8 FRIDAY

5.7.2024 TheOPINIONPAGE
❝ Talk to yourself once
in a day, or you may miss
meeting an intelligent

NAGPUR
person in this world.
❞
- S WA M I V I V E K A N A N D A

DIGITAL MEDIA LITERACY TIME

BY MELISSA L GOULD

T
HE astounding rise
in social media use
in the past few years
is seeing policy
responses come to a
head, both internationally and
They are slaves who dare not be in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Some estimates put the
In the right with two or three number using social media
Lowell globally above five billion, with
seriously overlooked – teach-
ing media literacy.
According to the US National
Association for Media Literacy
Education (NAMLE), this
would provide the skills to
“access, analyse, evaluate, cre-
ate and act using all forms of
communication”.
By making media literacy
app make money, and what
does it need from its users to
make that money?
k
TIDE
3.What techniques do social
media apps use to gain my
attention and keep me on the
app?
4. How can social media help
me find and belong to a com-
munity? FOUL DRAMA

an annualised growth rate of
more than 5 per cent.
Nakshatra Ardra 28H 05M Accelerated concerns about
Moon Mithun (Rajandekar Panchang) smartphone addiction, cyber-
Jyeshtha Krishna Paksha Tithi Amavasya 28H 28M bullying, misinformation and
extremist content have often
Muslim Jilhej 28th Hijree 1445 seen digital devices and social
media blamed for declines in
mental and social well-being,
“highly valued and widely prac-
tised as an essential life skill”,
it aims to enable young peo-
ple to shift from being passive
media consumers to critical
media users. It also helps them
understand how they use – and
are used by – media platforms.
Essentially, teaching media
H
5. What stories do the con-
tent I post online tell other peo- OW long
ple about who I am and what will this
I value? continue?
6. As media literacy advo- This ques-
cate Renee Hobbs of the US tion comes
Media Education Lab has said, to one’s mind time and
“there is a reciprocal relation- again, especially when
ship between protection and the drama going on cur-

OBSTINACY !
in young people in particular.
The American social psy-
chologist Jonathan Haidt calls
them“the anxious generation”,
literacy is about shifting pow- empowerment”. rently in Jharkhand hits
er and agency back to media In other words, conversa- the public conscience.
users by educating them about tions about social media When it became clear
how the media works. shouldn’t be restricted to that he would go to jail,

