social media essay for upsc

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ESSAY STRATEGY By Anudeep Durishetty, UPSC Civil Services Exam Topper, All India Rank – 1 CSE-2017 – How to write a good Essay in UPSC Mains, Explained 

Essay strategy.

How to write a good Essay in UPSC Mains, Explained 

By Anudeep Durishetty

UPSC Civil Services Exam Topper, All India Rank – 1 CSE-2017

Novelist Stephen King put it beautifully when he said, “I write to find out what I think.” 

Writing is a window to your thought process. What you write on paper will tell the reader how you think, how you argue and the way you substantiate your viewpoint. This is why for most competitive examinations and academic entrance tests, essay is mandatory. 

In the Civil Services Exam too, we have a paper worth 250 marks, equivalent to a General Studies paper. Despite its importance, essay paper often does not get the attention it deserves from aspirants. First timers think they will write an excellent essay in the final exam itself, whereas experienced aspirants believe that since they had already studied a ton for GS, it will alone be enough to write a good essay. This is a fatal miscalculation. 

I was one of those who made these errors in the past, and it is not a coincidence that I scored only 100 in CSE 2015. But in 2017, I devoted adequate time to this paper. I collected useful quotes, prepared notes and even made rough essay drafts for frequently asked topics. All this effort in essay paper helped me score 155. 

What follows is an elaborate post on how you should tackle the Essay paper. I’ve organised the content as follows: 

What UPSC says about the essay paper 

• How and from where to prepare? 

Improving language and expression 

• On subheadings and rough drafts 
• What you must avoid 
• How to write a powerful introduction? 
• Developing the content of an Essay 

Substantiating your arguments 

• How to conclude an Essay 
• My notes, quote collection and sample essays 

“Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics. They will be expected to  keep closely to the subject of the essay,   to arrange their ideas in an orderly fashion, and to write concisely . Credit will be given for  effective and exact expression .”  

Essay distinguishes itself from GS in the sense that in GS, marks will be awarded purely for content. But in essay, examiners will pay special attention to not just the content, but also the language, coherence and the way you organise your write-up. 

So you must take adequate care to arrange your ideas properly and not commit any fundamental spelling or grammatical errors. 

How and from where to prepare?  

Most of the content you write in Essay will come from your GS preparation. Apart from this, the following sources will help: 

• Reading non-fiction  helps you develop a matured thought process. Apart from imparting knowledge, they will also let you come across good figures of speech, art of argumentation, powerful rhetoric and unique content etc. For example, in an essay on Artificial Intelligence, I took arguments from Yuval Harari’s  Homo Deus  to argue that AI is an imminent threat to humanity. Or if you read  Why Nations Fail,  a book replete with examples, you will understand the importance of innovation, political and economic freedoms in propelling a nation forward. So my suggestion is, apart from UPSC related material, develop the hobby of reading non-fiction books. I do not mean to suggest that you should start reading one  non-fiction book per topic to get good scores in Essay, but reading them occasionally in your free time will benefit you in the long run. 
• Referring to specific magazines:  For certain topics, you can refer to specific issues of Yojana/EPW/Economic Survey etc. Example: for an essay on tribal issues or public health, you can go through specific issues of these magazines for getting the latest statistics (IMR, MMR, malnutrition levels etc) and also about the positives and criticisms of govt schemes in that sector. 
• Collecting good stories/anecdotes and quotes  Anecdotes, quotes and real life stories you see in newspapers and books which can be used in essay should be noted down. In most of my essays, I used to start with a relevant story or an anecdote that has the essay topic as its underlying theme. Apart from these, I also used a couple of quotes of eminent persons. 

         List of quotes, anecdotes I collected are available in the link at the end of this article.  

Language in essay must be simple and clear with as little jargon as possible. If you want to use complex definitional terms such as, say, ‘Constitutionalism’ or ‘Sanskritisation’ please define it in sentence just before you use it. Examiner will also understand clearly what you want to convey. Clear writing is clear thinking. And that is what any reader looks for. 

Keep your sentences short and powerful. Long, winding sentences makes it difficult to read and understand. If you tack on one clause after another through conjunctions, what you get is a bad sentence sprawl.   

Example of a bad sentence sprawl: 

At the end of World War 2, on the one hand, while capitalism was successfully championed by the nations in North America and Europe, on the other hand, it was USSR that put Communism at the forefront due to which there was an ideological clash between the  the  two superpowers which had led to proxy wars in various parts of the globe, a nuclear arms race and a rapid deterioration of the security of the world.  

(By the time readers finish reading it, they will lose their breath and the point of the sentence) 

So I had a simple rule: If you run out of your breath while  reading a sentence, then probably you will have to break it into two. 

Rewriting the aforementioned example after breaking it into two (which makes it much easier to read and comprehend): 

After World War 2, while the North American and European nations championed capitalism, USSR put communism at the forefront. This ideological clash between the superpowers led to several proxy wars, a nuclear arms race and a rapid deterioration of world security.  

Vocabulary   

There is no need to memorise complex words for writing a good essay. But an occasional use of a powerful word, or a good phrase definitely gives your write-up an edge. 

Also, I believe that learning numerous words by rote will not make them stick in your brain for long. The best way to build your vocabulary is by reading non-fiction and English newspapers. While reading these, if you come across a good turn of phrase, or a word that you don’t recognise, please note it down in a book, find its meaning and understand the context in which the word was used. This helps in long term memory. Having a dictionary app on your phone also helps. 

Building vocabulary is a slow process, but with consistency, anyone can become better at using an expansive set of words. 

Subheadings & Rough Drafts 

We can be a little innovative in our subheadings. Instead of bland subheadings such as ‘ Benefits of Nuclear Energy’  we can use “ Nuclear Energy: Promise or Peril?’  Similarly, for the essay on Social Media, instead of writing ‘ Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media ’, I wrote  “Social Media: A Double Edged Sword”  

You can find my collection of a few such subheadings in the link to my notes, given at the end of the article. 

I also prepared a rough draft for a few essay topics (link given at the end). You may need to modify the structure as per the demand of the question. 

What you must avoid in Essay 

• Do not focus excessively only on one point, or one dimension (such as the historical or political aspect) Your essay needs to be expansive and multi-dimensional. 
• During preparation, we read a lot and it’s understandable that we feel strongly about certain topics. And since essay offers freedom to write, it’s very easy to get carried away with such a topic. But make sure that you write what is asked, not what you know or feel like. No  mann   ki   baat . Always stick to the subject of the topic. It helps to read the question in the midst of your essay to ensure that you are not steering away from the topic. 
• If you are not comfortable writing about abstract philosophical topics (I am terrible at writing them), avoid such questions. Your choice of topic has no bearing on the marks and that is why, selecting an unpopular topic just for the sake of it is unwise. Also, if there’s a technical term in the question, be doubly sure that you understand it correctly. For instance, in 2014, there was a question on ‘standard tests’, which is a technical term. I misunderstood it and wrote a generic essay. I got 112. 
• When you take a final stand on an issue, it’s best to avoid extreme or highly unpopular opinions. We are free to have any opinion in the privacy of our minds, but in UPSC essay why take that risk? For instance, in an essay on Capital Punishment, in the main body content, you should present a case for both abolition and retention. But when you take a stance, it’s best to be an abolitionist. 
• No ranting. You might be a great fan of Karl Marx, but if there’s a question on Capitalism, do not rant or rail against it  You must present both the positives and negatives of Capitalism and end the essay on a balanced note. 
• Do not dedicate disproportionate amount of time for the first essay and scamper through the second. Both carry equal marks, so please invest equal time. 

How to transition smoothly from one para to the next 

This can be done in three ways. 

Through a link sentence at the end of a para:  

Here, at the end of a para, you write a sentence that signals to the examiner what’s coming next. For example, let’s say you have just written a para about the threat posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) to jobs. At the end of that para you can write a link sentence—   “Further, we must be mindful of the fact that Artificial Intelligence poses a major challenge not just economically, but also ethically.”  And in the next para, you can write about the ethical issues concerning AI. 

Through a question:    

Instead of a link sentence, you can also add a question at the end of a para so that examiner’s attention is helplessly carried to the next. To take the similar example as above, the question can be something like—   “Thus we have examined the threat posed by AI to our economy, but what about the challenges brought by AI to our ethics and morals?”  And in the next para, you can write about the ethical issues concerning AI. 

Signalling the shift at the start of next paragraph: 

Here you can simply add a word or two at the beginning of a para that signals a shift in your subtopic. For example in an essay on  Globalisation , let’s say you have just written a para about its historical evolution and impact. You can start the next para with something like—  “Politically too, globalisation has had a tremendous impact……” This way examiner immediately knows what to expect. 

These steps will ensure that the transition between paragraphs is not abrupt. 

How to write a good Introduction to your Essay? 

Essay introduction can be: 

a fictitious incident or story (where you introduce a character);  a real life anecdote;  a quote; or  a simple definition of the words in the question (not recommended in Essay) 

In GS, definitional approach is a great way to introduce your answers. But in essay, they are rather stale, lacking in any human element. I always believe that a good way to start your essay is to have that touch of humanity and warmth in your introduction. 

In my Mains exam, this was my introduction to the essay ‘Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classroom’ 

“The year was 1945. Towards the end of a gruesome world war, the world powers decided to carve up the Korean peninsula along the 38th parallel.  

“Before partition, North and South Korea might have been homogeneous in every respect, but after the division, they steered onto different paths. While schools in the North chose to ‘educate’ their children in the worship of a cult leader, ideological indoctrination and servility, its southern counterpart focused on liberal education, innovation and economic growth.  

“Today, almost seven decades later, the difference in the fates of these people and the trajectories of both these nations cannot be more stark. One is known for gross violation of human rights, while the other a champion of liberal democracy. One is known for gut-wrenching poverty, while the other unbridled prosperity.  

