| Azaraimy HH |
THE use of social media in relation to Islamic values and way of life was discussed yesterday by speakers at the Knowledge Convention 2016 currently being held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas.
Dr Lilly Suzana binti Haji Shamsu, the Director of the Centre for Public and International Relations and the Dean of the Faculty of Usuluddin at Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), deliberated on matters related to the profile of women in social media touching on the authority and influence of social media, while Dr Adam bin Haji Jait, Director of Technology and Multimedia Centre at UNISSA, talked about the need for stronger awareness among Muslims on the rightful use of information and communication technology and the impact of Internet and social media on the life of people, particularly Muslims.
Dr Lilly highlighted that the emergence of social media in the cyber world represents a paradigm shift in the delivery of knowledge through dissemination of information.
The ever-developing capability and dynamism of social media and its consumer-friendly interfaces have made the social media as the main arena in the channelling of information today.
It cannot be denied that this domination has prompted some people to make social media as their main reference source which they perceive to have an authority as authentic guides, Dr Lilly said.
Thus, the phenomenon of information explosion has the potential to impact the way people study.
Now, the culture of studying from books or researching written material from authentic sources are no longer popular or prevalent, because all are readily available in the cyber world, including the social media.
Dr Lilly Suzana binti Haji Shamsu, the Director of the Centre for Public and International Relations and the Dean of the Faculty of Usuluddin at Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), speaks at the event.
Dr Adam bin Haji Jait, Director of Technology and Multimedia Centre at UNISSA, giving a talk at the event.
Usually, it is rare to find information in social media that lists sources; in fact the original writer or sender of the information is difficult to trace.
In this regard Dr Lilly offered some ways for people, especially women, to make sure that the information related to them are safe to consume. This is important because there are so many women’s issues that are being disseminated through social media, she added.
Dr Adam spelled out the pros and cons of social media in relation to its impact on Muslims.
Prior to going into details, he said he had conducted a survey in which he asked people on issues concerning individuals who are unable to obstinate themselves from using the social media platforms such as WhatsApp even during performing religious activities.
Besides stating many positive benefits of social media, Dr Adam spelled out some negatives.
He said social media has also become a source for the development of social ills, and many of the information in social media are false.
The rampant use of social media, which also distribute non-beneficial knowledge, has negatively affected person-to-person communication.
Dr Adam also put up some suggestions on the principled and ethical use of social media.
He underscored the need to provide a civic education curriculum on the use of social media at schools as well as to conduct awareness campaigns to provide guidelines in inculcating ethical use of social media in the public sector.
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