Social media in India has become part of routine life and why not, one connects with greater number of individuals irrespective for their geographical location. One communicates with friends, find new ones, find love, and spread awareness among people and more such advantages.
A research conducted by leading anti-virus company McAfee reveals that in India nearly 70% of the youth spend close to 5 hours on Internet. Social media platforms take the highest percentage share of the time spent on internet. Social websites like Facebook takes highest (93%) followed by Youtube (87%) and WhatsApp (79%). In short, the youth trust the virtual world to familiarize themselves to unknown individuals, despite being aware that it could be risky. Social networking apart from being a vast ground of opportunity, also posses’ high risk which must be considered before going deep across the platform. We take pain to list before you a breakdown of both.
Pros of Social Media
Social networking opens a new world of communication, integration and community participation. One can express his thoughts and feelings more easily, omitting the fear of getting rejected as they experience in real life. On the other hand, social media can be a vibrant tool to increase self-esteem and help someone who feels less isolated. Youngsters studying in secondary and post-secondary can use social media for sharing and discussing assignments.
Furthermore, young adults facing problem in their social skills can socialize secretly and can also experiment with different personality and practice, while maintaining online friendship. The platform is wide open for research works, where you can pitch your business plans or promote it within the social network, take views from individuals and implement it with business functionality and process. Whereas spreading awareness among the society through social media is always been an added advantage of the platform.
Social media is not only taking the society to a next level but also injecting the new technologies, which will help them to be equipped for the future technology.
Cons of Social Media
Youth could be at the risk of becoming a victim, depending upon their information shared online. Those looking to harm can make use of posted information for their personal benefits. This may also create a background of cyberbullying or cyber crime, which may result in emotional harm or financial losses or may be both. It is a well-known fact that information shared would be permanent – it’s there forever! Unfortunately it is nearly impossible to track how has the retrieved information and his/her purpose behind.
Social media has been a platform, which has gained popularity in sharing personal information such as phone numbers, email address and even physical address, which not only puts an individual on higher risk but also invites anti-social elements to misuse ones personal information.
The course of authorizing youth to take safe and liable choice online could be compared to the procedure by which they may have cultured to safely cross the street. Initially you walk with parents holding hand-in-hand, thereafter walks a bit away from parents to test your confidence. Ultimately, they become capable of making safe and responsible decisions on their own. Enlightening youth about social networking communities must be established in providing knowledge, skills, and values so that in due course they can be projected to independently work out good decision.
