Cyberhedonism: What drives young people (men) to the digital screen?
This article titled, Virtual Pleasures, in the Economist looks at a really important issue – what is really driving young people (men) in conservative societies to spend time online? I think the issue raised in this article is a very valid one - whether the online social media will eventually provide a way for young people to collaborate on political causes or will it just become a medium to seek out self pleasures? For instance, the article points out that in India the young people spend most of their online time browsing pages of matchmaking websites to find a spouse. The online digital media in India is providing opportunities for romance and dating which are otherwise considered a taboo in traditional Indian society.
I think the challenge is – how to use social media to get young people more interested in politics and causes which are of social importance and not just use it for personal pleasures and consumption?
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I don’t think there is anything we can or for that matter need to do. My two cents on this say that social media usage will, like everything else, will follow Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It’s basic human nature, self comes first and once self has all that it needs, its time to move on to the next level. It’s not ideal but that’s just the “evolution dna” as I like to call it.
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