“This only proves the age old adage that the destiny of a nation is indeed shaped in its classrooms.”  

Similarly, for the Social Media essay, my introduction sought to bring to the fore the paradox of Social Media. I wrote on how social media was leveraged to crowdsource help and rescue during Chennai floods in 2015. At the same time, I mentioned how it was used nefariously in 2012 to cause mass exodus of northeast people from Bangalore. And taking cue from this introduction, in the main body, I discussed about the inherent selfishness and altruism associated with social media. 

These real life stories, anecdotes and incidents are everywhere in our books and newspapers. So when you come across them, note down and ponder as to how you can use them in your essay.   

Developing the Main Content from the Topic 

This is like spinning the web from a thread. Depending on the topic, you can choose among the following options that fits best. 

• Temporal : Past, present and future 
• Sectoral :  Media, Science & Tech, Business, Sports, Religion, Politics, Administration etc 
• Walks of Life : Individual, Family, Professional workplace, Society, Community, National, Global 
• Problem & Solution:  Concept (historical evolution+status), benefits, problems, solutions 
• Standard : Social, Political, Economical, Administrative, International, Environmental, Historical, Scientific, Security/Defence, Legal 

Example: for a topic like  “Has  Globalisation  delivered on its promise?”  I find the problem & solution method an apt way to develop your narrative. So choose as per the question. 

In the main body of the essay, each para must have an argument or an idea and a reasoning to back that argument. You can substantiate it through a real life example, a statistic, an authentic committee or organisational report etc. 

For example, if you are arguing that Capital punishment is an expensive form of justice, you should be able to given an example or a statistic or Law Commission’s opinion as to how the subjects of death penalty are overwhelmingly from poor communities. 

Statistics, examples, expert opinions and constitutional provisions are crucial and they make your arguments authoritative. 

Concluding an Essay 

Conclusion needs to be on  a futuristic, optimistic note. You need to summarise the complete essay in 3-4 sentences, after which you can write your vision for future. 

You can source some useful terms from the speeches of PM Modi. Phrases like  Sabka   saath   sabka   vikas ,  Reform-Perform-Transform, Building A New India  etc can come handy.  Rhetoric, lofty expressions, constitutional ideals, sanskrit slokas and quotes are a good way to conclude your essay. 

But suppose in your introduction, if you had written about a fictitious character, then it’s always advisable to end your write-up with a reference to that character. It gives a sense of completeness to the essay. 

Readers should keep in mind that these notes are written rather haphazardly (I mean who makes notes thinking that in future, they might have to upload them publicly :D)  

They are fragmented in certain pages, so you may not be able to comprehend them completely, but nevertheless I hope you take home something useful.  

Link to handwritten notes: 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jmVMGOzAk2d9B5Y0HQ9XpVF5Mh2IXGku  

Quote collection:  

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jk71jLao60hHwJoTuGYaIDgJWccxa5Xn  

List of Topics one needs to prepare:  

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1q0W0PeH-80EKt6ucJTFOVPUlmXvCIzd-  

Sample Essay:    

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jqfUi1FXdG0icBdJpdQvwH1wlAizCMvo  

https://anudeepdurishetty.in/my-upsc-marksheet/

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Social Media and its Impact on Society – UPSC Notes

Table of Contents

Social media is a big platform that plays a vital role in the modern world. Fascinating parts of social media evolve in keeping touch with family and friends on a real time basis. This platform has strengthened relationships and it brings people to an entirely different viewpoint of life culture that was not possible in the past. Social media influencers have a great impact on many people and especially youngsters.

Social media are computer mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information and ideas via virtual communities and networks. Social media platforms provided Indians with a platform to raise their voice against injustice and inequality. People from the underprivileged society have always been suppressed by the upper class. Social media websites such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitter gave opportunities to common people to earn fame and thereby resulted in the rise of social media influencers.

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Impact of Social media on Indian Society

In 2004, Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook as a way to connect with fellow students. Initially adopted by high school and college students, the social network, according to its 2012 initial public offering filing, has grown to 845 million active users worldwide, with approximately 161 million active monthly users in the US, making it the premiere social media service in the world.

If Facebook were a country it would be the third largest behind China and India. Launched in July 2006, Twitter is an online social networking and micro blogging service that has grown to over 300 million users as of 2011, according to account tracker two charts. It allows users to exchange photos, videos, and messages of 140 characters or less. Founded in 2005 by Steve Chen and Chad Hurley, YouTube provides a forum for the distribution of video content – everything from cute kittens sleeping to first-run television programs to eyewitness.

Information on the latest happenings reaches people in just a matter of minutes even in the remotest corners of the country. The easy and swift availability of information makes social media one of the most reliable sources for forming public opinion. It bridges the gap between the leaders and the masses by becoming their channel of communication.

The technology is incredible – the possibilities of mobile apps and the Internet are truly endless. Social media takes science and technology and mixes it with two fundamental human needs, relationships and communication. The discussion on the advantages of social media is a never ending saga. Unleashing the unearthed potential of social media is one of the best ways of making the future of mankind endlessly exciting.

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• Education –  Information can be searched as well as gathered by the students regarding their study and particular subject. Many students who cannot attend classes regularly they can choose distance mode of learning which is easily available on the Internet. Pedagogues may send material about class activities, workshop, seminar, school/college events and assignments on social media which would be very useful to them. Information and communication technology provides us with different learning tools such as podcast, blog, Wikipedia, e-learning and m-learning mode of education.
• Family Relations – World has become a global village, due to globalization. In these days, Students are going to Leeds for their further studies. Indian people mostly settled outside India or some other part of the country. Social media plays pivotal role keeping them in touch or connected with their family members. Voice as well as video calls do not let them feel that they are far away from their home and country.
• Entrepreneurship – In these days, the role of social media in entrepreneurship and consumer market cannot be sabotaged. Social media has changed the behaviour of the consumers in different ways. Social media, business and marketing is interrelated with each other. Television, newspaper, radio and other traditional marketing tools were used for marketing and sell the products by the troupes. With the use of social media, marketers have more options in terms of communications, opportunities, and support for advertising.
• Online Shopping – Today, most of the multitude are passionate in order to purchase different types of products through online shopping. Hence, the vogue of online shopping is increasing prevalence fleetly the world over. Masses achieve chances in order to become excessive if they buy products by online shopping. At the present time maximum top class multinational troupes advertise their products by different shopping sites such as Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Flipcart, Alibaba and the rest.
• Entertainment –  Social media plays a phenomenal role to entertain the people with different ways. Infinite number of people uses social media as their source of entertainment rather than watching serials, news and movies on Television. Now social media is not only used for transferring information and communication tool but widely used for entertainment purpose. Social media users watch online movies, news, live cricket matches, listening to music and send the related links to their companions. Nowadays, video games such as PUBG, Ludo King, Candy Crush et cetera are being downloaded and played by the Indian youth. Adolescents kill most of their time to play online video games on their smart phones.
• Social-media and Indian Politics – Social media is now being used by Indian politicians and plays pivotal role in Indian politics. In Lok Sabha elections 2014 Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has been using the services provided by the social media and convinces the people, achieved their votes and succeeded. Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India now The Prime Minister has crossed 44 Million followers on Twitter. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also has achieved great success and popularity on social media. These media forms extensively were used by the leaders of AAP to share the current activities, schemes for public welfare, meetings and other work done by them for the public.
• Social-media, Rumours and Corona Virus – The Government of India has recently issued written advise to companies providing platforms such as Face book, Twitter, YouTube, Shareit instructing them to ensure that do not allow the exchange of any factual information related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Another aspect of the negative role of social media in the corona incident was that a miscreant in a city in Madhya Pradesh spread a Rumours that an attempt could be made to inject people with the corona vaccine, which resulted in it so happened that a team of doctors and police personnel who had gone to treat.
• Recruitment and Social Media – Social media and recruitment mutually dependent with each other. Social media is becoming essential part of recruiting agencies. Popular social media applications such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Workable are used by the recruiting firms to determine the new skills, employees and workers. Craftsperson hiring through traditional method was evolved from perception whereas using social media it is based upon reciprocal action and direct communication. Hence, Recruitment through Social media is beneficial for unemployed to get good jobs with handsome salaries.

Social media platforms

• Social networking sites- Facebook, Google Plus, CafeMom, Gather, Fit sugar
• Micro-blogging sites- Twitter, Tumblr, Prosperous
• Publishing tools- WordPress, Blogger, Squarespace
• Collaboration tools- Wikipedia, WikiTravel, WikiBooks
• Rating/Review sites- Amazon ratings, Angie’s List
• Photo sharing sites- Flikr, Instagram, Pinterest
• Video sharing sites- YouTube, Vimeo, Viddler
• Personal broadcasting tools- Blog Talk radio, Upstream , Livestream
• Virtual worlds- Second Life, World of Warcraft, Farmville
• Location based services- Check-ins, Facebook Places, Foursquare, Yelp
• Widgets- Profile badges, Like buttons
• Social bookmarking and news aggregation- Digg, Delicious

Misuse of Social media

• Society and its conflicts manifest themselves in what has come to be known as “fake news” — and the internet does aid its rapid distribution.
• That is not the malaise of the internet or social media platforms, however.
• It is the actors, very often, competing political and other special interests which are producers of such content.
• India has reflected these conflicts and contestations for ages but our democratic spirit and tradition have endured much more than identity discord.
• In August 2012, photos and cross-border propaganda material was misused and spread, sparking panic among people from the north-eastern region residing in Bangalore; the episode even caused a large-scale migration of people from the north-east back to their home states.
• Rumours were authenticated as “news” and these were published widely.

Social media influencers impact on youth

Social media influencers have the power to impact the daily lives of youngsters. However, many young people are increasingly aware of the influence social media celebrities have. So, they can choose the good and leave the bad. But, influencers have the responsibility to be ethical. 

