News Right Now: Filtered Scars

Welcome to today’s News Right Now episode – Filtered Scars

Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok...etc. There’s no question that all these social media platforms have taken over the lives of our youth. Sonia Livingstone, professor of social psychology and head of the department of media and communications at LSE said “The web has become the place where young people most find their opportunity to explore and express their identities and their social relations, and navigate their way through the values that are on offer around them.”

Although social media has redefined the way we communicate; it is undeniably fantastic to connect with our friends, family and relatives; it opens up for newer ideas, sharing of information, many resources for us to access and learn from, but there’s no dispute that at the same time the worst impact social media is having on youth is that the youth is borrowing corrupted thoughts and culture from internet. These young people are vulnerable to the direct and subtle messages of the lifestyle being advertised as the way to live their life void of values, a higher and deliberate purpose of life.

One study concluded that the most important factor that youth seek from social media is – acceptance. They want to be ‘cool’ among their peers – trying to fit-in constantly. This has resulted in many extreme behaviours our young generation are willing to undergo. This includes:

- Girls and boys creating an ideal persona of themselves online for popularity or likes.

- Posting pictures and selfies with filtered apps, so having a completely edited version of oneself.

-Buying expensive and the latest gadgets, clothes and accessories to keep up with the trends and norms.

- Showing off their ‘fun’ lifestyles, posting almost everything they do, from holidays to restaurants to new buys!

-They indulge in cyberbullying and sexting, which is very common. The exchange of inappropriate texts or pictures.

All of these and much more where they showcase such behaviours and actions for the sake of gaining popularity, making it “normal” to be accepted as the “new reality” has such severe consequences because this infuses all societies, all cultures and religions. No one is left untouched due to the uncensored accessible nature of the internet.

A survey conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health asked 14-24 year olds in the UK how social media platforms impacted their health and well-being. The survey results found that Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all led to increased feelings of depression, anxiety, poor body image and loneliness!

In one study, nearly one-fifth of respondents said they’d delete a post if it didn’t receive enough “likes”.

In another study, Eight out of 10 respondents aged 11-21 had considered changing how they looked, with more than half thinking this would improve their confidence or make them feel better about themselves AND Three-quarters would like cosmetic procedures, such as lip fillers and Botox. No thanks to celebrity culture, the venom of perfect body-image has swathed the youth.

Social media that previously only functioned as social virtual communications and a networking arena has become the arena of the lifestyle industry- buying and selling for various needs of both goods and services. This flow of digital economy will treat the youth as no more than just economic engines generating sales, and paralyze their nerves from thinking and their ideals, as well as move them away from their Deen. It’s so important to question: Where are the youth today heading? The youth are being misdirected today...there is a lack of vision, focus and purpose ... This capitalist liberal system, with its use of the social media, pushes its values and ideals and deliberately engages the youth in futilities, which ultimately leads only to their benefit!

It is absolutely shameful to know that the system would use such platforms to capitalise to the extent of making our youth feel so low about themselves, pushing them down a path of self-destruction! How evil must one have to be?! Active measures need to be taken, allowing youth to be made aware of the dangers and consequences of the best years of their lives being robbed by these dreadful mechanisms in place to distance them from their real purpose of life! Clear guidelines based on Islamic measures need to be explained to the youth. Parents need to be cautioned from allowing an intimate non-monitored bond to occur whereby they can protect their children from falling into the capitalist trap and diverting them from the things that truly matter. Parents and families need to take an active role in their children’s screen time using proper discretion otherwise they will lose the children that are under their roof.

Allah (swt) blessed us with the best guidance, in how to use our time, how to utilise the things we have, what are the limits and boundaries in place when using them etc. All of this coupled with the fact that Islam is what sets out our value and worth, what Allah (swt) defines as self-worthiness and beauty and what truly leads to happiness is what truly matters!

May Allah (swt) safeguard our youth from the harms and dangers of Social Media and protect them from the manipulation of the liberal capitalist system Ameen!

Jazak Allahu Khayran for Joining Us!

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