The Profound & The Profane

By Kumar David –

Today’s column is in two parts. The first relates to a profoundly important concern, the second to a profanity if you call it that. A trilogy written by Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena (KPS) and two subeditors can be found on the Right to Information (RTI) Commissions website. It is an important document that people are not familiar with, and I urge you to spend some time with it. Access to Information helps the public hold the powers that be to account. Seeking and receiving information, furthermore, is a human right, is a safeguard against corruption, and increase trust in public institutions. Transparency is not only about making information available, but ensuring it can be accessed, understood and used. But transparency is only the first step to curbing corruption. We have learned from over twenty-five years of experience that corruption can only be kept in check if representatives from government, business and civil society work together for the common good.

The trilogy is long and very detailed. Every section is accompanied by references to case material and links to websites which convey a wealth of information. There is enough here for a generation of PhD students to busy themselves with; KPJ and her two sidekicks deserve our congratulations for the huge amount of work they have put in. It is unrealistic for me to summarise it here so I have provided an
abbreviated and simplified version below.

Annual Reports / Minutes of Meetings / Cabinet Decision / Cabinet Memorandum/ Jurisdictional Defects/Commercial Confidence, Trade Secrets/Intellectual Property & Competitive Interests/ Contempt of Court / Prejudice to the Maintenance/Cooperative Societies/Defence, National Security /Education, Schools, Universities, Education/ Trade Unions/Environment and Wildlife/Life and Liberty/Migrant Workers/Militarisation of Civil Functions & Military

Acquisitions/Parliamentary Privilege & Provincial Councils/Police Complaints, /Political Victimisation/Religious Affairs Transparency International (TI) in its website (https://www.transparency.org/) makes certain important observations that I summarise as follows. Corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. To Transparency International (TI) in its website (https://www.transparency.org/) makes certain important observations that I summarise as follows. Corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. To end it we must understand it. That’s why we look at what causes corruption and what works against it. To end it ‘power’ must be held accountable. Corruption erodes trust, weakens democracy, hampers economic development and exacerbates inequality, poverty, social division and the environmental crisis. Transparency is about shedding light on rules, plans, processes and actions. Information is a human right that can safeguard against threats to democracy and violation of human rights.

Social-media

The second part of today’s column deals with the ill-effects of social-media on young people. This essay is not intended to be a balanced discussion of both the advantages, which are many, and the downsides of social-media. Though I am certainly not an expert on psychology and am a grandparent whose children are all grown up, there is a reason why I have chosen the deal with the negative. The RTI Commission of Sri Lanka has the legal power to deal with the broadcast (TV and radio) and of course the print media, but maybe that it lacks the resources and technical expertise to monitor the vast web known as social-media. Even in rich technically advanced countries this is something of a challenge. The security services try hard to keep a tab (not only in authoritarian societies) but they are not very successful because numbers are so large. And there is the added dimension that commercial interests exploit social-media for marketing and for collecting personal and private information for often for nefarious purposes. When it comes to young people even in the cost technologically advanced societies it is a big problem; to be frank the problem is worse in these societies especially the United States. I provide a few more comments anon.

Social-media

The formal definition of social-media is that it is a collection of interactive technologies to create and share information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. Their spread is enormous. The best-known platforms with users in billions in parenthesis are as follows Facebook (2.7) YouTube (2.3), WhatsApp (2), Facebook Messenger (1.3), Instagram (1.2), and WeChat (1.2) and TikTok (0.8). Email is not considered a social-media and there is some doubt about WhatsApp because it is not really intended for social distribution.

Social media is a big part of many teens’ lives. A 2018 Pew Research Centre survey of 13 to 17-year-olds found that 45% are online almost constantly and 97% use a social media platform, such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. Nearly 90% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 used at least one form of social media. These users tend to be better educated and relatively wealthy. It can also reduce FoMO or Fear of Missing Out.

But what impact does social-media use have on teens? Social-media allows teens to create online identities, communicate with others and build social networks. These networks can provide teens with valuable support, especially helping those who experience exclusion or have disabilities or chronic illnesses. Teens also use social media for entertainment and self-expression can expose them to current events, to interact across geographic barriers and teach a variety of subjects and help reduce depression.

Social-media risks to young people

The discussion below is a summary, without acknowledgement of material culled from scholarly papers and research surveys. Social-media can be distracting or reduce a meaningful interaction with adults. Social-media can negatively affect teens, distracting them, disrupting their sleep, and exposing them to bullying, rumour spreading, unrealistic views of other people’s lives and peer pressure. Teenage girls and young women are susceptible to exploitation and the circulation of harmful material (‘hot images’ and damaging quotations) by “friends”.

The risk is related to how much social media teens use. A 2019 study of more than 6,500 12- to 15-year-olds in the U.S. found that those who spent more than three hours a day using social media are at heightened risk from mental health problems. And a 2019 study of more than 12,000 13- to 16-year-olds in England found that using social media more than three times a day highlighted poor mental health in teens. Other studies also have observed links between high levels of social media use and depression or anxiety symptoms. A 2016 study of more than 450 teens found that greater social media use, night time social media use and high emotional investment in social media — such as feeling upset when prevented from logging on — were linked to poor sleep quality and higher anxiety and even depression.

How teens use social media determines impact. A 2015 study by Mayo Clinic found that personal, social and family income comparison and seeking feedback on these matters using cell phones and laptop computers was linked with depressive symptoms. A small 2013 study found that older adolescents who used social media passively, such as viewing others’ photos, reported declines in life satisfaction. Those who used social media to interact with adults or post their own content didn’t experience these declines.

And an older study on the impact of social media on undergraduate college students showed that the longer they used Facebook, the stronger was their belief that others were happier than they were. But the more time the students spent going out with their friends, the less they felt this way. Because of teens’ impulsive natures those who post content on social media are at risk of sharing intimate photos or highly personal stories. This can result in teens being bullied, harassed or even blackmailed. They sometimes often create posts without considering these consequences or privacy concerns.

There are steps that one can take to encourage responsible use and limit negative effects. It is true that this is still a rich family’s problem in Sri Lanka but even less well-off parents and older relatives should not underestimate how much access a smart phone makes available. Here is advice provided by the Mayo Clinic website that I mentioned and culled from other scholarly studies and research reviews (too many to give credit to explicitly). Parents can set reasonable limits, avoiding social-media interference with sleep, meals or homework. Encourage a bedtime routine that avoids electronic media use, and keep cell-phones and tablets out of bedrooms. Parents can set an example by following these rules themselves. Monitor accounts let it be known that you will be checking. Discourage gossip, rumours, bullying or damaging other’s reputation. Encourage face-to-face contact with friends. This is particularly important those vulnerable to anxiety disorder. Talk about social media and its benefits and harm. Remind them that social-media is full of unrealistic images. Encourage social-media exchanges with adults.

This brings me to my conclusion. The information and news atmosphere, has changed fundamentally in recent years. Think of Sri Lanka’s presidents, prime ministers, cabinet ministers and MP’s. Who believes them anymore? How much of the content of television, radio and the print media is trusted anymore? The “news” has little relationship to reality. Fake news is created by social media and it is so powerful, especially in technically advanced countries like the US that media outlets themselves are inundated.

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