Social Media and Our Ethical Responsibilities
AKHTAR JAMIL SHISKIN
On the brighter side, social media has brought all of us closer to each other irrespective of how far we live. We keep in touch with our friends and family. In no time, information can be shared across the globe. It is one of the greatest inventions and enabled us to catch up with other part of the world. In fact, it has transformed the world into a global village.
On the other side, however, there are also some serious concerns that we should also know. Among these challenges safety and security of human life are the biggest ones. It is highly recommended to avoid sharing personal information on the social media as anyone can exploit it and this may result in undesirable consequences.
Another important challenge of social media, which is the main idea of this topic, is our ethical responsibility. In order to make our friends, families and community more safe and happier, we should understand ethical values while using social media. For instance, in a recent incident, when two youth were shot dead in Karachi, most of us seemed to be in rush to share the news either to express the sympathy or share the sad news with others. I do respect their social attachment and their feelings, but they should bear this in mind that Gilgit-Baltistan is located geographical far away from Karachi and sometimes it takes more than three days to reach GB all the way from there. As a general rule, these kinds of news are not shared with families of deceased immediately. Sharing photographs of the deceased only shocked the family members who came to know through social media. The family went through a terrible time as soon they heard it. No one can imagine these feelings except those who went through such rough times.
Therefore, use of social media in a more responsible way is highly appreciated especially in situation like this as it can hurt families and tear them apart. In addition, I don’t think obituary is the responsibility of friends or other social groups, it the family’s private matter, so let’s give them space to share their loss. One should try to play the role of sympathizers not trouble makers.
The writer is a PhD candidate in the field of computing. He contributes on various topics including education, technology and social circles. He can be reached at “@akhtar599” on twitter.
