THE phenomenon of globalisation began after industrialisation.
This technology has helped connect the world in social, economic, and political dimensions. People-to-people connections were established to share knowledge and experience. Institutions started collaborating in their areas of interest, and states came together for mutual benefits. During industrialization, the West imported skilled workers from developing countries for its markets, and this trend continued with technology-driven businesses. In real spirit, globalization promised trade, ideas, technology, and inclusion in a “global village.” Pakistan, like many other countries, embraced this promise. However, millions of young people today suggest a different story, that is, globalization is not only about markets and mobility. It also involves attention, influence, and control. The new contest is not merely over territory or tariffs. It is over the most valuable commodity of the digital age, human time.
According to the World Bank, Pakistan’s population is approximately 251 million, making it one of the most populous countries in the world. The UNDP states that approximately 65% of the population is youth. The question arises whether the youth are being given the opportunity of education and properly engaged in socio-economic development or are being quietly diverted. Although access to higher education has increased from 2.5% in 2002 to around 13% in 2024, much remains to be done to engage these bright minds in the development of the country. The PTA figures show an increase in smartphone users as well as high-speed internet in the country, which is good for offering programs, diplomas, and certificates in high-demand disciplines. Smartphones have become essential for business and communication. Similarly, these can be a better platform for learning management systems, where books, activities, interactions, and assessments can be carried out for effective learning. However, it is observed that users are mostly addicted to reels and other social media content, which just consumes their time to benefit those who have created content.
Our youth are exposed to boundary-less social media where they live inside algorithmic ecosystems, and these platforms set the tempo of aspiration, anxiety, entertainment, outrage, and consumption. Social media platforms are developed to capture the attention of users and maximize profits by engaging them with content they like, thereby generating revenue and market influence. These platforms are developed to optimize attention and interaction. These videos are designed to trigger strong emotions, quick reactions, and repetitive viewing. They engage users through infinite scrolling, autoplay, push notifications, and short video loops. As a result, users remain online longer than intended, often by exploiting predictable human vulnerabilities.
This has created a new type of profession called an influencer, who continuously engages users with content that is liked and shared by them. They try to increase subscriptions and viewership for monetization. They show and sell their lifestyle but not their livelihood to users. Users are following trends and missing training for their livelihoods. This creates a dangerous illusion of online fame that is real for a few days, months or years. There is no real impact on societal development and growth. This trend of social attention is developing a nation of content consumers rather than content creators. By following viral content, social media users are silently trained as consumers of these platforms.
Every user activity on social media platforms generates data, which are used for prediction, and prediction generates profit and power for social media platforms that are usually not in our country. Moreover, these social media platforms are not always accountable for violations of our religious, local values, and ethics. A major reason why we are exposed to social media isthat it provides relief from various social problems, such as unemployment and limited growth opportunities. There are verified projects that were carried out during the war on terror, wherein the youth in the FATA region were engaged in social media apps with some rewards to experiment whether their attention can be diverted or not. The experiment worked well, and that pilot experiment is now an open secret for companies to engage youth in the developing world as their respondents.
Pakistan can develop a national strategy to educate and engage its youth. They can be engaged in learning new skills and training in demanding skills. They should be trained to follow trainers rather than influencers. We need to engage them in activities that are good for the development of society and the country. Institutions in the country must develop a system of supervised teaching and learning, which can help engage youth in schools, colleges, and universities. There must also be opportunities for engagement after graduation; otherwise, global influencers will engage them in non-productive viewership videos, reels, and similar content. There are many success stories of countries like China, Malaysia, and Korea, which have converted their potential into profitable products. If they are not engaged constructively, non-state actors can engage them; we would be silent viewers watching how global eyes are in action for their benefit.
— The writer is Director, Higher Education Commission, Islamabad.
