Mobile Phone and Social Media: To Heck with It!

What I fail to grasp is why social media is not called socially divorced media? What is left of social these days? Life is almost barren of the element of social. I mean, is this the idea of social we want! I highly despise it and yet feel the grip of it in my life. It has become unavoidable, like a tumor which has popped out of my body and I carry it twenty four into seven in my hands and even sleep beside it. The mobile phone and social media are inseparable today. So much for the love of individualism and liberalism.

Few days back I thought of giving up my smart phone and deleting all my social media accounts through which I am interacting with people these days. When I told my wife about this idea she told me I need a break from social media. It is getting on my nerve and therefore to sleep over the issue for few days and then again get back at it. I was reminded of the gory possibilities of giving up mobile phone and social media. I can’t order the usual trash I order from Flipkart or Amazon and waste my hard earned money, I can’t pay through PayTM or Google Pay, I will save money which I spend stupidly and readily at my finger tip, I won’t be able to order food online and thereby reduce my cholesterol levels, I won’t be able to locate places in the city without Google Map and read places’ reviews and keep an excuse ready of getting stuck in traffic or landing up at wrong place, I will get disconnected from the Facebook and thereby will not be faking likes on peoples fake jolly pictures and feeling sad about my own life, I will have to give up on my workplace formal Whatsapp groups and thereby would likely be fired, I will also get rid of the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder of checking my Gmail account and cleaning the trash every now and then as if it was some dirt speck in my eye socket etc. basically I will be getting free of all the nonsense but I would also become outdated and socially divorced! Who cares!

Author:
Dr. Udayprakash Sharma, Assistant Professor, Unitedworld School of Liberal Arts and Mass Communication (USLM)

Disclaimer: The opinions / views expressed in this article are solely of the author in his / her individual capacity. They do not purport to reflect the opinions and/or views of the College and/or University or its members.