Dixya Poudel

As the world is swept away in a digital revolution, the youth are gaining strides in the perusal of technology. Most youth today have a mobile phone at the least. Many have additional electronic gadgets such as iPads, tablets, laptops and computers. If any individual swipes open his or her smart phones, the individual will likely be blasted with notifications from their social media. And such social media include Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, etc.
The social media can be quite addictive which could explain its appeal among the youth. When one posts on Facebook which friends and family can see, there will be notifications once the viewers like, react, comment and share. In Instagram, the viewers can instead double tap the posts which are all pictures and images. These double taps appear in form of the heart shaped love symbol. Next are YouTube, Snapchat, Twitter, TikTok and so on. With every notification and message from these social media apps, the users feel quite validated. The more the likes and comments, the more popular the users can be. It can even lead to lucrative business opportunities through ads and sponsorships.
Most of the youth are driven by a need to be seen and heard. And very often they are looking for social connections through social networking sites. They can add or follow new people and get to know them virtually through pictures and posts. Further, they have the ability to unfollow and unfriend people, accounts and pages. In a way, news and information today are shared through posts, pictures and shares and the users can modulate their content.
With shrewd business acumen, one can easily create an immense following. For example, art accounts are quite a trend in Instagram where artists can post their art and tutorials. They can even sell their art through Instagram. Likewise, YouTube is quite renowned for viewing videos. There are accounts in YouTube that range from entertainments to education. And a substantial number of the youth today constantly check their social media for updates.
The keys to success in social media are participation and content on a constant basis. The more you like, comment and share posts, the more you are likely to earn followings. And the algorithm works in such sites to encourage the users to keep using the media. It allows creative minded entrepreneurs to shape, extend and build their business globally. Thus at the heart of social media is a youth who wants not only to connect but also to grow.
However, like all addictions, social media too has negative impacts. The goal is to communicate, inform, learn and grow while maintaining a rein on the media's perusal. As such, the young generations must learn to use social media in moderation. On most social situations, the youth worldwide eagerly document the moments through photos or videos. They then upload them at their convenience on the social networking sites.
During the months' long lockdown, when almost the entire world was social distancing, such sites were a godsend. They enabled communication and sharing of messages and news. The youth today are growing up with constant information from the social media sites. Thus, they must be cautious so that the social media can be a platform to grow in a healthy way.