Letters to The Editor: Netizens & social media

Social media is a vast umbrella under which there are several types of online platforms. Globally, there are more than 3.8 billion social media users. In many senses, social media has made the world seem more approachable. It's a known fact that people who influence the social web have the power to bring about social change. But, it's found that most users use their influence for nothing more than uploading selfies and motivational memes. While collecting likes and hearts, they are pissing away the power of the social web. Few will deny that they have chosen to value attention over the connection, metrics over meaning and profit over purpose. It seems the profit motive always precedes moral responsibility.

Most netizens prefer to write what get the most clicks, interview the podcast guest that would get them the most downloads, and post the Instagram pictures that would get them the most likes. These reveal the truth that the tools, resources and technology at our disposal are not being used to solve our major problems.

Dipen Gogoi,

Teok, Jorhat.

Public library

This is to express my concern and disappointment regarding the condition of the District Library, Nalbari.

The book collection of the library is very poor. There is no sufficient number of desks and benches where you can sit and read the books peacefully. The atmosphere of the library is not satisfactory either. The environment of the library is not very pleasant as well. Whenever we go there we can see the big lock on the gate. As a student and an emissary of the young generation, I can tell the need to know about our histories of literature and how those events help to shape our culture. We know our literature is very rich and diverse but to read those classic novels there is not sufficient collection in the library. And if even we think of buying them, some of those books are not available in the bookshops and some of them are not quite affordable for students like us. For students who come from a not so well to do financial background, it becomes difficult to afford books for their studies as those books are very expensive, for them, the library is the last hope. But the current condition of the library is very hopeless.

So, I want the authority to take the needed responsibility and to take some action as soon as possible.

Dikshita Rajbongshi,

Nalbari.

Fairytale end

Tokyo Olympics will be long remembered for certain reasons from India's perspective. Firstly, it is India's best-ever performance in Olympics with seven medals (1-Gold, 2-Silver, 4-Bronze). Secondly, the medalists were from diverse sports which indicate India is an emerging force in many disciplines. Thirdly, after a long wait of 41 years Indian Hockey made it to a podium finish and Neeraj Chopra bagging the gold medal in Javelin Throw (Track and Field) a sport always dominated by east European countries along with the USA, are the icing on the cake. 'Golden Boy' Neeraj Chopra appreciated the efforts taken by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Welfare and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking extra care of the athletes during the 2019 parliamentary election time and the lockdown period. An old tweet of Neeraj Chopra has resurfaced again in social media after his longest throw in Tokyo where he had praised the efforts of the Union government and the Indian Embassy for arranging his practice in Europe despite tough visa rules. Olympic success is all about the proper harnessing of the talent by the authority concerned. It is teamwork. Meantime, Mirabai Chanu has acknowledged the support of the government in her success by setting up proper infrastructure in the training centres and arranging coaching abroad for the athletes. It has been glad to know that the government under PM Modi is working overtime hard to set up India as a global powerhouse of sports.

Julie Bhuyan,

Gaurisagar.

Of Aditi missing bronze by a whisker

When Neeraj Chopra's gift to Mother India for his first-ever Track & Field Gold in the Javelin throw, elated the country and it's joy boundless, just at that moment, though she was missed her bronze in whisker, in the Tokyo 20, the country added Aditi Ashok...a new name amongst our top achiever's list. Aditi, a golfer, (Golf is one of the handfuls of sports at the Olympics in which professionals are allowed to compete) and is one of those rare golfers for whom the demarcation between amateur and professional ranks has been almost inconsequential. Aditi Ashok ranked 200 who were infected with Covid-19, battled it out in her ways. I followed her and was heartbroken when she fell agonisingly short of a podium finish, my eyes moist.

Who knows maybe her strength getting considerably sapped post-Covid, which affected the range of her shots, especially from the tee. Even that looking at her calm demeanour but through sheer grit, she challenged the world's best golfers. One feels proud of Aditi Ashok's achievement and wants to thank her for bringing Indian women to the global golf map. Her performance surely made one read more about the birdie, eagle, under par etc and I'm sure many more youngsters will also be inspired to play the golf, though the game is related to the upper class of the society.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee

Faridabad.