Education is a greatest weapon
No one, today, can deny the influencing role of social media in our life. Due to easy access and wide connectivity, it has become very easy to enjoy the uses of social media. From shaping one’s personality to setting a new world order, social media is very specific and dynamic together. Through different platforms, it performs multiple functions. It is the source of enjoyment, information, earning, and connection while on the other hand, it is also a warfare tool, a source of disinformation, hatred, and radicalism. And due to its deep insertion in human society, it demands special attention as well.
As social media is rooted so deep now it has become obligatory to promote the safe use of it to protect human society from any sort of aggression, hatred, and vile activities. Education is the only source that can guide and teach about everything. The purpose of education is to promote innovation, ethics, morals, peace, and prosperity, and the same principles are needed intensely to use social media positively. We hear a lot of cases daily of disinformation, ignition of sentiments for false narratives, toppling governments from external sources, and cybercrimes and if not heeded properly this chaos will expand further.
Just like journalism and Mass communication, there should be a specialized subject about social media. This subject must cover all the aspects of it. That subject must include a brief introduction, the evolution of social media, its different constituents and its reach, and the role being played by social media in amusement, awareness, information, connection, and earning. Along with it, people must be aware of the vulnerabilities of social media. They must be told how they might be affected by it psychologically, individually, and socially.
This would be a great step if social media is being taught as a subject. A critical approach will be needed and sharp and relatively advancing minds will be required to formulate a curriculum, modify it with the latest edition in short intervals, and prescribe better pedagogy techniques. Through this, we can encourage the habit of fact-checking. The goon of disinformation can also be curbed.
This must not be started as a specific degree but rather a free-of-cost diploma and registration must be awarded to the person who has that diploma and regularly takes virtual or physical classes of it. This is not what should be taught like theory. Social media has evolved a lot and will evolve a lot and it demands the same evolution in its studies as well.
Conclusion:
Talking from the perspective of Pakistan which is a highly diverse country and economically fragile. The challenges, Pakistan is grappling with, are social, economic, socioeconomic, environmental, and administrative. These challenges require a very shrewd strategy to cope with. With almost 117m internet users, social media is becoming a very easy tool for nefarious factors to exploit public nationalistic and religious sentiments. Amidst this, there is a dire need to educate people about the safe, healthy, and purposeful use of social media. They must be shown the wide doors of earning here and must be aware of the tendency of social media to exploit them.
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I'm very much in support too. Introducing the social course in the school system will go a long way in making the world a better place, especially when it comes to information and earnings. But there are backsides of it too👌
I do not find any specific backslides that may damage
This is interesting; I learned some fact about Pakistan too
well said.
I believe people need to be educated more about social media and how to source the right information. With the way fake news spreads fast on the internet, many people might find it hard to believe things they see, even when they are true, but with the right knowledge, they would be able to navigate through the right channel and source important and accurate news.
Well said and that’s why a special attention is needed
When I saw the prompt, the first question that came to mind was, how come we didn't think of doing this since long before? It's a really good idea to teach students about social media.
The uses and dangers of using it is endless, and so the need for the education.