2020: The year of growing Social Dilemma

By Sara Singh Tak

Honestly, how does your day start? What’s the first thing you look at after or before sleeping?

My phone is my go-to at every moment, at all hours of the day. I’m either browsing through social media platforms or playing games. Statistics show the use of social media has grown by more than 50 per cent all over the world during this period of lockdown .

So, is this lockdown to be blamed? When you need a quick break from work or study, it’s so convenient to switch from one screen application and back to another. There is no getting out of this dilemma.

I have found social media to be both a curse and a blessing. It has allowed millions of people to raise their voice through movements such as #MeToo and #AllLivesMatter. It has allowed us to reach some of the most remote corners of the world in seconds. Online platforms have allowed people to complete online courses and apply for jobs in any part of the world - the possibilities are endless. But in saying that, beware of getting sucked into the digital black hole. It’s often surprising how hours quickly pass us by as we scroll through different platforms.

There are lessons to be learnt from this, starting from an awareness of how and what we are spending our time on, to learning to exercise self-control and self-care. Understanding that you have the power to choose where your hours are spent is great personal growth and development of time management skills. This includes consciously taking time to keep active through daily walks, meeting up with friends or even cooking.

I spend a fair amount of time on social media but I also maintain a diary with my to-do list for the day, and I find the satisfaction of completing each task very rewarding.

I have found 2020 to be one of the most challenging years yet, but also a year of personal growth and finding myself through isolation. I would like to think of times like this as preparation for other challenges in life. Being in lockdown is difficult, but looking around, I also see the resilience of people as we find out way through this, and hopefully emerge as a better version of ourselves.

Stay connected, scroll wisely and let’s gear up and say goodbye to the old normal.

How ironic is it to be reading a blog about social dilemma on a social media platform?