Social networking has so much to offer to everyone, be it students, housewives, professionals, politicians, businessmen or actors and out of that so much, posting pictures become rage. Probably because pictures allow us to hide our true self, as and when we want, and portray what we want to. The likes and comments on our pictures give us a much-needed high in this world that has become highly busy, competitive and full of pretence. This posting pictures have the same effect on us as a sedative drug as we get restless if we don’t do it for a long period of time that could range from 10 hours or lesser for some to a week or longer for others depending on the individual’s addiction to social networking. In other words, it pacifies us psychologically for it is easy and fun. And fun is anything that does not have responsibility in it. It takes a minute to upload a picture but it takes hours to admire it and hours every day for at least next 4 days to check likes and comments on the same.
Whereas this picture-posting act on social networks has turned us narcissistic or proud-to-be-narcissistic; it has done a great good too and that is, it has got us connected. We could connect with our long-lost friends, far-settled relatives, highly admired teachers and so many other people with whom it wouldn’t be possible to connect otherwise. But even this connection has failed to unite us fellow human beings.
No doubts, social networking as a mass medium has helped us become more aware and responsive than ever but it will be of no avail if after that awareness all we care about is our individual skins and if that response comes only after there is no scope for any action.
There was recently a report everywhere in mass media pertaining to a corporal in Indian Air Force whose father was lynched and brother was beaten viciously by a mob due to some sort of rumour on what he had in his meal. And as we all know, mob does not have any face or identification; it only has innocent audience. Suddenly, after anything like this happens, the literate and aware people that we boost ourselves to be become mango people and blame our leaders, leaders blame anti-social elements, anti-social elements blame the eating habits of people. So, the buck keeps on passing since the rule of the game is that the one who keeps it would be the loser. And all emerge as winners except only one loser, justice. The aggrieved family, what about it?
The game is meticulously designed and doing good business and it is still a long way that we think of trying something new. New could be taking on the responsibility of keeping the buck to ourselves and come together for each other not just virtually or ideologically but in person as well since all of us have either whole or partial idea of the conspiracy behind such incidents. We always have two roles to choose from: the role of a silent onlooker (whose speech format is supported only at social networking sites) and the role of a fellow human being. Each role has its upside and downside.
Being a silent onlooker lets us enjoy the whole game and saves our skin but temporarily since no fixed standards are needed to be a pawn and it all depends on which way the wind is blowing. Whereas, being a fellow human being will protect us, our loved ones, and society today and always; however, it takes away the pleasure of watching the whole drama and we might not be having anything interesting as such to keep a track on social media or would take away our opportunity to act like a concerned lot. If the choice is between action and reaction, it’s easy for us to choose reaction because we are an enlightened and responsive generation who is active on FB or Twitter or the likes and condemn all the evils through these platforms. Though, reaction is increasingly becoming forte, but action has now become the need of the hour. There is a dire need to execute in reality the theory of morality we have been studying and teaching the world and that is to stand united irrespective of religion, caste, social status, eating preference, clothing preference or sexual preference with only one commonality, humanity.
The soul of the report in question was the appeal made by the IAF corporal son of the lynched man, “My father’s death should be last such incident.” He further had to add, “My family is patriotic. This is the reason I joined IAF. Communal harmony is the essence of democracy……even my younger brother Danish was preparing to join the forces. He was studying for the combined defence services exam. He was attacked while he was studying.”
Wish we could someday sound amazed or shocked and not refer to stuff like this as a mere ‘such incidents.’ Wish that day comes sooner than later!
