WAN MOHAMMAD ALVARO ANZA

SMAN 8 PEKANBARU

PROMOTING TOLERANCE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

What if I told you, the whole world is in your hands? Sounds surreal doesn’t it? This
small device right here controls the whole world, with a simple click of the “post” button it
could make people happy, sad or even angry. Not to mention how this device may also bring
out the tolerance in people. Exactly, and today I would like to discuss the topic about
promoting tolerance through social media.
To begin with, has anyone here thought how superb social media is? It connects,
helps, and supports people around the globe. This is why social media is the preeminent
promoting platform for tolerance. With over 3 billion users, words travel quicker than the
speed of light. Let’s take an example of the World Health Organization Instagram account,
they have 806 thousand followers as we speak, with those numbers they receive a whopping
amount of 135 million USD for donations every year. This is the power of social media, it
brings out the sympathy, it brings out the generosity, most importantly it brings out the
humanity between mankind. I once saw a post of a person needing blood transfusion, for a
second, I thought that I don’t know this person and it would seem weird if I spread the post.
But then, it occurred on my mind that spreading the post was the right idea because it did not
matter that I don’t know him what matters is that this person gets help as soon as possible and
guess what, after I spread the post, many people did the same and the person gets blood
transfusion in less than an hour. Imagine if I and the other people did not spread the post,
what could have happened to the poor guy? Social media is a life saver without a doubt.
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s common knowledge that “tolerance is contagious”, but, it’s either
you spread it or you hide it, either you help people or you ignore people, either you show that
humanity still exist or you show that it’s all myth. It’s all up to you, it’s all up to us.
Moving on, now that we have no doubt social media is the perfect place to promote
tolerance, a question we need to ask is, why do we need tolerance in our life? What is so
important about tolerance? In a world where individualism reigns upon human, where people
are like roaming zombies looking downwards on their cellphone, tolerance is requisite.
Tolerance is a gift from god given to every human, an attitude that sticks to every human and
it is what differentiates human from any other being on earth, tolerance is the ability to feel
and sympathize towards any living thing on earth. Imagine a world where no one cares about
each other, people survive on their own, it would be impossible, it would be hectic, why so
you ask? Primarily, it disobeys nature’s rule, humans are known to depend on each other, and
without tolerance humans mean nothing and it could lead to our extinction, that is how
dangerous the world without tolerance is. I was once a shy and awkward person around
people, I did not know how to act in front of people. But my Junior High School Principal
embraced his tolerance to me, he made me step out of my comfort zone and he brings out the
real me, the person talking in front of everyone in this room. Imagine if he did not conveyed
his toleration to me, I would be nobody and I would not be able to do public speaking, that is
how magnificent tolerance is. It brings out your power, it brings out your talent and it brings
out the real you. Tolerance is very beautiful, try defining it. When someone shows their
feelings towards others? When someone caters for others? All definition of tolerance leads to
positivity, tolerance is positive, start spreading it.
Finally, promoting tolerance through social media is indisputably the finest way there
is. Though smartphones need to be used by smart people, we need to learn how to not abuse
the ability and the technology given to us, it is all up to us to use it in the best way possible. If
all of mankind were to use social media and smartphones correctly the world would be a
peaceful and quiet place, and if all of mankind were to express their tolerance to others
everyone would live a happier and joyous life, combine both of them and we will reach the
peak of the human civilization, won’t we? But it’s all up to us, it has always been.Technology
is a useful servant though it’s also a dangerous master, thus everyone let’s be smart about our
smartphones. With that, ladies and gentlemen there is only one question left for us to answer,
are we going to let our smartphones control us, or are we going to start controlling our
smartphones?