Somdatta Chattopadhyay*
Rishikesh (The Hawk): The Internet is a huge blessing for our times. At a time when the world grappled with fears around the threat of COVID, it gave us the privilege of staying connected virtually, maintaining continuity in the process of teaching-learning, and defeating loneliness in these times of struggle.
However, its inadvertent overuse during COVID times gave rise to a whole host of difficulties amongst the student community. While long hours in front of the screen has led some students to experience eyesight problems, others have been left with a persistent inability to sustain attention during online classes. Additionally, the Internet was used as a shared medium for submitting work assignments as well as engaging in leisure activities such as social networking or gaming. Students often found this overlap difficult to deal with, leading to further distractibility and absenteeism.
For students entering adolescence and puberty, peer opinion and approval often plays a pivotal role in shaping their self esteem and worldview. A mere possibility of a technical glitch or a delayed, deprecating response from a friend could make them feel isolated and cut-off from the rest of the world. The inability to communicate, a feeling of being unheard, or having to deal with uncertainty may contribute remarkably to increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Such an overriding dependence on a forum as hypothetical and elusive as the Internet may lead to the externalization of self-worth and create a rapid cycling of highs and lows leaving the psyche vulnerable to imbalance and breakdown.
Though the idea of physical isolation coupled with virtual connectedness may help in stimulating our mental abilities, it often gives rise to a gap between reality and fantasy without adequate checks in between.
In such a situation, students must be taught to use the Internet wisely, using personal discretion and responsibility. Adequate parental supervision is also advised to ensure their child's security. Defined time slots should be allotted for different online activities. Students can be made to realize that their opinion of themselves is not dependent on the size of the following on social media, but rather by their own unique capabilities and talents. It can help to encourage students to engage in outdoor play, creative pursuits, and face-to-face interactions. Appropriate communication strategies and empathetic listening skills should be inculcated.
*MA, Applied Psychology