Being a 90s kid, as social media lingo defines us, I feel a sense of satisfaction and contentment of being born in an era when something more than just technology defined the social and recreational life of the children of that time.
Our parents inculcated in us the habit of reading newspapers and watching television news (there was only Doordarshan news at that time, compared with the present-day 24-hour news channels devoid of any meaningful content) and playing in the real world.
Though in my late thirties now, I consider myself young enough to easily mingle with a generation born after me and who are in their teens or twenties, as I do when interacting with people of my parents’ age or senior citizens.
With both, I feel a generation gap but to a different nature and degree and can feel more relativity in views and comfort while talking to those elder than me.
This awkward generation gap with the younger generation is because of the fact that I have seen an era when rotary landline phones were found in each house, single screen theatres were seen everywhere, even a feature phone was considered a luxury and our identity was defined by our actions in the real world with no Internet during my childhood days.
Though I have adopted myself to the social and technological progress very easily, and am myself using some social media platforms deftly, the difference that I feel with my next generation with respect to these is the way they and I perceive these social media platforms and the manner in which I use them.
While I consider these only as a means of a change and to connect with near and dear ones occasionally, those younger than me treat it as a way of life. Their social standing, self-esteem, daily activities and even to a large extent, career choices are heavily dependent on social media.
Becoming Instagram influencers, successful YouTubers and Tik-Tokers seem to be the top choice of many youth.
With celebrity status and instant recognition, they feel a sense of pride in opting to become these.
While I feel a little relaxed taking a break from the social media platforms for a few hours or even not using it for a day to detox myself, as I have many other productive ways to keep myself meaningfully engaged besides the work life, the teens and those in their twenties may feel a sense of unease if social media is removed from their life even for a few hours. While going for a walk in the nearby park in the evening, I often see girls and boys with a camera mounted on a tripod stand merrily dancing and making short videos to be uploaded as Facebook or Instagram reels.
While I would be more than happy to keep myself confined to one or two social media platforms, the millennials would like to have an account on each and every social media platform that is launched or becomes popular. This is because they tend to erroneously define their real-world personality through the instrumentality of the virtual world resulting in them living in an illusory world. Since people younger than me have opened their eyes in an era of social media, smartphones and multiplexes, their perception of the world, identity and thoughts have greatly been shaped by it and this makes their views vastly different with those of even people 10 years elder to them.
While most use their smartphones for nearly eight to 10 hours a day, a habit witnessed the world over, I sometimes wonder what would happen if their mobile phones and other digital devices are taken away even for half a day. With algorithms and interface of social media platforms designed to keep the youth always engaged, this appears a task too daunting.
saurabhsinha09@protonmail.com
