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The Ostentatious Social Media Culture

Have you noticed, these days, you can hardly concentrate on anything for a long time!

On an evening back in 2013, I was teaching physics to some high school students who were going to appear in the board exam in the next month. One of them seemed pretty scared and reached out after the class to tell me a problem – which was totally unknown to me at that time.

I miss my students, real-time!

- Sir, I can’t study at all. Whenever I try to read, I feel a strong mental repulsion from my textbooks.


Well, that part wasn’t new to me. Almost every student at some point in time struggles with a concentration break. I replied: 


- I see, then maybe something else is occupying your thoughts. Perhaps, you are getting repelled by books because another source is attracting you right?

- Maybe, I can’t stop using Facebook at night.

Back in 2013, when I didn’t have any social media account, couldn’t perfectly relate with my student. It seemed like something is causing trouble to him, and fragmenting his attention from studies, but I couldn’t figure out his source of ailments. I was confused about what to suggest to him. So I tried to interpolate from my own life.

Your smartphone is diffusing your concentration

- Can you make your mind completely free for five minutes?

- What, you mean blank without any thoughts?

- Yeah. Think nothing for five minutes.

- Sir, I can’t do that for five seconds I guess. My mind is always wandering around and thinking about disoriented stuff.

- Well, you have lost your focus in life! I don’t know how, but the symptom is real. You better try to train your mind for forced concentration. Try to free up your mind without thinking about anything for 30 seconds, 1 minute, then eventually for five minutes. Keep me updated. I shall try to track your progress.

He thanked me and left the class. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any update from him after that conversation.

This was mere the initiation of my story.

I never thought at that point in time, someday I shall suffer from the exact same problem in my life – ‘LACK OF FOCUS & CONCENTRATION.’

If I connect the dots seeing in retrospect, my life can be divided into two eras.


We forget to appreciate the surrounding in exchange for fake appreciation from others

From my childhood till 2013, I never suffered from a lack of concentration. I could somehow manage my focus by myself.

Then comes the later part of my life, till now, I have continuously lost my focus and concentration.

Today I can totally relate with my student. What he was suffering from, ‘short-term concentration’ problem. I couldn’t understand him back then.

Now on the blue wall of Facebook, which is intentionally designed to diffuse our thoughts to and fro while you scroll down your newsfeed, or the vast collection of YouTube videos always keeps you searching for something new.

So is true for Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, or whatever you name.

From a psychological perspective, human minds find it easier to wander around rather than focusing on a certain topic. Concentration has been always hard, and the hardest for the 21st-century generation aka millennials. We are bombarded with thousands of distractions in our everyday lives, and pathetically, we have agreed with the 21st century’s agenda of social distraction in the name of modernization and liberalization. Most of the time, we fail to understand what should we value for happiness.

Our mind is wired for wandering, to focus, we need rewirement

Hence, social platform giants have successfully leveraged idiosyncratic human minds.

Think for yourself. How happy have you become after scrolling over your social media newsfeed? And why do you always feel like a propensity of checking out ‘OTHERS’ lives or ‘TRENDY FASHION’ continuously amidst your day-to-day activities?

Social media is nothing but a drug, no less than heroin or cocaine. Anything which creates a constant urge for clinging to it while doing harm to your body and mind – is nothing but a drug for sure.

Admit it or not, you are falling prey to the ostentation of social media, where everybody pretends to be super happy or having an amazing life. By following the specious demonstration of your society, you are killing your future day by day.

Now you might argue, well, social media does some cool stuff too. You can get connected with your friends and family and build a community for the greater purpose of society.

Don’t let social media trap you inside virtual life!

Remember, heroin can cure a disease if properly used.

It’s up to us how do we use social media. And I am sure, for most of us, it is acting like addictive and harmful drugs.

Don’t believe me?

Okay, let’s do an experiment on yourself.

In medical terms, when you stop using a harmful addictive drug, you start showing an irresistible urge to have the drug – and that is called ‘Withdrawal Symptom.’

Stop using Facebook for 3 days only, and let’s see whether you got the withdrawal symptom or not!

Say goodbye to all the distracting elements, at least try for a few days!

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Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh

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