Role of social media & prevention of electronic crimes
SINCE the inception of social media in 1996, more than half of the world’s 4.62 billion, 58.4% now use social media. 424 million new users have come online within the last few months. The average daily estimated social media usage time is 2h 27m. If someone signed up at 16 and lived to 70, he would spend 5.7 years of his life on social media.
Social network platforms almost tripled their total user base in the last decade, from 970 million in 2010 to more than 4.48 billion in July 2021. The average user engages with an average of 6.6 various social media platforms. By region, social media growth in 2019-2020 is led by Asia: +16.98%, Africa +13.92%, South America +8.00%, North America +6.96%, Europe +4.32%, and Australasia +4.9%. 60.99% of the 7.87 billion people in the world use social media, of an eligible audience aged 13+, there are 63% that are active users.
93.33% of internet users are on social media; however, a titanic 85% of mobile internet users are active on networks. Out of 4.48 billion social media users, 99% access websites or apps through a mobile device, with only 1.32% accessing platforms exclusively via desktop.
Facebook is the leading social network at 2.9 billion monthly active users, followed by Youtube (2.3 billion), Whatsapp (2 billion), FB Messenger (1.3 billion) and WeChat (1.2 billion).
72.3% of the total US population actively uses social media, totalling a number of 240 million people. In the US, 54% of social media users are female, while the remaining 46% are male, compared with a global average of 45.6% for female, and 54.4% for male.
Japan had the lowest average number of social network accounts at 3.8, comparably India had the highest with 11.5 per person. 40% of all internet users worldwide use social media for work purposes. In the U.S., only 27% of people actively use social media in their jobs, compared with the highest by country in Indonesia at 65%, or the lowest at 13% in Israel.
47% Indian, 31% Canadian, 30% Australian, 27% American and Britishers use these networks for work. Currently 54% men versus 46% women use social media on gender basis. However, in the US, women are the leading user base; 76% of all female internet users have social network accounts compared with 72% of all men.
The top eight social platforms by monthly active users, are higher in male users. Sites like Facebook and Instagram are more female orientated, especially Pinterest, which dominates with female audience.
The most significant social media growth in 2019-2020 was India, with 130 million new users joining platforms equivalent to 9.6% of their total population. In the second place was China (15 m), Indonesia (12 m), Brazil (11 m), Iran (9.4 m) and the USA in 6th place with 6.9 million new users.
During 20019-20 Europe had the slowest activation of new active users at 4.9%. Whereas Asia was the most considerable social media user base growth at 16.98%, followed by Africa increasing by 13.92%.
The government has recently promulgated an ordinance which empowers the chief justice of every high court to nominate a judge along with other officers.
Nowadays social media political content is mostly generated by the users rather than by the media journalists.
Facebook users in Pakistan are more than 15.1% of its entire population. As per Stat Counter global stats there are 92.05% Facebook and 3.64% twitter users in Pakistan. Pakistan has more than 76.38 million internet and 37million social media users. Amongst them, there are more than 36 million Facebook users and 1.26 million use Twitter.
Moreover, 41% users are between (18 and 24) years and 36% people are between 25 and 34-years-old. Instead of keeping in mind the vitality and significance of social media, the government has amended PECA for the catharsis of grudges of the big brass.
The man in the street is begging for protection from cyber and electronic crimes, the fraudulent are wangling the hard earned money of the downtrodden via electronic frauds. The FIA and other forces seem to be unable to control the wave of electronic crimes.
They never put a deaf ear to a layman while all the agencies pop up to smother the fidgets of the high ups. The government is utterly and willingly reluctant to put heed to the bulk of pending cases in all courts of the country.
The poor are deploring for justice and our courts are taking decisions on preference basis. It is true that the laws are for the poor and the rich mould it like the wax. The government has never been so vigilant in formulating laws for the protection of the poor and for justice in the country.
It seems that we are facing the enigma of democratic dictatorship. The government has ushered in a new era of digital injustice. The Tech companies and the digital rights of the citizens are at stake after amendment in PECA.
The young generation of Pakistan is so active on social media they are also take part in different online political discussions to seek political awareness.
However, today in the age of social media youth is more interactive, socially and politically aware participants on Facebook and Twitter. Social media strengthened a public sphere. The government’s rhetoric to rein in social media will result in a great jolt to freedom of expression.
Now social media has become a hub of all media. It is also ironic that the FIA has utterly failed to fend off the electronic crimes wave, the government is hoping for some betterment. The poor man was the sufferer, he is and he seems to be in future.
It seems king’s evil and only some sovereign touch can heal it. We are all waiting for godot and godot doesn’t seem coming. We are at a crossroads and the sphinx is there with a riddle.
—The writer is an educationist, based in Lahore.
