The rise of the fifth estate has been rapid and spectacular. The internet as a medium of communication has revolutionized interactions. But the fact remains that the social media corporations are making millions out of this addiction, giving people a false sense of satisfaction at their posts, making them believe that they are making a difference, while in reality all they are doing is spreading awareness or misinformation, depending on which side of the coin you stand, expecting others to take responsibility and take actions influenced by their words. Everyone wants to be the catalyst, but no one wants to become the agent.
Action speaks louder than words, a dictum that is seemingly being lost to our Internet plugged in generation. It reminds me a lot of The Matrix where we end up as batteries, powering up issues and debates and change but never actually implementing anything, going back to living like clockwork. Likes and shares have meaning when you have the conviction to back it up with action.
So next time you speak about atrocities against women, don’t go out and harass them, you speak about bad governance, go out and vote, you speak about helping the poor, go out and actually help someone in some small way. 1 like or 1 share might make some imaginary corporation pay an imaginary dollar to some imaginary needy person, but 1 real action worth even a real rupee will bring a real smile to a real person. We have been blessed with technology our ancestors didn’t have. But some things are yet to be replaced-judgement, commonsense and conscience. Remember Gandhi and Mandela, remember Martin Luther King and Mother Theresa, remember our history. Facebook didn’t make them great, their actions did. Do you think you have the potential? There is only one way to find out…
One response to “The Facebook Warrior”
Whoa! Frustrated with Facebook. You even mentioned Gandhi and Mandela. Way to go!