In this world of technology, where almost every teenager has access to social media, there has to be an impact of it, either positive or negative. And since the current rise in social media influencers and the power of the influence, this impact is significant.

• People trust social media influencers more than traditional celebrities because they are more relatable having the image of a girl/boy next door. Followers and especially youngsters feel closer to the influencers they follow because influencers interact with them frequently. And hence many youngsters follow social media influencers religiously and are influenced by what they say and promote.
• As youngsters are spending more time on social media than people of other age groups, social media influencers have more impact on youngsters than others.
• Brands are also preferring to collaborate with social media influencers over traditional celebrities due to the influence they have on youngsters, and also because the sponsored content is easily blended into the normal content of influencers. Influencer marketing is on the rise and is affecting the purchasing behaviour of youngsters. Moreover, youngsters are more likely to research the product before buying. And they will check the reviews by the influencers they follow.
• Some influencers do not mention whether the content they created is sponsored or not. They promote products for money and mislead the youngsters. A few influencers are also creating paid content in favour of political parties. As followers do not know that it is paid content, they are likely to believe it and may get influenced.
• The food habits of the youngsters are also shaping up by the influencers they follow.
• As influencers are creating attention-grabbing content, several youngsters are wasting their precious time by watching the content.
• Some influencers fake perfect bodies and perfect lives. So, some youngsters are comparing them with those influencers and are feeling insecure. This is resulting in low self-esteem, mental health issues, cosmetic surgeries and materialism. This influences identity formation too.
• Youngsters are listening to different world views and perspectives from social media influencers.
• Some social media influencers genuinely review the products they used. By watching their reviews, people are saving money and are avoiding bad purchases.
• There are so many influencers on social media that promote positive things such as body positivity, financial awareness, ethical values etc.
• With great power comes great responsibility. So, social media influencers should be socially responsible. They should avoid doing things that have the possibility of influencing people negatively.
• Youngsters should be aware of the influence social media influencers have on them and need to make conscious decisions. They should choose to follow genuine influencers who are ethical and socially responsible.
• Parents and teachers also have the responsibility to make their children aware of the positive and negative impact of social media celebrities on their daily lives.
• Regulations should be there on influencer marketing to mitigate the negative impact and to prevent the misuse of fame.

Negative impact

Social media is a digital platform that allows its users to create and share the content of their choice with people. Social media has command on a wide range of websites and apps. It has made its importance in our lives in a very short period. It has become a necessary daily activity for people. Social media enables its users to stay in contact by making communication easier.

Social media can adversely affect the thinking capability of individuals and instill negative or destructive precepts in society. As said before, social media has the power to form and alter opinions. It can portray an ordinary event so negatively that it may force people to think or act in quite the opposite way. Social media glorifies violence and contains graphic descriptions or images. When viewed by the vulnerable sections of the society, i.e., the children, it can have grave effects on their upcoming and thinking patterns.

The Challenges of Social Media

Social media has been blamed for promoting social ills such as:

Cyberbullying:

Teenagers need to fit in, to be popular, and to out-think others. This process was challenging long before the advent of social media. Add Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram into the mix, and you suddenly have teenagers subjected to feeling pressure to grow up too fast in an online world.

It also found that almost 15 percent admitted to having cyberbullied someone at least once, and nearly 11 percent admitting to doing it two or more times. Teenagers can misuse social media platforms to spread rumors, share videos aimed at destroying reputations, and to blackmail others.

Lack of Privacy: Stalking, identity theft, personal attacks, and misuse of information are some of the threats faced by social media users. Most of the time, the users themselves are to blame as they share content that should not be in the public eye. The confusion arises from a lack of understanding of how the private and public elements of an online profile actually work.Unfortunately, by the time private content is deleted, it’s usually too late. and the content can cause problems in people’s personal and professional lives.

Advantages and Disadvantages of impact of Social media on Society

• Social Media Used for Promotion and Advertising
• Social Media Helps in Connectivity Between the People
• Social Media Helps Government
• Social Media Increase in Human Interaction
• Social Media Spread Information Fast
• Social Media Used for the Noble Causes
• Social Media Drive Traffic To Your Website
• Social Media Improves Business Reputation
• Social Media Used for Entertainment
• Social Media Use for Awareness
• Social Media Used for Professional Growth
• Social Media is a Source of the Latest Information and Update
• Social Media Helps in Educations
• Social Media Help in Building Communities of the People
• Social Media Reach Large Audiences
• Using Social Media for Job Search
• Social Media Direct Connection To Audiences/Customer Interaction
• Social Media Cost-Effective
• Social Media Used for Communication
• Social Media Brand Loyalty
• Social Media Used for Hacking
• Social Media Cause Security Issues
• Social Media Cause Health Issues
• Social Media Bullying or Cyberbullying
• Time Wasting on Using Social Media
• Social Media Causes Sleep Problems
• Decreases Face-to-Face Communication Skills
• Social Media Spread Fake News Very Fast
• You can Receive Negative Feedback on Social Media
• Social Media Negative Effects on Family Relationships
• Social Media Causes Depression and Loneliness
• Social Media Causes Distraction
• Social Media Ruin Reputation
• Addiction of the People to Social Media
• Cheating and Relationship Issues on Social Media
• Social Media Negative Impact on Children
• Start Using Drugs and Alcohol
• Fraud and Scams on Social Media Platforms
• Social Media Causes Death

Social media attracts a wide audience that reinforces the sustainability of more development initiatives in information and communication technologies among the youths as a prime goal for their empowerment, leading to national and economic integration. Social media is of immense importance in connecting deprived nations to the outside world, being a relentless platform which advocates hard core issues to celebrations of a nation. About 150 million people in India are online active users of the various social media and email platforms who see these technologies as a logical extension of traditional communication methods, and perceive social networking sites as a much quicker and more convenient way to interact. But it is up to us to make the media do certain things for us or else the media will make us do it.

Here you can Download the Pdf of Social Media and its Impact on Society – UPSC Notes.

Download Pdf of Social Media and its Impact on Society – UPSC Notes.

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Social media and its impact on Indian society

"The Power of Social Media is that, it forces Necessary Change." Social media are computer mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information and ideas via virtual communities and networks. Users typically access social media service via web-based technologies on their personal computers or smart-phones. Users can create highly interactive platforms through which individuals, communities and organizers can share, co-create, discuss and modify content posted online. It changes the way individuals and large organizations communicate. Its outlet operates in a dialogic transmission method, i.e.; many sources to many receivers, in context to the traditional media which operates under a monologic transmission method, i.e.; one source to many receivers. Some of the most popular social media websites are Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. In the recent years, social media has played a pivotal role in knitting the fabric of the Indian society. It has changed the Indian society from a naive society to a mature one.

Social media platforms provided Indians with a platform to raise their voice against injustice and inequality. People from the underprivileged society have always been suppressed by the upper class. Such oppressed people are now taking up their cases to social media to let the world know of the adversities done to them. A few decades ago, if a farmer died due to non-repayment of loans, only the family mourned for the loss. But today, if the same happens, the entire nation seems to empathize with the death of such farmers; NGOs too get an impetus with the rising awareness of the concerns.

Social media is not only confined to the common man but also the politicians. It plays a huge role in creating good image of the politicians and influences the public to great extent. It's the real game changer with leaders having million fans on Twitter and supporters on Facebook and Google+. Former American president, Mr. Barack Obama and former Australian PM, Mrs. Julia Gillard hosted political conferences on Google+ hangouts and this trend was later followed by our Honorable PM, Mr. Narendra Modi when he was the Chief-Minister of Gujarat. Even now, PM Modi is one of the most popular and influential politician active on social media. Even Anna Hazzare's social media campaign against Corruption in India was a huge success.

Role of social media in business and consumer market in India cannot be undermined. Social media is used by various brands to build communities for interaction and spreading awareness about their services. Every organization, be it big or small, has an online presence on various social media platforms. It also provides useful information about the behavior of customer to the organization on regular basis.

However like every good thing, it has a flip side as well. Yes, social media has various negative impacts like privacy issues, information overloads and internet fraud. Though various social networking sites have come up "Privacy Setting" facilities, yet we see many cases of privacy invasion and leakage of personal information. Individual have thousands friends on their "friend list" but none in real that one can count upon. Thus people end up being lonely in the real world. Researchers have found that hyper-networking leads to negative health behavior leading to laziness, obesity, depression, drug abuse, isolation or in the worst cases it may even lead to suicide.

There are times when companies face a scenario where disgruntled employees speak their minds defaming the company's good name. Social media platforms have also been famous for defaming and negatively portraying brands, companies, celebrities as well as members of general public.

Social media has made the world a small space by allowing mass cultural exchange and intercultural communication. Such cultural mergers have proved to be ruinous for the Indian society. India being a secular country is a home for the people of various religious and cultural beliefs. When these beliefs clash the consequences are unpleasant. A mere comment or opinion on a certain belief on social media spreads like fire leading to ugly riots and destructive rallies. Thus creating disturbance in life of common man.

Social media and use of social networking sites is a trend that almost every Indian follows. Social media helps to improve an individual's sense of connectedness with the real or online communities. It is an effective marketing tool for corporations, entrepreneurs, NGOs, etc. At the same time, concern have been raised about possible links between its heavy usage and its ill effects on health issues or cyber bullying, online harassment and trolling. Just as everything has some good and bad side so is social media. Its impact on Indian society totally depends on how and why we Indians use it.

- Ananya Mohanty

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Social Media Essay – Advantages & Disadvantages or Pro & Cons

Social Media? What is the first thought that comes to your mind when you hear this word? As we all know, every one of us is aware of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. Some of the other ways each one of us uses social media nowadays. Further, one needs to know how to use them and limit yourself from using them. No doubt, it is one of the popular topics for writing essays in many competitive exams. Therefore, in this article, we have covered all information related to the Social Media Essay, advantages, benefits, and disadvantages of social media. Read the article and understand how you can make your social media essay effective by including the pros and cons of social media.