T
and politicians and policy- Unfortunately, media studies potential risk and harm. Social Mr. Hemant Soren
HE conduct of the Opposition in Parliament -- Lok makers are scrambling to (along with other subjects) was media also provides opportu- resigned as Jharkhand
Sabha and Rajya Sabha -- must be described as respond. dropped from New Zealand’s nities for people to be creative, Chief Minister and hand-
sheer obstinacy. The Opposition tried to harass This year, US Surgeon NCEA level one curriculum to find communities and a ed over the baton to trust-
Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi not just in Lok General Vivek Murthy asked from 2023. sense of belonging, and to ed aide Mr. Champai
Sabha during his 137-minute speech, but also car- Congress to put warning labels So far, it remains at levels engage in learning, discussion Soren. Now that Mr.
ried on with the practice in Rajya Sabha for long time before on social media, similar to two and three, but the move and debate. Hemant Soren is back,
staging a walk-out on a flimsy ground. Right at the begin- health labels on cigarettes. signalled a devaluing of what SOCIAL MEDIA AS ‘VIRTU- Mr. Champai Soren has
ning of the third term of the Modi Government, the Along with New Zealand, should be a core subject in the AL PLAYGROUND’: British resigned and paved way
Opposition has declared its obstructionist intentions -- as governments in Australia, digital age.This is especially rel- social psychologist Sonia for the former becoming
Canada, the United Kingdom, evant, given how digital media Livingstone suggests debates the Chief Minister for the
if fully oblivious to the fact that such tactics would not now
Italy, China and parts of the US technology is being incorpo- about the limits on screen time third time. All this is hap-
work particularly after the nation has woken up to the dirty have proposed or enforced rated within classes them- should focus on quality rather pening, while Mr.
tactics and would not allow those to succeed. There is no restrictions on phone use in selves. than quantity: it matters how Hemant Soren is not
doubt that such tactics would bring only frustration to the ■ schools. Now, an Australian The more pervasive devices screens are being used more acquitted of charges lev-
Opposition at all levels -- politically and electorally. By making media petition to increase the mini- are in our everyday lives, the than for how long. elled against him. Similar
In Rajya Sabha, the Opposition demand was not just literacy “highly valued mum age of social media more essential media studies US scholar Ethan Bresnick mocking of the spirit of
strange but actually funny (since using any other word for account users from 13 to 16 is education becomes. has described the online world democracy has hap-
such a conduct may invite trouble). It asked for an allowance
and widely practised as
building traction, with more ACCENTUATE THE POSI- as a“virtual playground”.There pened more recently in
to the Leader of Opposition (LoP) to interject into the speech an essential life skill”, it than 1,00,000 signatures. TIVE: Teaching social media are risks, you can get hurt, but case of another con-
of the Prime Minister as a culmination to the debate on aims to enable young Such a move is backed by literacy provides young peo- there is also joy, connections, stituent of INDI Alliance
Motion of Thanks to The President. Such strange demand, people to shift from the Australian and UK Prime ple with the tools to engage play, creativity and laughter. -- Aam Aadmi Party
of course, could not be fulfilled since rules did not permit being passive media Ministers. And in New Zealand, with their smartphones and As with any playground, (AAP). Mr. Arvind
that. But the rejection of the demand by the presiding offi- consumers to critical Labour MP Priyanca social media feeds in healthy, there need to be health and Kejriwal, AAP chief, con-
cer did not go well with the Opposition whose members Radhakrishnan and ACT Party productive and meaningful safety measures. But we must tinued holding the high
media users. leader David Seymour have ways. It also helps them navi- also support young people to position of Delhi Chief
kept raising slogans ‘LoP-LoP-LoP-LoP ...’ during the Prime
Minister’s address. And after about forty minutes of slogan- Conversations about supported exploring the gate the darker, uglier sides of assess and handle risk so they Minister despite being in
shouting, the Opposition staged a walk-out while the Prime social media shouldn’t option. But the research into the online world. can thrive and have fun. jail. This is very contra-
Minister continued with his address. be restricted to protecting young people by By understanding the histo- Above all, it is important not dictory to the political
But then, as the Opposition staged a walk-out, Rajya Sabha potential risk and harm. restricting social media use is ry, mechanics, ownership and to forget that young people are optics of INDI Alliance
Chairman Mr. Jagdeep Dhankhar shared his sense of dis- largely inconclusive. What we funding models of social social media experts. Parenting headed by Congress par-
Social media also do know, however, is that these media, students can analyse and educating children expe- ty. On one hand, they
turbed emotion with the House. He said, in effect, that the provides opportunities measures don’t equip young its role and influence in their riencing childhoods so differ- invoke the Constitution
Opposition did not show disrespect just to him or the House for people to be people with the skills they lives, and ask questions like: ent from previous generations of India. On the other,
but to the Constitution of India and the dignity of the nation. can be scary. Social media is they trample the spirit of
With his voice choking with emotion, Mr. Dhankhar added creative, to find already need to build healthy 1. How does my behaviour
communities and a relationships with smart- on social media train the algo- complex and multifaceted – as democracy as enshrined
that the Opposition was only hurting the spirit of democ- phones and social media. rithms that dictate what con- should be our approach to in the Constitution.Their
racy and the culture of bipartisan dialogue of Parliament. sense of belonging, and EDUCATION AS EMPOW- tent is in my feed, and what con- learning how to navigate and actions do not match
The Chairman expected the Opposition to learn right les- to engage in learning, ERMENT: In all the proposed tent I don’t see? understand it. their words.Their actions
sons from the current situation and come up with proper discussion and debate. official solutions, one has been 2. How does a social media (The Conversation) reflect their greed for
conduct on the floor of the House. Mr. Narendra Modi also power. Hence, the hap-
made clear references to the Opposition’s conduct and penings in Jharkhand are

