They say that a family is where our heart belongs to. But what if your family is choked in a metal box walking you through the glistening cosmos of the World Wide Web. Technology is indeed fun but it can also drown us into its foggy world compelling us to drive out sound knowledge. Social media today is to some extent playing this shady character creating rough ripples in relationships, says DISHA PRASHANT.
Every human being is smitten by the bug of being a spy like Sherlock Holmes. Each one of us has for once envisioned the idea of snooping on someone wearing long coats and hats holding a pipe in your hand just to get into the skin of the character. Times have changed and so have the snooping modus operandi. Now, one can become a whiz at snooping with the mere click of a button. Welcome to the solitary world of social media which also has an aphotic side to it.
“U need to save this chat”, “this is enough evidence to nail the culprit” “I know whom are u talking to” “it is time to keep a tab” “I fear if this is true?” such kind of conversations coerce you into getting at the bottom of the story. With technology sprinting at a break neck speed, the world has undeniably been brought across the street. But this has also given nativity to social media for acting as a median of evidence in divorce cases. Social media sites today hasnot only knit people together but has also sowed seeds of betrayal and doubt amongst many. We regularly come across many stories in our routine life about couples heading the break up way over social media. Statistics have revealed that over 65 percent of couples have parted ways over finding their partners two timing on them through social media.
Shailaja Achrekar is a mother of two and feels that there ha
s to be some level of regulation to be imposed on social media. Deciphering her point she said, “To define technology in simple terms, means a source through which we reach out to people in minimum time span. But today it has taken a much abhorrent face making it difficult to differentiate between its use and misuse. We do read in newspapers about crimes taking place due to plethoric use of social media. I see my daughters tapping their fingers on their phones every now and then. And to add to my bundle of worries there are thousands of passwords applied to these applications. I am constantly worried about the exposure this social media offers to kids today as they obey this dumb box more than their very own parents.”
People were left aghast over a recent case of divorce over watsapp conversations in Kerela. Reports have found that of 5000 divorce cases registered every year over 3000 are due to watsapp conversations. Statistical analysis has revealed that on a daily basis approximately out of ten cases put forth before the court for divorce, at least five of these cases have social media as a cardinal argument. While few feel that they are the finest means of compiling evidence against an accused, some feel that they are means of creating barriers among good relations.
Aditi Kamat is a psychologist by profession and says that for the past few years she has handled numerous cases of couples requesting for counseling sessions due to rising tensions in relationship over social media. Rendering her analysis she said, “Almost cyclically I cater to approximately two to three cases of couples who demand for therapeutic counseling sessions only to get rid of social media addiction. This new found techno enslavement is surely tugging people on an erroneous path. Couples come to me with scathing anomalies created over towering use of social media by either one of them or both. Counseling such couples at times is immensely difficult as either of them blatantly refuse to accept mistakes which makes it more difficult to find a solution.”
Sharing her guidance she said, “Exposure to social media to some extent especially till maintaining contacts is fine and must not be allowed to act as a hindrance in a healthy relationship. It is funny at times when people, despite staying under the same roof tend to speak with each other through watsapp. People need to understand that it is the man who has created the social media and that he or she should stop acting as a slave of one. Couples need to sit down and speak with each other. Communication must be made mandatory in any relation.”
Social media is all about self-discipline says Ashwin Iyer a software engineer by profession. Talking about improving relations while keeping social media at bay he said, “Me and my wife have been married for eight years now, however touchwood have never had any arguments over social media. We both follow a simple thesis that, the best sign of a healthy relationship is no sign of it on social media. I sincerely feel that relationships would be much more successful if they are not so dependent on social media.”
Starting from illicit messages, chats, calls, infidelity to adultery to GPS tracking to hiring detective agencies, social media has managed to earn cruddy triumph over relations. To tot it up, there are also special apps which help in retrieving deleted messages and chats from a phone.
With social media crossing charts of user milestones relationships are definitely been neglected says Advocate Amruta Joshi. Sharing her court stories with a smirk she said, “I remember the time when couples used to file for divorce over marital discord caused due to careers or dowry or harassment or time. But today I attend maximum cases of divorce over usage of social media. It is indeed cynical to witness such cases and go to the depth of it. As the only medium of gathering evidence is technology. Initially I found this slightly whimsical, but the rising number of cases being filed opened my eyes and I understood the seriousness of it. Many foreign countries have totally accepted social media as means of evidence and this thing is gradually spreading its web in India. Couples fall short of words to explain the consummate use of social media by either of them or both.”
Talking about the legitimacy of social media as evidence she said, “At times the proofs presented before the court are up to the mark and help in proving the guilty. But at times these conversations can be manipulated. If there are apps which can fetch deleted messages, then there are also apps which might also help in maneuvering the evidence according to your requirement.”
They say marriages are made in heaven and technology helps them to part ways on earth. From a single tick to double tick to ticks turning blue to messages getting saved, social media has showcased its bizarre side. With technology at our fingertips it is time to ask ourselves a pivotal question as to where are we headed. What has become more important, our relationships or an app which hypnotizes us on becoming its slave.
