[ Nellie N Manpoong ]
Communication has changed massively over the past few decades across the world, and Arunachal seems to be trying to keep up with the changing trends.
Facebook is no longer the only thing that’s ‘in’, and people are experimenting with Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, 9gag, YouTube, Musical.ly and other such applications now when the rest of the world is constantly developing and switching to new social media applications.
If you were born between the late ’70s and the ’80s, you’ll realize that you’ve lived in a transitional era. You’ve played in the mud, rain, and even the scorching sun. You are the first generation to be introduced to computers and the internet, but the new-age teens have taken over and now are more adept at using all the technology that surrounds them.
We have moved from bulky personal computers and frustrating internet speeds to android phones (mostly) and unlimited data packages, thanks to Jio. While we’ve found easier ways to connect with the rest of the world with companies offering more for less every few days, we have lost connectivity with those sitting right next to us.
Young children are introduced to YouTube videos by parents in hopes that they will learn something new. While there are several learning apps, they are mostly targeted towards older children because they have the ability to grasp the ideas. A learning video is only helpful for a child who is old enough to use it appropriately, and not a four- or five-year-old who only listens to the nursery rhymes merely because they are musical.
An older person should be available to guide them through the learning process, but then, many parents are engrossed in their own world of mobile apps.
If you’ve taken the time to observe the teens around you, you’ll note that they aren’t much different from some adults in their 20s or 30s. People in the teens and 30s bracket are quick to upload every single event of their life, which include, but is not limited to, having a bad day, a good day, a day out with friends or family, how their dog made a mess of the house, how their cat fought with their dog, how a friend betrayed their trust, and how they watched their team lose or win in the World Cup. In a sense, photos of defecation are some of the few things left to be uploaded.
The thin line that separates teens and adults is the amount of information they give out on their romantic relationships. Teens do not hesitate to show off their love for a certain romantic partner, while adults with experience know that after a certain point it gets embarrassing to keep changing their relationship status every few months or years, and prefer keeping that aspect of their life private.
This brings us to how the digital age has helped people find love and get married to people they find on dating apps such as Tinder, OkCupid, TrulyMadly, etc, and how it has also shown that not everyone is looking for love on those apps, and that a date is not a commitment for a lifetime. With so many singles in their 30s these days, open-minded parents have also started encouraging online dating in hopes that their children find someone, anyone!
And then we have citizen journalists, who are quick to upload photographs of an accident or an incident to social media sites because they want to be the first to break the news.
Updates on such incidents greatly help in identifying victims of a tragedy, but oftentimes there is a lack of credibility and misinterpretation of the news as many people only share what they receive from some WhatsApp groups without confirming certain aspects, such as location or actual cause of incident. People need to be aware that wrong information, or the lack of it, can create a wave of misunderstanding and more chaos.
With so much information out in the open for anybody to access, it is likely that there is every possibility of a security breach. Most internet trolls are merely online to make fun of the current situation in the state, while some commit the serious offence of impersonating someone or defaming them – often without proof to back up their claims – and the more serious offence of stealing data.
The cyber world is definitely a great boon to society, and it has bridged gaps we never knew could be spanned. However, it is upon the new-generation parents to guide their children gently into the virtual world, instead of letting them loose into the web, which may be difficult to get out of.
Live in the moment, learn to appreciate places that offer everything, except the internet. The updates can wait.
