseudonyms. This shows the weakness of such activists.


Therefore, they should be dealt with positive minds, without being apprehensive. We can use modern media technologies and methods to deal with them. The only requirement is proper understanding of such means and methods.


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