The last decade shall forever be remembered as witnessing the great - some would say, apocalyptic - rise of social media. Be it Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, everybody knows about it, and everybody has utilised it. Social media refers to a set of devices that enable information providers to dispatch content instantaneously to a wide audience. It has blended well with the 21st century's culture of immediacy and speed. However, before we all scream out in appreciation, it is imperative that we view both the upsides and the downsides of this ever-growing phenomenon.
With a reported 750million of us signed up on Facebook, 200million Twitter users and billions and billions of YouTube spectators, it is hard to contemplate how these tools could potentially be a harmful entity. Nevertheless, it is only fair to highlight the destructive societal elements of this so-called 'social' medium. A study conducted by Pediatrics found that over half of all adolescents admit to using social media at least once a day. A quarter admitted to logging on 10 or more times between waking up and going to sleep. Not only are our youngsters using it, they are obsessed by it.
Britain's children have lost the fine art of socialising. A whole generation has been brought up with their heads in laptops, furiously typing away, oblivious to the world around them. If you - like me - have not already surrendered to the beast, you are considered an alien. A weirdo. Not worthy of time or friendship. God forbid you actually enjoy, you know, going out and meeting people. Speaking with someone face-to-face has become something of a taboo. Moreover, we have had to bid a painful farewell to correct grammar and spelling.
But where my issue really lies is with the West/East divide that is so disturbingly emphasised and made apparent through the use of this media apparatus. Perhaps it is pure ignominy. Mortification even. Courageous uprisings, seen throughout the Middle East, led me to ask myself, 'Why is it the West takes so much for granted'? I have failed in my attempts to satisfactorily answer that question. But it did leave me pondering on the varying ways in which dissimilar cultures exploit social networking.
A comparison would read something like this: 'Party at mine. 10pm. Bring a bottle'. 'The revolution begins here. Tahrir Square. Bring a placard'. Whilst the pampered masses of the West indulge in casual gossip sharing and party arrangements, citizens of the Middle East risk their lives to help orchestrate pro-democracy rallies and anti-government protests. One set of individuals are concerned with their freedom and human rights whilst the other are concerned with flirting with 'friends' and viewing the latest holiday snaps. The term 'antithesis' has never been so pertinent.
For years now, corrupt regimes in the Middle East have tried to eradicate the existence of social media outlets. Smartphones and internet access are exceptionally limited (only 31% of Egyptians have access to the internet, in Tunisia, only 21%). This has led many to downplay the crucial role played by social media in the Arab Awakening. What they fail to realise is that for every person with internet access, they would spread the word to hundreds more, until the snowball was well and truly out of control. The observing world could finally witness the brutal goings-on.
When foreign journalists were banned from entering Syria following President Bashar al-Assad's violent crackdown on demonstrators, savvy Syrian youngsters from within made use of YouTube to accentuate the carnage. Without these shocking videos the western world would be unaware of the unruly antics of Assad's security forces. This suppression is nothing new; only now, computer-literate populations were connected and exposing government malfeasance. Alongside the appalling images of bloodied protestors were images of activists holding mobile phones, spreading reports from Cairo, Tunis, or wherever they may be.
Compare that to the so-called 'cyber-bullying' that manifests here in the UK. Gutless, cowardly youngsters using potentially government-toppling sites to taunt and intimidate their defenceless victims. There is nothing big or clever or savvy about this. This is deplorable. How can we take pride in our adolescents when measured against the audacious Egyptian youths or the valiant Syrian youngsters? Quite simply, we cannot. Instead we should be ashamed, for they abuse social networking, regarding it as a means to avoid society as opposed to embracing it as a means to achieve greatness.
Too much emphasis is placed on how many 'friends' - note my use of quotation marks - an individual has, or how many pictures they possess. If someone deletes you it feels like your world is eroding from beneath your feet. Time is withered away, endlessly browsing stranger's photo albums or taking in 140characters of your favourite TV personality. And do not get me started on 'Charlie bit my finger' - have 350million people really got that much time on their hands? But the underlying point is, when adding up all the wasted time on social media sites, just think what remarkable things could potentially be accomplished.
Write a book. Read a book. Educate yourself. Learn something you did not know the day before. Build something. Fix something. Create an idea and go with it...You get the thrust. If nothing else is realised following the Arab Awakening, let it be this. Do not take social media for granted, for it is a privilege. A freedom and autonomy that people around the globe have died for, and continue to die for. Do not squander this prosperous creature by neglecting its overwhelming possibilities. Why bully, gossip or fritter away precious time when you could be starting a revolution or changing the world? The choice is yours.