Introduction

To begin with, the use of social media has become a necessity of life. Further, it is easy to get information and know what your close ones are doing. It is beneficial for learning about new places, donations, the latest news about the world, all kinds of events, etc. We have seen how social media played a major role in creating awareness during pandemics. It helped by providing all the essential details of taking, vaccination details, and other details. However, we all know it can be anything; it has advantages and disadvantages. So, social media can be addictive, especially in the younger generation. Therefore, one must be careful while using social media and know your limit.

Social Media Essay

Whenever you write a social media essay, you need to structure it well. One should follow it with an introduction, main body, and conclusion. Further, one needs to add relevant points instead of stuffing words. So, whenever you get a topic, try to collect points and start writing. As there are many topics for essay writing, if you go through the previous year’s question papers, you will come to know which are the trending topics, you can prepare for the essential topics accordingly.

Further, with social media essay, you can give a brief introduction. Then, in the introduction part, please provide an overview of the essay, and in the main body, try to add all relevant points it can advantages facts, etc. Further, in conclusion, summarize all points you have included in the main body.

Let us learn more about adding more points to the Social Media Essay. Adding benefits, disadvantages of social media in social media essay makes your essay an effective one.

Also, understand digital media. Click here for more information on the same.

Facts of Social Media

• The worldwide population is 7.7 billion, and the internet has 4.4 billion users. However, this number is increasing day by day.
• Further, there are nearly 3.5 billion active social media users, and every 6.4 seconds, a new account has been created.
• Facebook has 2.7 billion active monthly users worldwide and has around 500.000 new users every single day.
• Further, with respect to Instagram, more than a 500million of these use the platform daily. Besides, 95 million photos are uploaded to Instagram daily.
• One of the important things is    71% of US businesses use Instagram. Around 80% of users make their purchase decision with the help of Instagram.
• Youtube, nearly 2 billion users visit YouTube every single day, and 60% of people prefer to watch online video platforms like YouTube.
• Further, more than 500 hours of video content is uploaded to YouTube every single minute.

These are some of the facts related to social media. However, concerning each social media, there are many facts. After reading the above points, one can easily say that social media has become a necessity in some way. Further, with no doubt number of users on various platforms is increasing day by day. Further, we will look into the pros and cons of social media.

Advantages of Social Media

Further, we will understand the advantages or benefits of using Social Media. Try to add some in the social media essay writing in the exam.

• There are various advantages of using social media. In the first place, it is easy to get connected with friends and family. Use Facebook, Instagram one can easily reach out to friends who are staying away from you.
• Further, it helps you in providing the latest information related to technology, events, health awareness, education, etc. Along with news, even on social media, you will find all details.
• As we all know now, there is a concept called social media marketing, which is nothing but all kinds of businesses that promote business through various social media platforms.
• If you have observed, it also provides a great platform for young budding artists to showcase their talent. It can also provide you with employment offers.
• Social Media plays a vital role in creating awareness about various things, especially with covid-19. Through social media, one was able to help each other. Besides, it played an important role in bringing out stories of ‘Metoo’ victims.

Disadvatages of Social Media

As we all know, everything comes with the advantages and disadvantages of social media. Let us look at the below points and try to add them to the social media essay. But, make sure that you are a few relevant points only.

• In the first place, one should take care of their privacy policy. It is important for one to understand how various platforms work and their privacy policy. If you fail to understand this, one can easily hack your accounts and can misuse your data.
• Further, school-going children also use social media these days. Addiction to social media can harm the academic performance of students. However, it is the responsibility of parents to restrict their children from using mobile or social media. As there is the right time for everything and now it is a time to concentrate on the studies.
• Besides, many, especially youngsters, pretend to be happy on their social media, and we don’t know if they are happy in their real happiness. Also, there are some people who easily get influenced by other people. Well, if it is in a positive way, it’s good. But, it should not negatively affect anyone.
• One must take care of various things like Women facing cyber rape and fake news. Sometimes it also creates false notions about beauty and physical standards. This makes to feel low about their looks and their body. Therefore, the use of social media is in our hands, it depends on you how you will make you live better by use of social media with positive thoughts. There can be other disadvantages of social media, but try to add only important one in the exam.

Conclusion – Social Media Essay

This article will give you all the important information for Social Media Essay writing. Further, you will get details like the benefits of social media, the pros and cons of social media, and other information. Essay writing is one of the essential things in the UPSC main exam. One must refer to the previous year’s papers to understand the trending topics for the exam. It is impossible to study everything, and one can understand essential topics and collect information on them. It is also important not to add too much information and make it lengthier. Keep it relevant, and don’t add too much. Further, one needs to know how to write a perfect essay.

Therefore, we have added all the essay writing suggestions and tips. Read More . Further, in the IAS main exam, you will find essay writing questions. So, it is important for one to practice for the exam. If you are looking for the IAS exam details and what are the important topics for the essay writing. To help you with the same we have added essential details, that will help you with the exam preparations. Click Here . We suggest one to write all the important points in your words and it will help you with the exam. You can refer same for the exam.

Social media helps to create awareness of various things. It also helps you to get the latest details.

Understand the topic and structure your social media essay well. Include a proper introduction, main part, and the conclusion part.

Some of the social platforms are Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and Snapchat.

Editor’s Note | Social Media Essay

In summary, you will get to know things like the benefits of social media, pros and cons, and advantages and disadvantages of social media. These all things are important to know for the Social Media Essay writing for the UPSC exam. In a world, many are using social media, and it can be for their personal use or for their business. Social Media have become part of our lives. Further, for Social Media Essay, one needs to know to collect all the necessary details and write Social Media Essay.

By reading the above article, you will get enough information to help you write Social Media Essay for the IAS exam. As we all know about the IAS exam syllabus, it becomes important for one to know about the paper pattern and prepare for the exam. Further, to this exam to clear one should work hard and put in all special efforts.

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SOCIAL MEDIA ESSAY FOR UPSC

Social media essay with 2022 data.

The Internet has turned our existence upside down. It has revolutionized human communications and interaction to the extent that it is now our preferred medium of everyday communication through the use of Social Media.

“ The internet is the largest experiment involving anarchy in history. It is a source for tremendous good and potentially dreadful evil, and we are only just beginning to witness its impact on the world stage. ” — Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman, Google

The term Social Media refers to web-based tools and technologies with common elements that facilitate users to interact with each other by sharing ideas, thoughts, and information in virtual communities and networks.

One of the most important impacts of social media in today’s world lies in its ability to distribute information to the whole world in real-time.

Today, Social Media has developed into the main source of information for a huge percentage of the world’s population, influencing their opinions, choices, and beliefs on every topic imaginable.

Extent Of Internet and Social Media

• The worldwide population is 8 billion, and the internet has 4.55 billion users. However, this number is increasing day by day.
• There are nearly 3.5 billion active social media users, and every 6.4 seconds, a new account has been created.

Internet users in India in 2022

• There were 658.0 million internet users in India in January 2022.
• India’s internet penetration rate stood at 47.0 percent of the total population at the start of 2022.

Social Media statistics for India in 2022

• There were 467.0 million social media users in India in January 2022.
• 33.4 percent of the total population of India is using Social Media.

The phenomenal rise of Social Media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and others is proving to be a double-edged sword in the functioning of democracies. On the one hand, it has democratized access to information but on the other hand, it has also posed new challenges which are now directly impacting our democracies and the people.

The recent Global pandemic situation has proved that Technology itself isn’t inherently good or bad. It comes down to how we use technology that matters.

Positive Role Played by Social Media in the Covid-19 pandemic

• A crucial conduit between families, friends, office, and a medium of entertainment.
• A reliable way for the victims of this virus to communicate with the outside world.
• Scientists were using social media tools to collaborate, allowing thousands of researchers to brainstorm possible solutions, cures, and explanations.
• Social Media played a big role in spreading precautionary preventive steps that one can take to fight Covid-19. These small changes in behaviors can have enormous consequences.
• WHO and other public health organizations also use social media to inform the public about the outbreak and control the panic.
• The Supreme Court of India also issued a directive that a daily bulletin system with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic be made active by the government through all media avenues, including social media and forums to clear people’s doubts and counter fake news.

It is common to hear about the benefits of social media, as well as the arguments against social media. Some would note that social media influences the importance of physical interaction and learning, driving people apart due to the lack of feeling and emotion while socializing online.

Like most things, using social media has its positives (the good), its cautionary tales (the bad), and dangers (the ugly) that lurk and impact the lives of many.

Benefits of Social Media

Democratisation of information – social media gives everyone an equal voice.

There are no gatekeepers when you publish via your social profile, (outside of each platform’s terms of use), you can write anything and anyone has the chance to view it. It has truly democratized media and given everyone a medium through which to be heard.

• Social media is allowing the democratization of knowledge and broader communication.
• Billions of netizens around the world now feel empowered to bypass traditional curators of information.
• They have also become creators and disseminators of content, not just consumers of it.

New Opportunities

• The rise of the virtual world provides voiceless people unprecedented opportunities to assert themselves and experience a sense of belongingness.
• The rise of several YouTubers as a medium of the profession is a testimony to the phenomenon.

Wider and Heterogeneous Communities

• Online communities are, geographically, much wider and more heterogeneous than physical communities.
• In the past, many communities in India were not allowed to participate in public discourses, organize themselves and advance their thoughts and ideas.
• Their concerns, ideas, experiences, ambitions, and demands largely went unheard.

Cheap and Easy

• Today, creating content needs less investment than the brick and mortar or any other Physical setup.
• Very basic soft skills are required to use Social Media.
• With the assistance of technology, anyone can create competent, authentic, effective, and fresh online content.

Countering The Hegemony

• Social Media has also evolved as a tool to counter the hegemony or narrative of traditional players.
• It has provided an alternate source of Knowledge in a world where mainstream media has come under severe public criticism for fake news and propaganda.

