Are we on the edge of being insensitive?
My favorite pastime on social media is reading comments on various posts and news articles. I know you all will agree with me that they are hilarious. Social media helps us to be updated with recent news all over the world. We have seen people getting help via online platforms, especially in these dark times of Covid. We have been in touch with our loved ones across different boundaries. It’s the best platform to reach out to the masses, showcase art, educate people, inspire and get inspired, and so on. In addition to this, social media has made everyone opinionated and given a free platform to express what we think — out loud. No! I am not discussing the pros and cons of social media in this article.
Having an opinion is a good sign but hating people with opposing opinions is an inappropriate gesture. I have been noticing smiling emojis on sad news or disturbing news such as accidents, for quite a long time. I tried to but just couldn’t resist expressing concern about this. If someone with a differing opinion is facing some tragic situation, should that make us happy? Many times I read comments on social media, some are funny and witty while some are creepy, shady, and believe me, it’s in large numbers. These are the results of an easily available platform with very little moral policing. We forget that there is more depth to every issue than what we see on the internet. We don’t know the struggle or effort someone is taking to showcase their talent to everyone; in response, if they are body shamed, or judged, it will demoralize them. Maybe they are trying to escape the same in their real surroundings and resorting to social media is their attempt at freedom. This happens to many famous personalities; on weight gain, weight loss, hair loss, bold outfits, marrying at some age, following some religion, etc. It’s rightly said, don’t judge a book by its cover. With the mask of fake identities, people write threatening notes, rape threats, dragging family into shaming, and use foul words, what kind of society are we representing. This triggered many questions — Are we this bigoted that we can’t tolerate a single difference of opinion. Is it that difficult to ‘agree to disagree? Is this really the social freedom that we want?
Today it’s them and we never know when it will be us. Think twice before making any statement. We are blessed to have access to such platforms and it is our responsibility to use them wisely and ethically. It won’t take long to imagine yourself in their shoes and think of a consequence. Let’s be someone’s hope, courage, confidence, rather than adding depression, fear, disparity to society. Remember we set the trend for our future generations, empathy is one of the important aspects that makes a world a better place to live. Thus, wake up now before it’s too late! This article sums up in a beautiful quote by Mahatma Gandhi — ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world’.
