Social Media Phenomena
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www.pi-media.co.uk I November 2013
FEATURED
We have witnessed over the last fifty years an immense and gigantic leap in human civilisation that has changed the social, cultural and economical dynamics of the modern world. The advent of new technology has certainly contributed towards a more progressive and sophisticated living standards especially in the developed world. The rapid and ever evolving innovative technologies have been awe inspiring and mesmerising, to the extent that people cannot grasp or comprehend a world without it. New sciences and technologies have revolutionised the lives of millions of people throughout the world. None more so than the initiation of the world wide web – internet. A world without the internet is incomprehensible, unbearable and unlivable – so we may think. In
fact, we cannot bear the thought of a world without it. Since 2002 the number of internet users has quadrupled to 2.3 billion people worldwide. Our lives depend on it all the time for communicating, travelling, shopping, banking, selling, educating, entertaining, browsing, etc. We are so reliant of it that the digital revolution dominates our lives. Startling statistic show that in one month of Facebook there are 30 billion pieces of content shared. In addition, in one minute of Twitter there are one hundred thousand tweets. However, the changing mode of behaviour is a reflection of the virtual and unrealistic world we are living in that is devoid of courtesy, politeness and respect – the emblem of Islam. The manner and etiquettes of communication and
interaction has also changed. The lit machines have become ‘anti social communicational gadgets’ or ‘conversational avoidance devices’, removing the physical element of contact and dialogue. The physical contact between human beings has been replaced by a simulated and artificial connection that is devoid of feeling and emotion – video links, web cam et al have changed the way we communicate with other human beings. In essence, human beings are becoming superfluous, unessential in the new technological world. Talking and conversing is becoming an ancient methodology, especially, with the advent of texting, emailing, messaging and tweeting. No longer can two individuals converse with one another without the ‘lit machines’ intruding their conversations. In fact, some have