More education

• Social media can also provide access to educational opportunities previously not available.
• You can learn how to do almost anything you seek via videos and ‘how-tos’ on the internet, changing the way we learn.

Direct Interaction with Government

• Today Social Media has empowered common people to directly interact with the government and avail of government services directly.
• Common people tagging Railways and other ministries and the agencies responding to them is common news these days.

Increased Usage

Former Google CEO and Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt said social media is an “addiction,” and companies are designed to “maximize outrage” in pursuit of revenue.

More time spent on social media can lead to cyberbullying, social anxiety, depression, and exposure to content that is not age appropriate.

Privacy of Personal Data

More and more information is being placed online, increasing the danger of hackers, companies, and malicious interlopers mining your data in ways that undermine personal privacy.

Hate speech and Rumor’s

• Hate speech and rumors in India have been responsible for acts of violence and deaths in many cases for quite some time.
• We are aware of the recent case when two sadhus and their driver were lynched in the Palghar district of Maharashtra.
• The incident was fuelled by WhatsApp rumors about thieves operating in the area and the group of villagers had mistaken the three passengers as thieves and killed them. Several policemen who intervened were also attacked and injured.
• Similarly, Hate Speech on Social Media had a big role in the Delhi Riots of 2020.
• A 2019 Microsoft study found that over 64% of Indians encounter fake news online, the highest reported amongst the 22 countries surveyed.
• There are a staggering number of edited images, manipulated videos, and fake text messages spreading through social media platforms and messaging services like WhatsApp making it harder to distinguish between misinformation and credible facts.

Online Trolling

• Trolling is the new byproduct of Social Media.
• Vigilantes take the law into their own hands and start trolling and threatening those who don’t agree with their views or narratives.
• It has led to anonymous trolls who attack the reputation of an individual.

Women Safety

• Women face cyberrape and threats that affect their dignity severely.
• There are many reported cases regarding cyberbullying, morphed and leaked photos and videos.

As we head closer to a developed society every single day, the scope of digitalization broadens.  

Recent Global pandemic situation has proved that, Technology itself isn’t inherently good or bad. It comes down to how we use technology that matters.

Like most things, using social media has its positives (the good), its cautionary tales (the bad), and dangers (the ugly) that lurk and impact the lives of many. If used correctly, it can be great, used poorly, it leads to problems.

A better and more effective approach is to Increase Media Literacy which helps user become wiser consumers of media as well as responsible producers of media.

Even though the extreme usage of social media is a debatable topic, we can never overlook the importance of social media and the immense opportunities that it provides its users.

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UPSC CSE Mains 2017 Essay Question Paper

Last updated on September 22, 2023 by ClearIAS Team

Table of Contents

Instructions:  Write  two  essays, choosing  one  from each of the following Section A and B, in about 1000-1200 words. 2*125 = Total 250 Marks.

Section – A

• Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for majority of farmers in India.
• Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India.
• Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms.
• Has the Non- Alignment Movement (NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world?

Section – B

• Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.
• Fulfillment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth.
• We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws.
• Social media is inherently a selfish medium.

Post your analysis and feedback about the question paper in the comment section below. You may compare the essay questions asked in 2017 mains with those of questions of 2016 mains as well.

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Reader Interactions

October 28, 2017 at 4:53 pm

I Find Section A Tough,Still I Would Have Gone With Question No 3.and In Section B With Question No 1.

No More Stress Only Blessings For All. Keep Learning and Keep Growing…..!!!

November 15, 2017 at 3:47 am

Do your best & leave the rest! I also choose the same!

November 15, 2017 at 7:02 am

Wish You The Same.

God Bless You With Love and Peace……!!!

October 28, 2017 at 5:46 pm

Wau. ..I have found all the questions great!!not so hard as I thought 😐😐😐

October 29, 2017 at 1:01 am

Please tell me Gitaji, where you practiced essays writing from? And good luck for next upcoming paper.

July 14, 2019 at 2:37 pm

From where u do the practice of essays please tell me this is the 1st time for me i will give exam

October 28, 2017 at 11:00 pm

wow. so superb subject given in the essays in this paper.

October 29, 2017 at 6:11 pm

you are right , I wrote on number 1 in section 1 and 3 in section 2

October 29, 2017 at 6:42 pm

Alka section A essays are easy but how to deal with section B type essays

November 15, 2017 at 3:52 am

It’s not the context, it’s content! Don’t go for odds my friends, try to do evens also! ‘PUSH THE PACE’

Go with for/against both perspective in an essay! Write the bulletin! Explain the point! START WITH THE PROGRESSING HEIGHTS (BUILDING UR EMOTIONS) & END WITH A POSITIVE CONCLUSION..

Enough 2 score 70% in any essay!

November 15, 2017 at 8:26 am

I found sec B difficult..I would have gone for Ques 4 in sec A and ques 2 in sec B..

June 17, 2018 at 2:34 pm

Sir I am a student B. Com and I want ias please gave me information study materials

July 1, 2018 at 9:59 am

sir , i am b.com second year student and want to prepare for IAS .i don’t know where to start .please tell me

July 8, 2019 at 10:14 pm

Sir I am going to prepare for UPSC but still not sure that this is the only thing I want,as there is no other option left for me after graduation I have to prepare for it but people say do what your heart says,here I want to ask a question that is it really important to have a very clear aim before preparing for it, people like me who are unsure about their aim can’t prepare for UPSC????

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MASS MEDIA AND SOCIAL CHANGE

Table of Contents

Relevance: Essay and  Sociology: 

Social change in modern society:, sociological theories of social change., development and dependency., agents of social change., education and social change., science, technology and social change..

Introduction:

The term „Social Change‟ is used to indicate the changes that take place in human interactions and interrelations. Any change that alters basically the established form of social relationships, thus transforming in some measure, the social structure, is social change. It includes alterations in the structure and functions of the society.

Mass media is a term used for dissemination of information, ideas and entertainment by uses of technological media such as radio and television, cinema, press and advertising.

They continue to coexist with important traditional media such as folk song and dance, drama, puppetry, etc. These all are referred to as mass media, because it communicates to a mass audience comprised of very large numbers of people.

Mass media has bring a process of digital revolution, in which a society prior to its traditional form of communication mode, changes rapidly in various forms and modes like socio-cultural, psychological, economic, political, etc.

It is an agent of social change. Mass media has been introduced in India through the process of westernization. Mass media is a device that can spread the requisite knowledge and attitudes quickly and widely.

Even David Lerner calls the mass media as “mobile multiplier”. Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan (1964) argued that different types of media have different effects on society . His famous dictum is “the medium is the message”.

A society is influenced much more by type of media than by content or messages which are conveyed by it . He further says that the electronic media tends to create a global village in which people throughout the world see major events unfold and hence participate in them together. We have been witnessing a process of convergence in production, distribution, consumption, etc. of information.

Newspapers can be read online, mobile phones use is exploding, and digital television with satellite broadcasting services allow an unprecedented diversity of choice for viewing audiences. With expansion of technologies such as voice recognition, broadband transmission, web casting and cable links, the internet threatens to erase distinction with traditional media and to become primary conduct for delivery of information, entertainment, advertising and commerce to media audiences.

Some recent changes in the mass media can be highlighted like:

• Development of interactive or social media
• Digitalization of data
• Satellite communications
• Online services, chat rooms, software libraries, electronic bulletin boards, etc.
• Constant improvement in capabilities of computers with declining costs
• Use of fiber optics

Functions of mass media

• Information:

The media provides us with a continuous flow of information about our society and the world, from webcams and radio reports alerting us to traffic jams, to rolling weather reports, the stock market and new stories about issues that might affect us personally.

• Correlation: The media explains and helps us to understand the meaning of the information it gives us. In this way the media provides support for established social norms and has an important role in the socialization of children, providing a shared framework for the interpretation of events.
• Continuity: The media has a certain function in expressing the dominant culture, recognizing new social developments and forging common values. It acts as the mirror and watchdog of society.
• Entertainment: The media provides amusement, a diversion from the rigors of work and acts to reduce social tensions. This is essentially the function of a release valve for society, allowing people to set aside their problems and conflicts, at least temporarily.
• Mobilization: The media can be used to encourage people to contribute to economic development, to support and uphold moral rules and to mobilize the population in times of war. This can be through very direct public campaigns, but also in much more subtle ways, such as the moral tales within soap operas or movies, for example.

