PRODUCTIVE AND FRUITFUL ENGAGEMENTWITH SOCIAL MEDIA STRESSED

“Social Media is a double-edge sword, having both positive and negative effects; however, one cannot learn its effects and benefits through straight jacket. Other societies have already defined it benefits but Pakistani society not.” This was stated by Prof. Dr. Khalida Ghaus, Managing Director, Social Policy & Development Centre, Karachi, while she was addressing the meeting of Shura Hamdard Karachi Chapter, presided over by Justice (Rtd) Haziqel Khairi at a local hall on Thursday July 14, 2016.

 

‘We should see how the other societies responded the challenge of Social Media and do the same keeping in view our values and take account of its effects on our society. There are may benefits of social media such as ‘on line banking, on line courses and on line researches. But we are not taking advantages of such facilities adequately,’ she said, adding’. ‘We are a segmented society, being exposed daily on social media, yielding to bad effects on our society’.

 

She said several elements were responsible for the segmentation of our society and that should be removed from our society. Social media had not only effected to our life style but also social relationship as young people took influence from their peers not from family and they opened up themselves not in family but outside the family. It was the modern technology which was exposing itself on social media. It has many impacts on every society. But we didn’t take as a nation concrete step to avoid these impacts and make no advancement in acquiring its constructive benefits, she added.

 

We have politicalized the social media instead of making it a positive tool for our youth to obtain modern knowledge. It might be because the nation has no clear cut direction, she said, adding that any how we have to maintain the identity of our nation and for that purpose ‘expression of thought’ is must as we could not deprive our youth to express their ideas and views.

 

Mrs. Sadia Rashid, President, Hamdard Foundation Pakistan said that information technology was very important for the rapid progress of the nation and that’s why Hakim Said first of all established the institute of information technology in Hamdad University. Information Technology was an important part of modern technology which has circumspect the whole globe and global adaptation of technology had effected our youth. But there was a vast difference between western societies and our society, keeping in view the difference we should let our youth to enter the world of information technology to acquire modern technology after having imbibed them with Islamic knowledge, values, positive and constructive thoughts, she added.

 

Naushaba Khalil said that our society was not ready for social media and it had introduced to it all of a sudden due to pressure of globalization. A new body on national level should be formed to tackle its bad effects afflicting to our society.

 

Col Mukhtar Ahmed Butt said that there were 14 crores mobile phones in a country of 20 crores of population and 9 crores users were illiterate. How come the misuse of mobile phones and social media could be stopped without the proper help of parents, guardians and government, who were not paying attention to their responsibilities in this regard, he lamented.

 

Com (Rtd) Sadeed Anwar Malik was of the view that time has come when the implementation of Cyber Crimes Law became essential and strict restrictions on wrong use of social media be imposed.

 

Dr Abubakar Sheikh was of the view that we should have to accept the globalization, move according to its requirements and not to react like the people of 16th century’s England who objected the introduction of rail train and said that buffaloes would run off from roads hearing of sound of rail engine.

 

Anwar Aziz Jakartawalla, Prof. Kafeel Ahmed, Ms Shamim Kazmi and Dr Rizwana Ansari also spoke.

 

Shura in a unanimous resolution condoled the deaths of Abdul Sattar Edhi, Amjad Sabri, Aga Nasir, Maqbool Hasan Kazmi Advocate and Prof. Dr Aslam Farakhi.


 

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