A Good Samaritan
stressed that it does not have the courage to listen to voice nothing but a foul drama.
or reason and details of fact about the allegations its mem-
bers have made in the House or outside it.
There is no need to make any fresh comment on the detailed
content of the Prime Minister’s speech at this point. For, TOUGH OPPONENT

“W
what is needed now is a reiteration of our earlier insistence

that a strict action must be taken against the unruly HERE
Opposition in both Houses of Parliament. do you
It was actually surprising that the presiding officers were want
rather too tame in handling the unruly conduct of the to go?”
A voice
Opposition in both the Houses. They should have acted
suddenly came from behind
tougher and gone ahead taking action under appropriate me. A man on a Luna had
rules. It was also equally surprising that the Members on arrived at the same place to
the Government benches, too, chose to remain rather sub- submit a D.Ed form for his
dued -- instead of blasting the Opposition by standing up daughter, just as I had. To my
in unison and shouting the Opposition down.True, the mem- consternation, the place of sub-
bers on the Government benches did stand up offering quick mission had been suddenly
responses to the falsehood in the speeches by Opposition changed to a location in
A
Bus Station in Nagpur, feeling ed place. Though I perched on and it was unlike any food I had
a mix of threat and trepidation. his bike, I was worried, think- ever seen in my life. I observed S THE Indian
In my juvenile days, I had heard ing that what if he turned out him eating and emulated him; team soaks in
many notorious stories of to be a kidnapper. Out of pock- with my clumsy way of eating, the grand
Nagpur’s crimes, especially et, I had no option but to be he smirked. He realised I came reception at
chain snatching and pick- his pillion. Finally, we submit- from a rustic background, lack- home after
pocketing. ted our forms to the concerned ing urbane manners. He felt winning the World
I sat in an autorickshaw authority; and I heaved a sigh more sympathetic. I was awe- T w e n t y 2 0
headed for Sevasadan at Buldi of relief thinking that ultimately struck and taken aback by his Championships, the fall-
area, but the autowala cheat- the work for which I was in the noble gestures.We came out of en heroes of the final are
ed me. Exploiting my gullible giant city was fructified. the hotel, called out to a near- still coming to terms with
nature, he charged exorbitant Afterwards, he took me to his by rickshawala, and told him the narrow loss. The
fares, lying office and to take me to the Ganeshpeth South African team has

Members. Yet, they were not appropriately aggressive. In Nagpur. This was my second
fact, even Mr. Narendra Modi could have been more aggres- time in Nagpur. The 12th stan-
sive -- which he refrained from being (for his own reasons). dard results had been declared,
The content of his addresses in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and I had passed with flying
was strong and no-nonsense. But his manner could have colours. In 2002, pursuing a
been more ballistic -- given the method and manner of the D.Ed was almost a guaranteed
Opposition. This is what the nation has felt in the last 3-4 path to a primary school
days after watching the proceedings in the two Houses of teacher job. I was so elated that
Parliament at the start of the Modi Government’s third term. I began to imagine myself as a
teacher already.
To submit my application for
the D.Ed course to the con-
MIDDLE SPACE
that the
place was
far away.
The mon- BY DIPAK C. DHARNE
ey I had
reserved for my return journey
was also extorted. I was com-
pletely fleeced.When I reached
the submission place, it had
been changed. I felt like I was
stranded in the middle of a
desert. I cursed my fate and
complet- Bus Station. Before boarding the silently taken the heart-
ed his rickshaw, I fell at his feet with break into their fold while
work in eyes misty. He smiled and said speaking about using the
half an goodbye. Till I reached my vil- loss as inspiration for the
h o u r . lage, I was in a reverie, remi- next journey. Despite los-
From his nature of work, I niscing about the best day of ing the final, the Proteas
understood that he was a bank my life spent with a benevo- have done enough to tell
employee working in Dena lent and magnanimous the cricketing world that
Bank located at Panchshil Samaritan. they are ready to shed
Square. This unexpected encounter past baggages. In the
Meanwhile, I was in a state not only restored my faith in WT20, the South African
of disbelief that I had met such humanity but also left an indeli- team overcame some

