In the digital age, people get all their news mainly from online sources. Young people, in particular, spend a lot of time on social media and online. This raises a number of serious problems.
Parents and educators cannot effectively control the impact of the media on children, the time they spend online, the information they receive and its quality. Of course, there are a variety of programmes that limit the amount of time spent on the internet, but they cannot fully control the process. A lack of well thought-out control leads to a number of problems.
In most cases, media use is uncontrolled. This is not only about the time a child spends on social networks, but also about the information he or she receives. On the one hand, having access to information that interests young people is beneficial, but on the other hand it can also be harmful. This is true for news, interesting queries and ‘recommendations’, i.e. advertisements for communities, channels or blogs on social networks. The child receives not only useful information, but also information that is not age-appropriate and that he or she cannot properly understand. This accessibility and openness allows the media to freely shape young people’s opinions and values, which are not always in line with healthy development and common sense.
When we talk about the problems, we should also mention the damage to young people’s social development. Social networks have certainly made communication much easier and more convenient. You don’t have to be in the same city or even the same country to socialise with a friend. Communicating online is often much easier than communicating in real life. You don’t need to watch your conversation partner’s intonation, his or her emotions, gestures, facial expressions, and therefore you can simply write messages. Communicating in real life is much more complicated. Unfortunately, there is a loss of social communication skills. In a conversation with a real person you cannot put on a smile face. The concepts of ‘add to friends’ and ‘unfriend’ make it seem as if it is just as easy to build relationships in real life, which is not the case.
We position ourselves somewhat differently on social media than we do in real life. We position ourselves somewhat differently on social networks than we do in real life. People often embellish their lives, creating a new image, interests and social network. As a result, there is a risk of becoming so engrossed in the virtual image that it is not always possible to return to reality in time.
Returning to the issue of uncontrolled media consumption, it is worth noting that it is addictive, involving a high consumption of time. For some people, social networking is a great way to kill time, but for others it is just a waste of hours. In the end, that time can be spent for much greater benefit. Particularly susceptible to this are teenagers, where a lack of internet access can lead to a real mental ‘withdrawal’. A person addicted to social networks becomes less active.
The media and the internet actively shape young people’s worldview, influencing their political, social and cultural attitudes. However, this influence is often one-sided, inhibiting critical thinking and reinforcing stereotypes. In addition to impairing their communication skills and interaction with society, young people often believe all the information they receive on the internet, believing it to be true.
It is not our responsibility to avoid all media, but to distance ourselves from those that have a negative impact and choose useful and uplifting media. In today’s society, the media is everywhere and its influence on our beliefs, thoughts and actions is subtle but powerful. What we allow to fill our minds is ultimately what shapes us – we become what we think. The media we choose will inevitably influence us – either positively or negatively.
Ingrid Raudsepp, Narva Election Supervisor
PHOTO: Stocke Abode
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)