Flip side of social media

Visiting anywhere at any time, whether it be an office or campus, bus or  rail station, a park or shopping mall, you will find many people passing busy hours bent over their smart phones or tablets, or glued to their laptops and PCs.

What are they doing? And the only answer you will probably get: They are browsing or surfing the internet.

This is a regular trend among many Bangladeshi people these days.

Just watch them and you will understand what they are doing. Yes, it is Facebooking.
This Facebook ‘addiction’ has become a common phenomenon in the world and it is getting popular day by day.
Those who are never busy are now most busy using Facebook (FB).

On the flip side, so many relations get spoiled for overuse of the social networking site.

Take Junaiyra, for example. These days, she is happier with her boyfriend, as he pays more attention to her than before. Recently, he has been spending more time with her, too. A few weeks ago, the scnario was just the opposite.

And Junaiyra has the government to thank.
Why, you might ask? Because the authorities had banned Facebook in Bangladesh for three weeks, and the absence of the popular networking site was a boon for their relationship.
Before, she always complained that her boyfriend spent more time on FB, instead of spending time her or on his studies.

In a FB-free world,  Junaiyra’s boyfriend gave her more attention and they got to do many activities together.

 Junaiyra was happy, but also apprehensive about how long the bliss would last. What happens when the government lifts the ban? Just after this story was written, they did just that!
We can only hope her boyfriend has not gone back to his wayward way of not so long ago.

A similar thing also happened to Ruhit and his family.

The couple has two children. But they are always very much busy with themselves. They can only give time to each other at home.

But at home, there is a problem. Most of the time, Ruhit remains busy with social media. Even during breakfast and dinner.

Ruhit never looks after their children or the house. He leaves everything to his wife.

All that annoys Ruhit’s wife very much. Sometimes, they have very real fights over his virtual life. In anger, she calls Facebook as her ‘shotin' (co-wife).

But when FB took a holiday, the situation changed totally.

Ruhit became ‘a good father and a good husband’. He took care if his babies and spent quality time with his wife. He even savoured his meals, without any distraction. And all the credit goes to the FB blackout. We also hope Ruhit keeps up the good work as a family man.

Facebook users, we see most of them always busy with the virtual world, whether it is necessary or not.

They open their FB page several times a day for checking notifications, chatting, updating statuses, uploading photos and sharing links and so on..

Over the past few weeks, users could not chat, send messages, post photos, share links or update their statuses on Facebook. Instead, many met face-to-face for important talks, called or emailed friends and acquaintances the ‘old’ fashioned way.

Facebook use began in Bangladesh in mid-2006, and by now, it has 1.8 crore users, according to media reports.

FB users have forgotten that they have a social life and family obligations, too,  as most of the time they are busy with social network sites. These days, it is more of a social nuisance.

Just one example, I must share here.

Recently, I went to see a patient in hospital. A relative was also visiting him at the same time. All the while, the visiting cousin did not say a word to the patient, except an initial ‘hi’, as he was too busy surfing the internet on his smartphone. I wanted to show him the door!  
After the relative's departure, the sick man raised a question: Why does the government not ban Facebook and other social sites forever?

“Why don’t you journalists write about the bad sides of using Facebook and other social networking sites?” the patient snapped.

I tried to calm him down, saying we cannot stop progress in technology in this modern world.

But of course, excess of anything is very bad, too.
    
No one is against using Facebook (or other sites like Viber, Skype or Twitter), as it is one media where people can share their news, views and other information easily.

But sometimes, social media decrease social values.

People seem to spend too much time in the virtual world, without considering the bad side effects, like losing touch with real people and things that matter most.

Flip side of social media

Visiting anywhere at any time, whether it be an office or campus, bus or rail station, a park or shopping mall, you will find many people passing busy hours bent over their smart phones or tablets, or glued to their laptops and PCs. What are they doing? And the only answer you will probably get: They are browsing or surfing the internet. This is a regular trend among many Bangladeshi people these days. Just watch them and you will understand what they are doing. Yes, it is Facebooking. This Facebook addiction has become a common phenomenon in the world and it is getting popular day by day. Those who are never busy are now most busy using Facebook (FB). On the flip side, so many relations get spoiled for overuse of the social networking site. Take Junaiyra, for example. These days, she is happier with her boyfriend, as he pays more attention to her than before. Recently, he has been spending more time with her, too. A few weeks ago, the scnario was just the opposite. And Junaiyra has the government to thank. Why, you might ask? Because the authorities had banned Facebook in Bangladesh for three weeks, and the absence of the popular networking site was a boon for their relationship. Before, she always complained that her boyfriend spent more time on FB, instead of spending time her or on his studies. In a FB-free world, Junaiyras boyfriend gave her more attention and they got to do many activities together. Junaiyra was happy, but also apprehensive about how long the bliss would last. What happens when the government lifts the ban? Just after this story was written, they did just that! We can only hope her boyfriend has not gone back to his wayward way of not so long ago. A similar thing also happened to Ruhit and his family. The couple has two children. But they are always very much busy with themselves. They can only give time to each other at home. But at home, there is a problem. Most of the time, Ruhit remains busy with social media. Even during breakfast and dinner. Ruhit never looks after their children or the house. He leaves everything to his wife. All that annoys Ruhits wife very much. Sometimes, they have very real fights over his virtual life. In anger, she calls Facebook as her shotin (co-wife). But when FB took a holiday, the situation changed totally. Ruhit became a good father and a good husband. He took care if his babies and spent quality time with his wife. He even savoured his meals, without any distraction. And all the credit goes to the FB blackout. We also hope Ruhit keeps up the good work as a family man. Facebook users, we see most of them always busy with the virtual world, whether it is necessary or not. They open their FB page several times a day for checking notifications, chatting, updating statuses, uploading photos and sharing links and so on.. Over the past few weeks, users could not chat, send messages, post photos, share links or update their statuses on Facebook. Instead, many met face-to-face for important talks, called or emailed friends and acquaintances the old fashioned way. Facebook use began in Bangladesh in mid-2006, and by now, it has 1.8 crore users, according to media reports. FB users have forgotten that they have a social life and family obligations, too, as most of the time they are busy with social network sites. These days, it is more of a social nuisance. Just one example, I must share here. Recently, I went to see a patient in hospital. A relative was also visiting him at the same time. All the while, the visiting cousin did not say a word to the patient, except an initial hi, as he was too busy surfing the internet on his smartphone. I wanted to show him the door! After the relatives departure, the sick man raised a question: Why does the government not ban Facebook and other social sites forever? Why dont you journalists write about the bad sides of using Facebook and other social networking sites? the patient snapped. I tried to calm him down, saying we cannot stop progress in technology in this modern world. But of course, excess of anything is very bad, too. No one is against using Facebook (or other sites like Viber, Skype or Twitter), as it is one media where people can share their news, views and other information easily. But sometimes, social media decrease social values. People seem to spend too much time in the virtual world, without considering the bad side effects, like losing touch with real people and things that matter most.