Inspiration cerned department, I left for

Nagpur early in the morning
trembled with fear, wondering
how I would get home.
a person who selflessly helped
me. My mind was thinking
ble mark on my heart.The kind-
ness of a stranger in the vast-
delicate moments to stay
victorious all through till

A
with scanty money. Back then, The benevolent man noticed about his good gestures. ness of Nagpur transformed a they lost the plot in the
LMOST every single day, our determination will terms like “Internet” and my worried. He inquired gen- Afterwards, he took me to a day of despair into a cherished last five overs against
be tested, which is a common experience of many “online application” were alien tly about my problem and nearby hotel as I was already memory. In a world often filled India in the final. One big
of us. Every time, we make a promise of deter- to us. My village is 90 km away asked me to come with him. I famished and he rendered me with uncertainty, there are still thing they have managed
mination to ourselves, there will be a difficult sit- from Nagpur. I travelled by bus sat on his Luna, and we head- yeoman’s service. The food was good-hearted individuals who is to do away with the
uation which will try and break the promise that and landed at the Ganeshpeth ed towards the new designat- served with a fork and spoon, make it a brighter place. chokers tag. The new
we have made to ourselves and try and make us emotion- team, under the brave
ally unstable and weak. We have to ensure that does not hap- Aiden Markram, is defi-
pen and continue on the path of determination and achieve
our desired objective in the shortest possible time. Being
determined means not a single thought should be there in
Every Man in his Humour Letters to the EditorEvery Man i nitely game for a serious
bout against anyone.The
captain has managed to
our mind, which has weakness or a lack of power; only pos- instill this confidence in

Awesome battle for the T20 world Cup !

itive thoughts which you tell yourself, is certain. the Proteas with his brave
Thus, in this way, we will not only become more success- and astute leadership.
ful but also the thought that victory is like my birth-right, Though he could not take
which can never go away from me, for even a single second, Sir, when we lost the wickets of repeat the performance which theIndianteamtothedoorstep the team past the last
will be like the fuel which will run all our actions with a lot At last, the Indian cricket Rohit, Pant and Surya Kumar, was against England in the of victory. In the final over, hurdle, it was not a result
of strength. As a result, there will be positive success at every team succeeded in the titular tension had started rising and semi-final but that was not to Pandya defended 16 runs and of choking at crucial
step. There cannot be constant success without determina- battle for the T20 world cup confidence was wavering. be. The partnership of Klassen the Indian team won the T20 moment. Rather, it was
tion. Sometimes, even when we had negative thoughts in bringing the whole nation However, with Kohli, Patel and and De kock almost took the world cup final by 7 runs. a tough fight that Indian
our consciousness, we are successful. It can happen at times ecstatic. The Indian team with Dubey’s resolute batting, we game away from us. However, It will not be wrong, if we say bowlers managed to win
that what you did not even anticipate or expect, suddenly their stunning efforts accom- could achieve a respectable the introduction of Hardik theIndianteamsnatchedaway with the help of superb
happens, inspite of a weak state of mind. What this can do plished their objective of win- total of 176 runs. Pandya changed the picture. victory from the jaws of defeat. fielding. Markram
at times do is that we become used to that and expect that ning the T20 world Cup 2024 South africa also lost two Pandya took Klaasen’s wicket Now, as the team returned, deserves a word of praise
to happen every time. But, that will not be the case every against South Africa. After con- quickwicketsofHendrinksand who was proving as the main India witnessed celebration of for the journey SA have
time. Finally, we have to empower or strengthen ourselves sidering India’s success rate, it Markram.Afterthat,everybody hurdleandSuryakumarYadav’s the glorious victory. had at the WT20.
so much as to weaken situations through our powerful appeared somewhat easy, but, anticipated Indian bowlers to fantastic catch of Miller took Professor Anil H Palnitkar
thought and not let them reduce our determination.We need
to do this so that the next time we have a difficult situation,
we are prepared to change the situation into positive. Readers please note the change in e-mail address. TheHitavada welcomes Middles (upto 550 words), letters for this page, and contributions to other sections
ATTENTION also by e-mail at: maindesk@thehitavada.com; editor@thehitavada.com. The editors may rephrase letters for clarity of thought and constraints of space.