Other functions:

• Newspapers and periodicals have played a tremendous role in bringing about change in the social outlook of masses. In rural India, radio and T.V. are still the most important source for public opinion and knowledge building because most of rural sections are still illiterate.
• Films are other effective audio-visual medium of entertainment and dissemination of ideas. It also has promoted change in dressing pattern, hairstyle, spoken language, mannerism and social norms. Programmes targeting youth and women empowerment have also been promoting social change.
• Cinema has tackled current social problems like untouchability, drug addiction, AIDS, tribal identity, etc. In order to educate the masses the film division has produced documentaries dealing with health, hygiene, farming, environment, illiteracy and other subjects and screened it throughout the country. It has make people aware about their rights and duties through programmes like Atulya Bharat, Satyameva Jayte, Polio Eradication campaigns, etc.
• It has also broadened the area of education by linking it with World Wide Web. EDUSAT satellite is the modern form of coverage. Student through smart classrooms can communicate with the world. Medical facilities have become standard through telecommunications.
• E-commerce and E-shopping are the new faces of economy. Money is now stored and travelled in electronic form. Online shops like Flipkart, Amazon, etc. have transformed a person into a buyer and a seller both.
• It has transformed the kids into smart tech bros where the can connect with world history, animal world and planets, scientific discoveries, etc. Dysfunctions
• The Frankfurt school saw modern mass media as part of the culture industry which threatened to stifle creativity and reduces the quality of cultural products. Especially with the effect of consumer culture industry, the local languages and their indigenous part is getting ruined. For e.g. The vulgarization of Bhojpuri through popular songs.
• Because of monopoly of big corporate agencies and MNCs, which are holding the news channels, the quality and authenticity of the news is getting affected. For e.g. the heavy cost of sacrificing social issues for the sake of paid news.
• T.V. channels for the sake of T.R.P. (television rating point) are producing fake and sometimes superstitious believes which creates sensation in the mindset. For e.g. one hour episodes on daily horoscopes, chamatkari baba, ghost, gods and goddesses, etc.
• Jean Baudrillard argues that the news media, particularly television, creates a new hyperreality which comprises both the real world and its representations. Thompson argues that mass media have created a new form of social interaction, i.e. mediated quasi-interaction, that is more limited, narrow and one way than everyday social interaction. For e.g. addiction of messaging and chat through Facebook and Watsapp sometimes by creating fake id accounts.
• Newspapers particularly the tabloid press, have become less focused on providing news and more oriented towards reporting, creating and sustaining modern celebrity culture through huge coverage of page three parties, affairs, gossiping, etc.
• Cyber-crimes and hatred nationalism can be easily communicated through mass media and with the help of fake viral videos.
• Too much T.V. viewing can act as a drug and can create physical and mental problems like disordered personality and sometimes cases of hallucinations are related with too much attachment with idiot box.
• Internet has also opened the gate for porn industry, online sex, stalking, etc. · Cyber world sometimes promote fake identities with the result of which, real identity and world get sidelined.
• Crime related T.V. serials, movies, etc. can create attraction towards the crime and mafia world. For e.g. the famous Virginia Tech University case, imitation of stunt of W.W.F. by children at home which causes accident, etc.

Relations are getting more commercial, cyber, fake, practical, etc. because of this effect of mass media. For e.g. serials like Emotional Atayachar, How to steal your girlfriend, Splits villa, etc. create condition of cheating and deception with partners. Mass media is a double edged weapon. It has pros and cons. It depends on the rational outlook of masses how to use it for the betterment of society.

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Essay on Social Media for Students & Children in English [Easy Words]

January 5, 2021 by Sandeep

Essay on Social Media: A platform with inherent user-friendly features appealing to vast masses of the population is popularly called social media. It’s an online gateway that bridges people together irrespective of their distances. The entire world can be accessed with just a finger touch through social media platforms. Common social media handles like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc., are commonly used by everyone these days.

Essay on Social Media Essay 500 Words in English

We have provided Social Media Essay in English, suitable for class 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10.

Social media is one of the most common words we get across these days. It has somehow become an integral part of our everyday lives. A mixture of two words, “social” referring to exchanging information and data with others and “media” refers to the means of communication, the internet being the most popular nowadays, the social media is something that has influenced almost all today. A social media network is any channel that helps us to connect and socialise locally and internationally. Its other avatars include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram & WhatsApp, etc.

Advantages of Social Media

It is not about the ill-health impact that social media have had on us. It also has some advantages.

• Availability – Social media’s first and most crucial favourite role is the network. Individuals may identify with anyone from anywhere. The magnificence of social media-based life is that you can connect with others to learn and express your opinions, no matter which religion or region you belong to.
• Education – Social media has a considerable measure of advantages for students and teachers. Teaching from other people who are professionals and experts by way of online life is anything but hard. To learn from him/her, you can follow anyone and develop your insight into any area. You can teach yourself despite your field or background, and that too without charging for it.
• News and Notifications – Social media-based life’s essential favourite point of view is that you refresh yourself from the planet’s current happenings. Television and print media are nowadays more often than not one-sided and do not pass on the actual news. You can get the certitudes and accurate data by doing some research with the aid of web-based life.
• Noble Cause – Similarly, social media may be used for noble reasons. For example, social welfare activities and gifts for the penniless can be promoted using social media to promote an NGO. Individuals use online life for a gift for the destitute, and it can very well be a simple method of encouraging those citizens.
• Brand Promotion – If you are in a disconnected company or online, you can lift your company to the highest gathering of individuals. You have access to the universe as a whole, and you can meet everyone you feel fit to. This makes companies more competitive and sustainable because advertisement and development are the more significant part of the costs incurred in a company.
• Support – To get support and resources, you can communicate your problems through the network. Regardless of whether it is helping in terms of cash or advice, you can get it from the network in which you are linked.
• Awareness – Moreover, social media keep awareness and change the way individuals work. This is the web-based life that has helped individuals discover new, innovative things that can improve their lives. From ranchers to educators, understudies to legal advisors will profit the web-based life and its visibility factor for any citizen in the general public.

Disadvantages of Social Media

• Cyber Bullying – A large number of children are believed to have advanced toward being cyber bullying victims due to the heavy use of social media. As anyone can record a phoney and do something without being pursued, it has turned out to be very easy for someone to threaten on the internet. Dangers, terrorising messages and bits of news may be sent to the majority to make the general population uncomfortable and mayhem.
• Hacking – Personal information and security, so readily accessible on social media sites, can be hacked and shared on the internet without much of a stretch. Many Facebook’s, as well as Twitter accounts, have also been hacked on previous occasions allowing the hacker to post information and data that affected other people’s lives. This is one of the web-based life’s dangerous impediments, and every customer is advised to protect their details and records to avoid these misfortunes.

Social Media has always been the epitome of consumption of information, scandalous and sensational news, entertainment, connecting with people, and whatnot. And since the discovery of social media and various social media applications has led to more and more people investing their time and sometimes their money as well, in order to be at par with the world.

However, what leads to social media businesses becoming filthy rich and popular is the technological advancements. Though social media has become almost an inexorable part of our society now, we can’t always depend on it. The proliferation of misinformation in social media is not new. Every day we read a bunch of things online on social media, which may be true or false. We don’t have a single clue about it. Social media has proved itself to be a very atrocious source of media that can easily influence the minds of the people and try to change their attitudes and opinions. 

In the past few years, the number of fake news stories has increased via social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and whatnot, and because they are shared online faster than we can ever imagine. There are most probably three different notions of fake news, it is misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information. 

Misinformation is basically false information conveyed with the belief of it is true. It mostly happens unintentionally. 

Disinformation is the intentional sharing of information even after knowing it’s true.

Mal-information is the information that is shared or conveyed and is true but it can cause harm to a person, organization or country is called mal-information. All this adds to fake news. 

India has primarily focused on supervising social media platforms through legalistic instruments and menaces of criminal culpabilities. However, the need is to locate its parliamentary efforts and bring about a comprehensive transparency law to force meaningful revelations by platforms to enable a broader community of informed stakeholders. 

However, with the timeliness of communication and the dissemination of timeliness information have led to social media becoming an important communication channel for two-way information. With the help of social media, getting in touch with people from different regions and industries is just done with a touch or a click, and the communication between different types of people living miles apart from each other has also been very easy.

Therefore, the public can also learn about pertinent situations and specific information about different events in different regions from social media. On the other hand, influenced by the interaction and amalgamation of massive true information and misinformation on social media platforms, the public is often prone to emotional oscillations and tends to publish their views and emotions on social media platforms and receive disparate responses depending on the type, progress, and content of events.

Even during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were much fake news and rumors which were circulating via social media. From offering unvaried and homogenous home remedies to tackle the virus, to floating fake advisories asking people to avoid food such as ice cream and chicken, and sharing conspiracy theories, Indian phones were being flooded with misinformation. Even Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi also requested the citizens not heed the rumors surrounding Covid-19.

Social Media completely works on the concept of Propaganda, where information is shared or conveyed without knowing whether it is true or false. It has always been a social devil to almost every person in the world.

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UPSC Essays Simplified: Structure and Flow of a good essay– the third step

How to build a 'structure and flow' in a good essay our expert takes you through the third stage of writing an essay in upsc essentials' new series. don't miss the essay exercise towards the end of the article..

How to write essays for UPSC Civil Services Exams?   This is one of the most popular questions among aspirants. In UPSC Essentials’ special series  UPSC Essays Simplified , we take you through various steps of writing a good essay. While there is no set formula or fixed criteria prescribed,  Manas Srivastava  talks to  Ravi Kapoor , our expert, in this new series who guides the aspirants with a simplified framework on how to write a good essay. Don’t miss  ‘The Essay Exercise’  towards the end of the article.

Ravi Kapoor focuses on the following steps of pre-writing and writing stages which will help aspirants to write a ‘good essay’.

Today, we will focus on Step 3. 

About our Expert:   Ravi Kapoor IRS (R) , has now ditched his coveted rank of deputy commissioner and has offered free quality mentorship to UPSC aspirants, drawing upon his ten years of experience to create customised and productive curriculum. Through a free mentorship programme, he integrates tailored educational materials, psychological principles, visual learning techniques, and a strong emphasis on mental well-being into his teaching skills granting aspirants a chance to learn from his expertise.

How to have a ‘Structure and Flow’ in a good essay?

Everyone knows that an essay should be broken down into an introduction, body and conclusion. But what is written inside these 3 components and HOW it is written makes the difference between an essay fetching average or excellent scores.

Structuring and flow refer to the organisation of the essay and your ideas therein.

A good structure is a way of organising information that fits well with the essay topic and the ideas you wish to present in your arguments such that the reader can make sense of the entire write-up without much effort.

Good flow refers to how your arguments and counterarguments connect from one to another such that the reader finds it logically connected and easy to comprehend.

An essay without these elements will appear to be disorganized, jargoned, hard to comprehend and overall, complicated.

Contrary to popular belief, flow and structure are not subjective writing skills that are inborn in good writers but can be learned and improved upon. What follows is a series of structuring techniques that will help you choose the best one for any essay topic you may encounter.

What are different types of structures? 

1. 2 side face-off:.

This is the oldest trick in the book. While writing the body of the essay, you divide it into arguments and counterarguments. In other words, you compare one side of the debate with the other.

