You’re under arrest !

“Wait ! What ?” A girl asked me after reading the title.I said “Yes! you heard it right! You’re under arrest.She nodded and said “but i didn’t do anything wrong”.I answered politely “Yes you did ! In an imaginary world”.She first took a sigh of relief and later got perplexed and said “Are you mad or what ? I am not able to understand anything”.I welcomed her into my house,took her hand and made her sit on the sofa.I sat on a chair in front of her and gave her my phone and said ” Read this and you will get a clear picture of the title”.As usual my soul dropped a message in the inbox of my brain that read “ha ha ! You are using a digital media to convey that message ?What an irony”.She put her legs on the sofa comfortably,grabbed a bowl of popcorn which was kept on the table and started reading:

Let’s go back in time.10 years ago how was your life ? you used to wake up in the morning ,go to school,come back home,eat,go out to play with friends,eat dinner,talk with your parents and sleep between them. Right?How beautiful was that. OK! Now come back.With whom do you spend most of the time now ? Ya ! the thing which you are holding with your hands right now is the answer,your “smartphone”.And why do you use it so much ?Ah it’s so easy don’t think too much spit it out.Yes,it’s the love of your life embedded in it “Social media”.

https://www.instagram.com/vipashibarua/

The girl looked at me,smiled and said “I think i got what you wanted to convey.Can i check my Instagram now?”.I smiled back and said “That’s the problem with present generation.You think that you understood everything but you don’t.After hearing that she made a gloomy face and continued reading.

It’s estimated that we touch our smartphones 2000 times a day.it’s a lot,right ?The numbers show that how integral mobile devices have become in our lives, and how much we love them.Phone addiction and social media addiction are closely intertwined, especially for teenage people, who probably play pubg,text on whats-app or view silly memes on Instagram.A smartphone is an addictive device which traps a soul into a lifeless world full of lives.Yes,you decoded it right.An imaginary world.And what is a text message?Isn’t that just using a telephone as a telegraph? Dude,watch-out! We’re going backwards.The interesting thing about text messages is that, as a medium, it separates you from the person you are speaking with, so you can act differently from how you would in person.So the other person will never know,what your real intentions are.The problem is that teens are spending more and more time, not talking on the phone like they used to do in the past, but Instagram-ing and snapchat-ing. These are very dangerous pastimes because they give the appearance of social interaction, but they could not be further away from it.we think that social media will give us a boost,but it doesn’t—it makes us feel worse.Many of us have used social media in order to feel better about ourselves. The positive affirmation that we receive when someone likes or shares our post can be captivating.But trust me it’s a trap. Research shows that certain regions become activated by “likes and shares”, particularly the brain’s reward center.When a teenager receives a lot of “likes” their brains respond in a similar way as if they were winning money.The areas of the brain that showed increased activity are the same that are linked with gambling and drug use.The motivations that compel us all to seek warmth, food, comfort, heat, and sex, are the same pleasure-seeking behaviors that we can receive from using social media.Getting a share, liking a post, smiley faces, all are designed to influence behaviour, offering some form of reward to the brain while at the same time creating a craving for more.There is also a growing concern that social media is contributing towards “continuous partial attention”,
severely limiting people’s ability to focus. One possible explanation is that frequent use of social media results in multitasking, frequently switching between your tasks,ultimately adding to feelings of stress and anxiety.Everyone project their colorful life on social media pretending to be happy but behind the scenes their life is really dull.Another research showed that when phone of teenagers were confiscated,they showed abnormal behaviour like increased heart rate and blood pressure. They also felt a sense of loss.Interestingly, teens who spent more time doing sports, homework, socializing with friends in real life, and going to temples had a lower risk for both depression and suicide.Social Media is like a tasty Medicine. If dosage is right, the results are constructive. If misused, the results are destructive. It all depends on us how we are using it.Like all technology, social media is neutral but is best put to work in the service of building a better world.

She was so engulfed in my story that unknowingly she gulped whole bowl of popcorn.I don’t know what happened to her she came closer to me, gave a peck on my cheek ,waved a nice goodbye and went back to home.She didn’t search my profile on Instagram,didn’t ask for my number and met me in the park the next morning when i was jogging. That’s what i wanted.I wanted to meet her again in the real world not the imaginary one.I patted my back and said “good job boy ! You changed her.”

If you are reading this line,I assume that you are changed too!

Jai Hind !