Jameel Aahmed Milansaar: Challenges before Youth

INSTITUTE OF OBJECTIVE STUDIES

THE NEW COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS)

2 DAY INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON

“THE CHALLENGES BEFORE YOUTH IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD”

December 10 - 11, 2011

THEME:

Challenges before Youth Media and Social networking

Papers presented by JAMEEL AAHMED

Member: All India Milli Council – Karnataka

In the name of Allah the most beneficent most merciful, I begin by praising Allah ‘azza wa jall, as He is ought to be praised.

With a modem, anyone can follow... and report on the world - no middleman, no Big Brother . I guess this changes everything - Matt Drudge, an American web entrepreneur , creator and editor of the news aggregation website Drudge Report,

The Media and social networking, is two sides of same coin in the 21st century, the century of knowledge, u can’t even think of ignoring them even for a micro second, while being aware & update about everything, it is very tough exercise to write, say or comment about Media & Social Networking.

Social Media in India is growing by leaps and bounds but till date there was no definitive research that tracked this growth. But now The Nielsen Company conducted in collaboration with AbsolutData a report on social media in India.

The findings of the report are as follows:

· 30 million Indians who are online consumers are members of social networking sites

· 20 million of these spend time on social networking sites daily

· Indians spend more time on social media than they do checking personal email

· Over the next six months 45,000 online Indians intend to join social networking sites each day

· 1/4th of online Indians were able to recall brands using social media

· Having a social media presence connotes ‘innovation’ ‘customer friendliness’ and a sense of ‘cool’

· Nearly 40 million Indians are using online reviews to inform purchase decisions

· 67 percent of Indians who are on the web use online reviews to help them make purchases

· 60 percent Indians who are social media users are open to being approached by brands

·
Now the big statistic -> Social Media in India is growing at 100 percent and is likely to touch 45 million users by 2012

It’s clear that social media is going to be a growth driver for digital media and marketing in India. Currently there are no numbers as to how big this industry actually is but as per my discussions with Industry folks most peg it close to 10% of digital media spends right now which would mean about 100 crore in size. This is definitely going to grow by multiples in the days ahead.

Today morning(11^th December 2011) in Times of India – Chennai Edition, a special report by Shobhan Saxena gives a interesting statistics., 300 million tweets a day, 48 hours of content on youtube every minute; 250 million photos uploaded on face book daily, Shobhan Saxena asks Is the government serious when it talks of monitoring all?

He further adds Last week was particularly bad for Indian democracy. Parliament was stalled over the FDI-in-retail issue, two MPs came to the blows over the UID bill just outside the House, and civil society groups squabbled with the government over the draft of the Lokpal bill. Then came the big slam. Kapil Sibal, the minister for communications and IT, announced, that he "wanted" social network companies to remove "offensive material” from their sites and "pre-screen” the material being uploaded on websites. "We are going to set guidelines for them," he said. Later in the week, as he became a butt of jokes in the cyber world, Sibal backtracked a little, denying that he was promoting censorship. The government, he claimed, just wanted to contain "offensive" content and "hate speech against religious groups".

Responding to Kapil Sibal, Activist and Actor Kabir Bedi Said, “Censorship is in their power, pre-censoring social media is in nobodys power.

Even as i presented the statistic which says 300 million tweets a day, how many of us here know about tweeting, I personally have found that not more than 20% of youth know about tweeting, while some indulge in facebook ,and large number of youth is addicted to youtube. The first & foremost challenge i think before youth today regarding media & social network is to understand the concept of social networking , and to do that one has to completely ignore the negativity of social networks, i mean to say there is always negative aspects in every part of our lives , Some people even succeed finding negativity in the holy books. So it is better that we concentrate on positivity and understand the same.

Modern media practises have evolved significantly from their traditional forms, with the key concepts of this ‘new media’ being participation and interactivity. Today the society exists in a digital age, where everything in our lives is spread out across as much media as possible and this media is shaped by everyone. Much of this media exists or relates to the Internet and the ‘online world,’ The Internet is part of our everyday life for the reason that we do the same in the Internet as in real life, probably in a more efficient, faster and cheaper .As such, communication using the Internet as a channel is becoming increasingly popular. Social networking sites, such as Face book, Twitter and MySpace are examples of communication tools available online. With proliferation of social networking online comes impact on society; a difference in what people do and how they do it. Changes in society are simultaneously useful and negative and this is the case with the impact of online social networking. This paper aims to look at some more positive effect that interaction through social networking sites has on today’s society in relation to the modern media concept of greater interaction.