For example:

“Thinking is like a game; it does not begin unless there is an opposite team”

The body of the essay can be divided into 2 parts- one agreeing with the statement and one disagreeing with it as follows:

Thinking is reciprocal as thought builds on other thoughts. The Socratic method, championed by Socrates, is a testament to this idea. Socrates would go around Athens spreading knowledge by asking questions and inciting dialogue which would lead the conversationist to the point of realization about something new and profound.

Similarly, when Einstein said he was standing on the shoulders of giants, he meant that his theory of relativity was built using many ideas developed by mathematicians and physicists who came before him.

The reciprocal nature of thought helps to improve it by allowing dissent and counterarguments much like a game of chess. An example is the Case study pioneered by Harvard Business School wherein one case is debated upon in detail considering various strategies before arriving at the optimal one.

While dissent and opposition can lead to many a good idea, there are more ways for thought to develop into ideas within human consciousness. Human cognition is too complex to be restricted to one mode of thinking. A Case in point is intuitive or creative thinking that can arise spontaneously without the interlocking of two human intelligences.

For instance, creative geniuses often hit upon their best ideas out of the blue in ‘Eureka’ moments that seem to arise from within the subconscious mind without the presence of an opponent.

Another example is ‘thought-experiments’ used by philosophers that are designed to be introspective exercises that one engages with, with oneself. Thought experiments are indispensable tools for philosophers and physicists to offer insight into a profound problem of logic and metaphysics.

2.Dimensional analysis:

It has become fashionable to break the essay topic into various dimensions such as Social, Cultural, Historical, Economic etc. But this is not a one-size-fits-all method and may or may not work with every essay topic.

“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in the school…”

While this topic can be written about based on various dimensions such as economic, historical, social etc, it is not necessarily the best structure for it.

Instead, a better way to present the information in this essay topic would have a mix of chronology and analysis in the following way-

We are blank slates when we are born onto which society and culture leave their imprint. Through childhood and adolescence, the education system seeks to put us through a treadmill of learning, hoping for a fully functional human to emerge at the end. Sadly, the world that awaits a young adult after school is often very different from what the education system has imparted.

Memorization, exams, grades and NCERT books amount to nothing in a world driven by start-ups, ChatGPT and Social Media influencers…. Please note that the dimensions such as social, cultural and historical factors can also be mentioned in the body of the essay as supporting content ideas.

In most essay topics, these dimensions are best used to describe the reasons and impact of an issue or debate instead of as just a structure.

3. Timeline and Chronology

Some essay topics are uniquely suited for a chronological structure wherein you take the reader through a historical journey or evolution such as :

“History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man”

This topic is about the ancient debate between rationality and idealism. To write well about it, you would have to trace the through major historical intellectual movements such as the Scientific Revolution, the Dark Ages, the Renaissance, etc. While doing so, you could mention how each stage was relevant for rational thinking versus idealism with relevant examples.

While you do so chronologically, remember to also present a balanced approach in your arguments- On every stage, you can mention how rational thinking and idealism have been in a tight relationship, but both have been an integral part of human consciousness representing creativity and logic. You may also mention how this to and fro has enriched human civilisation and led to the development of science and art.

4. Anecdotes and stories

Many students like to start their essays with an anecdote- a personal story or an imaginary one about characters highlighting the debate presented in the essay topic. While this is not a bad strategy, it requires a fair amount of creative writing ability to pull off properly. It is also important to mention that anecdotes are not the most suitable vehicle to comprehensively deal with the essay topic as not all arguments can easily fit into a personal story.

An example of a good use of anecdotal structure is:

“Not all who wander are lost”

About 2000 years ago, a wandering prince changed the world by questioning the most profound and radical assumptions about human existence. Prince Siddhartha was bathed in luxury and wanted for nothing. But when we saw the naked reality of the world and all its suffering, he could not silence his mind to the questions that we take for granted- why is there suffering and death? If suffering is inevitable then what is the point of life? Is there peace to be found or are we doomed to suffer in this life?

He wandered for years in search of answers, as lost as a soul can be. But in the end, it was his wandering that changed the world forever. When he became the Buddha, he not only found himself but saved millions of others from being lost themselves….

Anecdotes can make for good hooks or introductions to an essay but may not serve well to cover the entire body of the essay.

The Essay Exercise

Important points to note: 

• You can choose which type of structure to use- there is no single best choice.
• You may use more than 1 type of structure.
• You may use structures for introduction, body and conclusion.

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Manas Srivastava is currently working as Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express (digital) and majorly writes for UPSC-related projects leading a unique initiative known as UPSC Essentials. In the past, Manas has represented India at the G-20 Youth Summit in Mexico. He is a former member of the Youth Council, GOI. A two-time topper/gold medallist in History (both in graduation and post-graduation) from Delhi University, he has mentored and taught UPSC aspirants for more than four years. His diverse role in The Indian Express consists of writing, editing, anchoring/ hosting, interviewing experts, and curating and simplifying news for the benefit of students. He hosts the YouTube talk show called ‘Art and Culture with Devdutt Pattanaik’ and a LIVE series on Instagram and YouTube called ‘You Ask We Answer’.His talks on ‘How to read a newspaper’ focus on newspaper reading as an essential habit for students. His articles and videos aim at finding solutions to the general queries of students and hence he believes in being students' editor, preparing them not just for any exam but helping them to become informed citizens. This is where he makes his teaching profession meet journalism. He is also currently working on a monthly magazine for UPSC Aspirants. He is a recipient of the Dip Chand Memorial Award, the Lala Ram Mohan Prize and Prof. Papiya Ghosh Memorial Prize for academic excellence. He was also awarded the University’s Post-Graduate Scholarship for pursuing M.A. in History where he chose to specialise in Ancient India due to his keen interest in Archaeology. He has also successfully completed a Certificate course on Women’s Studies by the Women’s Studies Development Centre, DU. As a part of N.S.S in the past, Manas has worked with national and international organisations and has shown keen interest and active participation in Social Service. He has led and been a part of projects involving areas such as gender sensitisation, persons with disability, helping slum dwellers, environment, adopting our heritage programme. He has also presented a case study on ‘Psychological stress among students’ at ICSQCC- Sri Lanka. As a compere for seminars and other events he likes to keep his orating hobby alive. His interests also lie in International Relations, Governance, Social issues, Essays and poetry. ... Read More

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The Hindu Editorial Analysis- 27th June 2024 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Lip Service

Why in news.

The Emergency, imposed on June 25, 1975 by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and which lasted 21 months till March 21, 1977, remains a blot on the history of democratic India. The rule by decree, the suspension of civil liberties and free speech, the arbitrariness of government actions, and the indiscriminate arrests of dissenters and Opposition figures using draconian preventive detention laws, among other measures, continue to haunt Indians who experienced it in all its vicious forms. 

Emergency of 1975 in India: An Overview

Proclamation and Duration

• On June 25, 1975, the President of India, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, proclaimed a state of Emergency.
• This period of National Emergency lasted for 21 months, from 1975 to 1977.
• During this time, India's democratic processes were significantly undermined, leading to profound social and political repercussions.

Reasons Behind the Proclamation

Accusations Against Prime Minister Indira Gandhi

• Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister at the time, faced accusations of exhibiting totalitarian tendencies.
• These tendencies became more pronounced when she was legally challenged by Raj Narayan.

The Legal Battle and Court Verdict

• Raj Narayan filed a case against Indira Gandhi, alleging electoral malpractices.
• The Allahabad High Court found these allegations to be true, ruling that Indira Gandhi was guilty of election misconduct.
• The court invalidated her victory in the Rae Bareilly constituency and barred her from holding any elected office for six years.

Indira Gandhi's Response

• To maintain her position as Prime Minister and suppress dissent, Indira Gandhi advised the President to declare a National Emergency.
• This move effectively silenced opposition voices and allowed her to retain control over the country.

Contributing Political and Economic Conditions

• The aftermath of the recent war with Pakistan created a tense and volatile environment.
• The global oil crisis had severe economic repercussions, exacerbating the country's economic challenges.
• A severe drought had compromised the food security of millions, adding to the public's distress.
• Ongoing and frequent protests were disrupting economic productivity and creating further instability.

Impact on India

• The imposition of Emergency had a significant negative impact on India's social and political landscape, as democratic norms were largely ignored during this period.

Implications of the Emergency (1975-1977)

Negative impacts.

Suppression of Opposition

• Individuals opposing Indira Gandhi's autocratic tendencies faced severe police brutality and torture.

Suspension of Civil Liberties

• Civil liberties and Fundamental Rights guaranteed by the Constitution were suspended during the Emergency.
• Basic human rights and constitutional provisions were disregarded.
• Press and media faced extensive censorship and pre-censorship, restricting the flow of information.

Arrests of Political Opponents

• Thousands of political opponents were arrested on false charges and imprisoned. Notable figures included JB Kripalani, Vijayaraje Scindia, Arun Jaitley, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Chaudhary Charan Singh, and Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Forced Sterilization Campaigns

• Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi's son, led forced sterilization campaigns across the nation.

Constitutional Changes

• The 42nd Amendment of 1976, often referred to as the "mini Constitution," brought extensive changes to the Constitution.

Positive Outcomes

Economic Growth

• The period saw significant economic growth and increased productivity in various sectors.
• Industrial and agricultural production improved, and there was an overall increase in work efficiency.

Low Inflation

• Inflation rates were low, making goods more affordable for the masses.

Improved Trade Balance

• Imports began to decline gradually while exports saw a rise.

Environmental Safeguards

• The 42nd Constitutional Amendment introduced provisions to safeguard the environment and forest reserves of India.

Explicit Declaration of State Principles

• The amendment made the implicit socialist and secular nature of the Indian state explicit by adding these terms to the Preamble of India.

