Social media skills and health awareness on students

 Sanjib Kumar Sarma & Bhattarika Sarma (Rika)

(sanjibsarmabajali@gmail.com)

The social network is a theoretical construct useful in the social sciences to study relationships between individuals, groups, organizations, or even entire societies. The term is used to describe a social structure determined by such interactions. The ties through which any given social unit connects represent the convergence of the various social contacts of that unit. A social networking service is a platform to build social networks or social relations among people who share interests, activities, backgrounds, or real-life connections. A social network service consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his social links, and a variety of additional services. Social networking is a web-based service that allows individuals to create a public profile, create a list of users with whom to share connections, and view and cross the connections within the system. Most social networking services are web-based, and they provide means for users to interact over the internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging.

Social media and emerging mobile technologies have forever changed the landscape of human interaction. Like in the old days, people will no longer wait for hours for a response from clients. This development of technology has changed the lifestyles of people and brought about changes in their lives. People’s work mainly depends on technology these days. It is a brand new world that brings technology to something essential and important. People are more comfortable using gadgets such as smartphones, laptops, and more. Smartphones especially play a very vital role in a student’s life because they can use the internet freely and tend to learn a lot from the internet. Moreover, the transaction of money could be much easier if our country applied such advanced technology as that of Korea, where they have provided mobile payment applications. They can simply swipe the phone and pay their bills. They weren’t to bring any cash or cards to pay. People are more comfortable doing everything via the internet nowadays. Even banks have provided online banking to check and manage accounts. Every organisation, even the government, has provided online applications so that students can easily communicate with them, for example, to apply for entrance exams, registration for exams, and admission.

Our time has come to see the vital importance of digital technology in our daily lives, permitting us to unlock a huge collection of data and information. All types of work or tasks people perform today, be they regular or job-related tasks, require the ability to use digital technologies, tools for communication, or networks to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and create information in order to hold a status or function in the knowledge society. Technology changes the way we communicate and process information. In order to increase digital literacy levels, goals must be targeted and implemented. With the increasing use of internet access, a technological transformation occurs.

The basic focus is on the need to develop nations digital skills at all levels, as it is gradually becoming important in the present period of time where technology and its benefits are becoming more sophisticated and pervasive. This can be done by people with accurate skills in the exact place at the precise time by applying new technologies. ensuring that all have access to the content, services, and skills to contribute and connect effectively to digital technologies, and that the benefits are available to all.

Social media influences society in various ways as a platform for support and the safety of vital information during crises. With the growth of the Internet, more innovations are likely to follow. Internet advancement has further aggravated the problem of media monitoring and censorship, which has become widespread. People can access entertainment media freely from everywhere in the world. The media has the power to educate people about the good and the bad. Students in various groups, irrespective of caste, creed, religion, and age, have membership to use the social media services. It is because the media plays a role as a facilitator of development, a disseminator of information, and a change agent. Nowadays, media is considered the fourth pillar of life all over the world. The media has a unique feature and plays a massive role in creating knowledge and an inclusive society. The primary function of educational media is learning and teaching. The term media means a method of communication itself.

Quality of life is a global concern in the context of population explosion, dwindling resources, environmental pollution, rising poverty, deterioration in the health status of populations, and, above all, a general lack of awareness, concern, and initiative among people to promote and propagate activities at all levels of society towards better life styles. Health and nutrition occupy a prime position in contributing to quality of life. ‘Health’ has been defined by many in a holistic manner as a state of physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being and not a mere absence of disease. Promotion of health would therefore involve creating awareness of human factors, providing resources, facilitating access to the resources, and educating people about better practices. Health education and nutrition therefore go hand in hand in promoting quality of life from prenatal to postnatal stages: infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and the elderly.

Health is life. It is very necessary for a man to be healthy in order to lead a meaningful life. If an individual does not have good health, his life becomes devoid of any substance or meaning, and he starts considering himself to be only a burden on society. As there is a saying, the first happiness is a body devoid of any disease. There cannot be two different types of health experts. Therefore, health is life, inspiration, and energy. Health is self-confidence, power, joy in life, and a symbol of the power of the self. Health is the basic pillar for everybody, for society, and for the whole of the nation. From all the definitions, we come to the conclusion that the definition of health is very broad and that health is related to the well-being of a man mentally, physically, and socially. In this way, it can be said that besides the physical aspect, health is also related to the mental, social, and emotional well-being of a man. All these aspects of human life are related to one another and exhibit full health. The development of a healthy man is easier and more natural. Every part of his body acts according to nature. His respiratory system, circulation of blood, and digestive system remain normal.

Today, social networking is an essential part of life for people from around the world. Social networking is basically used to interact with other users, for educational purposes, to give and receive information, and/or to entertain and get entertained. Social media has various forms, although all of which have been related to forums, blogs, photo/video sharing, social bookmarking, podcasts, widgets, and name some of them. In the present day, most social media sites allow users to create their profiles, upload content, including images and audio/video clips, and communicate and interact with their connections online. In recent times, social networking has been an effective tool to connect to various groups online, get to know the latest updates and news events, play online games, communicate, and share audio and video clips. Some of the top social networking sites of today are: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google, and other sites.

Social media are to possess and use the ability to integrate thinking, feeling, and behaviour to achieve social tasks and outcomes valued in the host context and culture. Social skills consist of an individual’s pro-social attitude, social competition, social leadership, social tolerance, and social maturity. These social skills are specific behaviours or activities that an individual requires for a particular job or task. The school learning process assumes the effective functions of the physical systems of the learner and is usually forgotten in a group of healthy children. The pupil for whom Rousseau proposes to prescribe an education is a’strong, well-made, healthy child. Students between the ages of 15 and 17 spend most of their working hours in school, where their major responsibility is to learn and prepare themselves for the future. This programme concerns a child’s physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and mental development. School is an ideal place for the inculcation of health habits and correct attitudes towards health. For these purposes, adequate provisions are needed for safe drinking water supply and sanitary facilities like urinals and latrines with provisions for adequate lighting, ventilation, and proper sitting arrangements in their classrooms.