“Social media can help the betterment of society”

The overwhelming popularity of a growing number of social media sites has the potential to galvanize youth, writes Bushra Tabassum, 22, a Correspondent from Dhaka in Bangladesh. It also has the potential to scam and harm.

Youths all over the world are turning to Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Linkedin, Hi5, Myspace, Livejournal, Tumblr, and blog social networking sites.

These sites connect people. One can share his or her view with not only the friends but also with the whole world. The term “Social Media” has come to describe these social networking sites.

Somehow it’s different from the mainstream media. Basically social networking site is a virtual world and using these tools one can arrange a hangout, meet up, event, protest, conference or donation program.

These features of social media reduce the effort and cost of event management. One can follow a celebrity, popular actor-actress, politician, renowned organizations or company with just a click on ‘follow’ or ‘like’. It’s also possible to directly share his or her view with a comment!

Most of the social networking sites are free to users. Youth can work for the betterment of the society by using social media tools to engage in volunteering initiatives. A good example occurred in Bangladesh at the time of the Savar disaster, where 3,000 garment workers were trapped in a building collapse.

More than 1,000 died, but approximately 2,500 injured people were rescued from the building. The youth of Bangladesh worked to rescue the victims. Using social networking sites they gathered people, ran the fund-raising procedures, and collected and distributed money, oxygen cylinders, torches, bottles of drinking water and biscuits.

Unfortunately social networking sites are not only known for communication but also for spam, scams, and cyber crimes. These things happen because people are not aware of the skills required to usenew  technology and tools like social networking sites.

It can be a little bit tough to understand who is a fraud and who’s not, because it is a virtual world. Hackers and fake accounts can harass people, and sometimes harm the reputation of a particular person. Fortunately there are some safety tool and features. The hackers and third party application spam can be avoided if the user is aware of these.

Youth can use the current craze about social networking sites not only for a pass time but also to gather other youths to take initiatives for the betterment of the society.

photo credit: Damien Basile via photopin cc

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About me: I am from Bangladesh, the land of rivers and green. Currently I am a student of Economics at the University of Dhaka. I am interested to learn about different cultures and also interested in development issues, photography, publication, oil painting and research. 

Other than these, I love to spend time with my family and hanging out with friends.

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Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Articles are published in a spirit of dialogue, respect and understanding. If you disagree, why not submit a response.
To learn more about becoming a Commonwealth Correspondent please visit: http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/submit-articles/commonwealthcorrespondents/