By Shanker Man Singh
In Nepal, negativity and toxicity are increasing at a bad speed. This is a matter of concern and interest. They come to social networks to publish their words and attract people to them.
It is necessary for today’s social harmony and progress to move in a positive direction, even with differences, political opinions, etc. Although freedom of speech is guaranteed by the constitution itself in the republic, society, government, and ordinary citizens must be serious about such presentations on social media.
Democracy: Everyone must realize that democracy is not a license to be rude, and it has become necessary and mandatory to be seen in their behavior as well. It’s a phenomenon that emerged early in the Internet’s life the tendency of people to “flame” others online. This is because you are alone, not getting any feedback face-to-face. It’s ugly and divisive, and there shouldn’t be any social media posts or comments that aren’t moderated for civility.
Most people are very stupid when they are alone. As we all know in the past, reading the walls of the kitchen or bathroom, which the Internet, when unmoderated, has become. Social media toxicity can have many negative effects on individuals and society as a whole. Here are some key issues related to social media toxicity: Harassment and cyber-bullying: Social media toxicity can lead to harassment and cyberbullying, which can have serious psychological effects on victims. Cyberbullying can lead to anxiety and depression.
Spread of misinformation: Social media poisoning can also spread misinformation, which can lead to dangerous consequences. Misinformation can spread conspiracy theories, promote dangerous products, and undermine public trust in science and medicine. Polarization and division: Social media toxicity can lead to polarization and division, as people become more attached to their beliefs and less willing to engage in constructive dialogue.
This can lead to a breakdown in social harmony and an increase in extremism and hate speech. Negativity and low self-esteem: Social media toxicity can create a negative and critical environment that can harm a person’s self-esteem and mental health.
This can lead to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety and depression. Disregard for privacy and security: Social media toxicity can lead to a disregard for privacy and security, as individuals become more willing to share personal information and engage in risky behaviors online. Overall, social media toxicity can have serious consequences for individuals and society as a whole.
It is essential to promote a healthy and positive online environment that encourages constructive dialogue, respectful behavior, and the sharing of accurate information.
Opinions may vary as to why social media has become so toxic. This has made many people feel very insecure about themselves. Many social media platforms, especially Instagram, have promoted a sense of perfectionism that has made many people feel that they are not good enough to be who they really are, resulting in low self-esteem, insecurity, depression, etc.
Platforms like Instagram in particular have evolved into a form of competition against others for many people and this has distracted them from the real world and how they should properly showcase the person they really are and make themselves look healthy.
Everyone wants to get the right “tag” portrayed by social media which may not be possible in reality. Unfortunately, this affects many people who consciously or subconsciously start comparing their lives with others and gradually build up a sense of inferiority towards them.
It is said that constructive criticism is like a mirror and some insist that people do not give what they have It is clear that most of the communication media encourages negative content compared to positive news, so it seems that the common people also discuss it more. This is a problem seen not only in Nepal but also globally. In the case of Nepal, some think that people are becoming more “reactionary” because the people in the political system do not accept mistakes.
Therefore, if the responsible people in the government respect the rule of law and do their work, then it could be expected that the disappointment in the public will be reduced to some extent.
It doesn’t mean that positive things don’t happen on social media. Whether it is any kind of natural disaster or the performance of Nepalese players or teams, there are many positive discussions about it on social media.
Three billion people around the world, or nearly 40% of the world’s population, use social networks. There are many examples like:- Twitter, Viber, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram etc.
Among them ‘Facebook’ is the most popular. In Nepal, not only many leaders, social workers, actors, artists, and athletes, but also various organizations are suffering from negativity-related activities. Therefore, the self-esteem of others should not be hurt by playing with human sensibilities by wrongly using social media.
For some time now, isn’t the random criticism of any caste, community, religion and culture on social media constantly attacking religious and ethnic tolerance?
There is a situation to be aggravated that parents have an important role in the systematic use of family social networks. It is wrong for parents to spend more time on it than necessary and expect their children not to do this. Therefore, parents who expect their children to use it properly should use it properly.
Under Section 47 of the Electronic Transactions Act 2063, “Publishing or displaying materials prohibited on the Internet or materials against public morals, decency, or materials that spread hatred or malice against anyone or disrupt harmonious relations between different castes and sects, tease women, harass.
A person who commits, insults or in any other similar manner commits or causes to be committed will be punished with a fine up to 1 lakh rupees or imprisonment for a term up to five years or both.
In addition, the government has implemented guidelines to regulate the use of social networks and laws to tighten online businesses.
What is social networking?
The term social networking refers to the use of Internet-based social networking sites to stay in touch with friends, family, colleagues or clients. Social media can be for social purposes, business purposes, or both through sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more.
Social media is also an important opportunity for marketers looking to engage customers. As of 31 December 2021, Facebook has become the largest and most popular social network with 2.91 billion people using the platform every month. Another one of the most popular is social networking, which is the use of internet-based social networking platforms to keep in touch with friends, family or colleagues.
The three most popular social networking sites in the US include Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Social media marketing helps promote a brand’s voice and content. This can help make a company more accessible to new customers and more prominent to existing customers, for example, a frequent Twitter user may first learn about a company through a news feed and decide to buy a product or service.
The more people are exposed to the company’s brand, the more likely the company is to find and retain new customers. Social media has changed our lives. It has brought people from all over the world together, removing all barriers between people.
We can make friends from all over the world. People can easily communicate, and share their thoughts, information and ideas.
Similarly, social media can also be used to keep up with current affairs, it gives us news to know what is happening around us. It also acts as an engine for people to find jobs. Some groups have been created on social media, from where we can see vacancies for various posts. Through those posts, we can stay updated about the latest job openings. Similarly, it helps in promoting the product for commercial reasons. People are selling their products on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Nowadays people are using this media as a promotional tool, where we don’t have to invest money for promoting the products. However, on the flip side, we spend most of our time on social media, which reduces family intimacy.
People are so addicted to social media that many parents these days lament that their children spend more time on their devices than talking to them.
Similarly, social media reduces face-to-face communication because we feel more comfortable interacting in a virtual medium, where we cannot see a person’s face or expression, and we feel more comfortable chatting online.
Impact on Nepalese society:
As in other countries, social media has become an important tool for people in Nepal. The number of people using social media is increasing day by day. People’s use of social media is based on their preferences. Before using social media, we should be aware of its benefits and its consequences if we misuse it.
Social media is slowly killing real activism and replacing it with ‘slacktivism’. While social media activism brings increased awareness of social issues, questions remain as to whether this awareness is translating into real change.
Nepal must make a law on the use and usefulness of AI in time. It seems that the existing laws related to AI are not enough. It also needs to be studied and discussed.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect People’s Review’s editorial stance.
Login to add a comment