Protest and Final Outcome

• Despite the scale of repression, there was resistance from various newspapers.
• Inspired by Gandhi, leaders started filling prisons in protest.
• In 1977, Indira Gandhi called for fresh Lok Sabha elections, releasing all political prisoners and officially ending the Emergency.
• The Congress party suffered a humiliating defeat, losing to the Janata Party.

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Prelims 2024 was the most diabolical paper in the past decade

Prelims 2023 was the toughest paper in the past 10 years. But it was hard in the most conventional sense and it was hard for everyone. Not a single person who wrote the paper could call it anything but tough.

But Prelims 2024 is a completely different story. Everyone thought they were scoring 110+ while coming out of the exam hall. Some probably had dreams of 135+ too. I thought I was at 115 for sure. But slowly and steadily, things began to unravel.

The questions that were "thought" to be easy weren't so. Even if they were, many committed silly mistakes. Including me.

By 16th evening, people thought the cutoff would be atleast above 100. Still way better than 75 of last year right!? Not really. By Monday evening, a few more sure-shot questions became "doubtful." There began a mutiny led by small-scale youtube channels saying the cutoff predictions were overblown. Few aspirants also started commenting on how the paper was not as easy as it was made out to be by the coaching mafia.

Tuesday and Wednesday saw more videos and by now, the cutoff predictions were more grounded around 95. Still many aspirants thought this was high.

Then two strange things happened on the same day. Insights said the cutoff won't cross 90 but vision stuck to the old range of 95-100. Even someone like "hardworking humans" stuck to their previous prediction of 98-100. So at this point, no one knows and no one can say, who is right and who's not.

Whatever be the case with cut-offs, I think UPSC probably knew what they were doing with the paper. It required real skill to make a relatively hard paper seem like an easy one. Or perhaps the 2023 paper broke our spirits so much that any paper would seem easy in front of it. But the paper was easy only on the surface I feel.

Anyways in the final analysis, this is all moot. Doesn't really matter in the slightest. I think our fates have already been decided and the results are gonna be out soon. Hopefully we all clear.

26 June 2024: PIB Summary for UPSC

26 June 2024 PIB Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Medium Range-Microwave Obscurant Chaff Rocket

Syllabus: GS-3, Defence and Security

Prelims: Medium Range-Microwave Obscurant Chaff Rocket, DRDO

DRDO handed over a Medium Range-Microwave Obscurant Chaff Rocket to the Indian Navy.

• Microwave Obscurant Chaff (MOC) obscures radar signals and creates a microwave shield around platforms and assets, thus reducing radar detection.
• It is a niche technology developed by DRDO’s Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur. 
• Special fibres with diameters of a few microns and unique microwave obscuration properties have been assembled in the medium-range chaff rocket. 
• The rocket, when fired, forms microwave obscurant clouds in space spreading over a sufficient area, with adequate persistence time, thus creating an effective shield against hostile threats having Radio Frequency seekers.

2. International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

Syllabus: GS-1, Social Issues; GS-2, Health

Prelims: International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

Mains: Drug abuse in India – impacts, measures to counter

26th June is observed as International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking:

• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 7th December 1987, decided that the 26th of June of every year would be recognised as International Drug Day (another name for International Day against Drug Abuse & Illicit Trafficking.) 
• The theme for International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2024 is “The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention”.

Read more on International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in the link.

Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan:

• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is the nodal Ministry for drug demand reduction in the country, which coordinates and monitors all aspects of drug abuse prevention, assessment of the extent of the problem, preventive action, treatment and rehabilitation of users, and disseminating information.
• The ministry has initiated the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) which is currently operational in all districts of the country intending to create awareness about the ill effects of substance abuse among the youth, with a special focus on higher education institutes, university campuses, schools and reaching out into the community and garnering community involvement and ownership of the Abhiyaan.
• Till date, 1+ crore people have been sensitised to substance use including 3.50+ Crore Youth and 2.32+ Crore Women.

Also read: National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR)

3. Swachh Survekshan 2024

Syllabus: GS-2, Governance

Prelims: Swachh Survekshan 2024

3rd quarter (Q3) of the 9th edition of Swachh Survekshan 2024 launched.

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launches the 3rd quarter (Q3) of the 9th edition of Swachh Survekshan 2024. 
• The 3rd phase of the survey will focus on evaluating the entire value chain of waste management at Bulk Waste Generators (BWGs).

Swachh Survekshan:

• The Swachh Survekshan is a report released by the Government of India as a part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 
• A Swachh Survekshan report is released after a thorough survey to monitor the performance of each state in terms of sanitisation. 

Read more about the Swachh Survekshan in the link.

Bulk Waste Generators (BWGs):

• Bulk Waste Generators (BWGs) are entities that generate waste in large quantities.
• A considerable increase in municipal solid waste can be seen due to the rising urbanization and lifestyle changes. 
• As per MoHUA, it is estimated that nearly 30 to 40% of waste in a city is generated by BWG. 
• The Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016 defines BWG as entities with an average waste generation rate exceeding 100 kgs per day, including all streams of waste. 
• The rule intends to reduce the management and financial burden on urban local bodies (ULB), restrict waste from entering landfills and reduce air, soil and groundwater pollution as well as the city’s carbon footprint.
• Bulk waste generators like residential and commercial complexes, central govt. ministries, public sector undertakings and private bodies, social infrastructure like hotels, universities, railway and bus stations, airports are required to segregate waste at source , ensure scientific processing of bio-degradable waste to produce manure and biogas by setting up composting units on their premises. 
• The BWGs are to also store separately Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste.
• Given their significant share in the total waste generation, the actions of the BWGs play a crucial role in determining the future of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, which targets to make the cities garbage-free.

Also read: Swachch Bharat Abhiyan

4. Central Electronics Limited (CEL) gets Mini Ratna status

Syllabus: GS-3, Economy

Prelims: Central Electronics Limited (CEL), Mini Ratna companies

Central Electronics Limited (CEL) was awarded the Mini Ratna status by the government.

Central Electronics Limited (CEL):

• Central Electronics Limited is a Govt. of India enterprise under the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science & Technology. 
• It was established in 1974, with the objective of commercially exploiting indigenous technologies developed by National Laboratories and R&D Institutions in the country.
• It is a pioneer in the country in the field of Solar Photovoltaic (SPV).
• It has also developed axle counter systems and other products that are being used by the Indian Railways.
• The company’s vision is to be India’s most trusted company in the areas of Renewable Energy and Strategic Electronics.

Read more about Mini Ratna companies in the linked article.

5. Hydrogen generation from methanol and formaldehyde combination

Syllabus: GS-3, Science and Technology

Prelims: Hydrogen generation methods

Researchers at IISER Tirupati developed an efficient method of hydrogen generation from a methanol and formaldehyde combination for moving towards a ‘Hydrogen economy’.

• Researchers have developed an innovative synthetic method to produce hydrogen gas from a mixture of methanol and paraformaldehyde under mild conditions. 

Significance: 

• This method has proven particularly effective for the transfer hydrogenation of alkynes to alkenes and the combination could be a promising hydrogen carrier, paving the way for advancements in chemical synthesis and sustainable energy solutions.
• Methanol and paraformaldehyde, both produced on a large scale, have emerged as viable candidates for hydrogen carriers. 
• Their abundance and widespread manufacture make them valuable for the storage and transportation of hydrogen, offering significant advantages over free hydrogen itself.

Read previous PIB articles here .

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US Surgeon General calls for warning labels on social media amid mental health 'emergency'

The U.S. Surgeon General called for social media companies to be required to use safety warning labels in a New York Times opinion essay published Monday.

Citing research that shows social media could be negatively impacting youth mental health , Dr. Vivek H. Murthy said a surgeon general's warning on social media platforms, similar to those on tobacco and alcohol products, could raise awareness for parents about the potential harm of the platforms.

"One of the worst things for a parent is to know your children are in danger yet be unable to do anything about it," Murthy wrote. "That is how parents tell me they feel when it comes to social media — helpless and alone in the face of toxic content and hidden harms."

NetChoice , a trade organization representing some social media companies, said in a statement shared with USA TODAY that the responsibility should be on the parents to protect their children's mental health, not the government or tech companies.

Research shows social media could come with benefit and harm

Murthy said social media is a major factor in the mental health crisis among young people, which he called "an emergency."

Social media has become nearly ubiquitous among youth. The  2023 U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health  found that nearly  95% of youth aged 13 to 17 use a social media platform , with more than a third saying they use it "almost constantly."

The advisory concluded that more research is needed to fully understand the impacts of social media. But it showed there are some benefits and "ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents."

Potential benefits identified in the advisory were community, connection and self expression. It also stated that social media can support mental health of LGBTQ youth to help develop their identities. Additionally, seven out of 10 girls of color reported encountering identity-affirming content related to race on social media, the advisory stated.

Potential harms of using social media included greater risk of suffering from depression and anxiety. Some studies also showed greater risk of negative health outcomes for adolescents girls including disordered eating and poor sleep.

Murthy praises dairy recall, Boeing response as examples of swift action

In the NYT letter, Murthy pointed to the F.A.A.'s swift grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes after a door plug came off mid-flight earlier this year and widespread recalls of cheese products due to risk of listeria contamination .

"Why is it that we have failed to respond to the harms of social media when they are no less urgent or widespread than those posed by unsafe cars, planes or food?," Murthy wrote. "These harms are not a failure of willpower and parenting; they are the consequence of unleashing powerful technology without adequate safety measures, transparency or accountability."

Several state bills seeking to limit youth access to social media have been passed by legislatures but blocked in court. Those lawsuits were often brought by NetChoice.

NetChoice vice president and general counsel Carl Szabo said in a statement that the onus is on parents to protect their children from harm online.

"A warning label oversimplifies this issue, and it is a simplistic way to approach this that assumes that every child is the exact same. In reality, every child is different and struggles with their own challenges," Szabo said. "Parents and guardians are the most appropriately situated to handle these unique needs of their children—not the government or tech companies."