A social networking site is described as “a website where individuals can set up an online profile, describing his/her interests” (Hawkins, n.d.). However, as boyd and Ellison (2007) reveal, “while their key technological features are fairly consistent, the cultures that emerge around [social networking sites] are varied. Most sites support the maintenance of pre-existing social networks, but others help strangers connect based on shared interests, political views, or activities.” From this, it is evident that the main use of social networking sites is interaction and communicating with others. We use them to keep up to date and in touch with existing friends and relations, or to create new relationships. The amount (and type) of additional features and services offered by different social networking sites often relates to their popularity. For instance, in a study which ranks the amount of traffic (people who use the website) of social networking sites, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are the top three most popular sites as of now, These sites offer a diverse range of aids and methods in which to communicate online. Globalisation, interaction, participation and usability are encouraged through these sites; therefore they relate to the (growing) fundamental concepts of modern, ‘digital’ society.

Social networking sites also offer the chance of communication in cases where mobility is often a hindrance to social interaction. Elderly people and those with physical disabilities who have an inability to leave their house are able to stay in touch with existing relations and friends, as well as get in touch with people who have similar issues (Lecky-Thompson, 2009). The use of social networking sites amongst deaf teens is an example of the benefits of online communication in relationship to physical disabilities. Chen-See (2009) tells us that online communication “provides a unique, convenient communication tool that does not require speaking verbally” and as such “may empower some teens with hearing loss [as it] helps to level the playing field.” This is also the case with people who have psychological disorders who may also have limited mobility. According to Lecky-Thompson (2009), “Online communication can help those with dysfunctional syndromes achieve a level of social interaction previously difficult or impossible. For some people, interaction with crowds is made easier if they do not actually feel the physical immersion. Such sites also provide those isolated by disability or environment with a rich and fulfilling social life.” Moreover, connecting with others online “can be a good addition to therapy and for many, even encourage they seek professional help” (Market Wire, 2008). The ability to incorporate blogging in social networking can also be therapeutic. “Blogging is a form of journal therapy and according to renowned therapist Kathleen Adams, “studies indicate that the release offered by writing has a direct impact on the body’s capacity to withstand stress and fight off infection and disease” (Market Wire, 2008). Many people form support groups through social networking sites to discover and communicate with others who have similar problems or health issues. People find it easier to reach out online because it can be anonymous and it allows people more control over what information they disclose. An example of the benefits of this form of online support, dubbed “Health 2.0” (McGilvray, 2009), can be seen in teenager, Tamaryn Stevens, who was diagnosed with kidney disease when she was 10. She uses a networking site called Livewire, which was set up by the Starlight Children’s Foundation and is aimed at 10-21 year olds with serious illnesses and disabilities. “It’s hugely beneficial,” [she says,] “Especially the days that you feel [down] in real social situations like school and things like that. You go home and you go into Livewire and there’s people to talk to and it makes your day that much better” (McGilvray, 2009). With online social networking reducing difficulties with limited mobility, time and distance barriers and unacceptance due to stereotyping, people like Tamaryn therefore have more access to support and the ability to improve communication with others despite illness or disability.

Another benefit to communicating through social networking sites is the promotion of education and news. People can share information via links, reviews and applications. They may source this information from other places and share them with others or provide their own information for education, updates of news or support. Many educational institutions encourage learning via the Internet and social networking sites because it allows an easy communication channel for students to learn and share skills. “Students enjoy educational opportunities where lesson topics, research, creative ideas, and interactive discussions are at their fingertips.” A study at the University of Minnesota also found “that, of the students observedtyh, 77 percent had a profile on a social networking site. When asked what they learn from using social networking sites, the students listed technology skills as the top lesson, followed by creativity, being open to new or diverse views and communication skills” (Educational Benefits of Social Networking Sites Uncovered,2008). From this it is clear to see that communicating online is, in numerous ways, beneficial to educating and learning. News information may also be observed online, as many news channels also provide their information on the Internet, which users of social networking sites may peruse via ‘widget’ links and applications. These applications generally provide live feeds of current, updated news to a user’s profile page (on a social networking site), which is further evidence of the constant connection and communication provided by social networking sites and another way in which they are beneficial in society.

For all the benefits of social networking sites in today’s society, it is evident that any impact they have is due to not merely the sites themselves but “the communications layer embedded within [them]” (Young, 2006). Social networking sites depend on the interaction between users because, according to Siegler (2009), they are “simply an extension of social networking [in] the real world” and “ever since the term was born, countless people have debated the implications of taking social interactions virtual.” At different points in time, Siegler (2009) mentions “it has been said that [social networking] would be both the downfall of mankind, and the thing that would bring the planet together [but] the truth is that social networking, while great in many respects, does not fulfil a fundamental human desire: To be in the actual presence of other people.” However, as an extension of offline communication, the use of social networking sites is incredibly advantageous to society. It simply must be remembered that without the basic existence of and need for interpersonal relationships and communicating with other people, social networking sites would be extraneous and insignificant.