With the advent of Internet, the world is now faced with a plethora of devices, software and social media engagement platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat, and many others. Today, social media has become a pillar of many people’s lives – the Digital 2022 April Global Statshot Report found that there are 4.65 billion social media users on the planet, and that is about 60% of the global population, many of whom are using social media as a primary source of information. On the one hand, it has allowed people to communicate and interact with the world in an unprecedented way, while on the other, it has flattened or adversely affected personal relationships and stereotyped our ways of living and has become a major source of attention and distraction at the same time. Whilst it is a tool that can be harnessed for good, our engagement with it can have a serious impact on our spirituality and mental wellbeing.
There are indeed hundreds of studies on the effect of social media and personal wellbeing, this discussion will focus on timeless principles and guidance of the Islamic tradition and provide faith-based understanding of the effect social media can have in our lives, with a practical counsel on avoiding its pitfalls. The discussion will address esteemed values, etiquette, and principles that we should uphold and practise in navigating current and future social media platforms. The speaker will also provide advice on managing and maintaining one’s spirituality, mental wellbeing and happiness in the course of our work and daily life in the midst of the highly charged world of social media.
