How social media has changed the way we see ourselves

 There is a connection between social media and body image issues. While, on the one hand, social media has opened up many avenues for networking, it has brought with it, the desperate need for validation from the online community.As social media becomes all-pervasive, it has had a significant impact on society. Almost everybody is on social media today.

As more people join Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and other networking sites, there is far greater sharing of information, content, thoughts and ideas than ever before. Social media helps build online communities, connect audiences, and generate revenue.

However, the downside to these activities is the desire to stay in the spotlight. This can consequently lead to low self-esteem and create a negative perception of one’s “body image”.

Body image is how people think about their appearance and how they perceive themselves. A negative body image harms individuals who are affected by the impractical, often absurd, manner in which they view themselves.

The assumption that a person must always look good on social media has become a disorder in itself.

There is a strong connection between social media and body image issues. While, on the one hand, social media has opened up many avenues for networking, it has brought with it, the pressure to look good, get thousands of likes and positive comments on various platforms. This can affect the mental health of many young people. Validation from the online community has become something of an addiction.

Everyone likes to be complimented on their looks. But when this happens on social media, its effect is often amplified. People often seek approval and appreciation from strangers who they meet online. But if, despite their best efforts, the comments they receive are negative, it can lead to sadness and depression.

A majority of those who have body image issues are people who compare their pictures with those posted by others. If they perceive that they fall short, they feel dejected. Low self-esteem has become something of a norm among social media users and can be detrimental to their mental well-being.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, low self-esteem affects people of all ages, not just the young. They get affected by things such as weight issues, which then can be a catalyst that forces them into depression and alcohol or substance abuse. Similar findings were revealed in a poll of 4,505 adults by YouGov in the United Kingdom. The study revealed that 57% of people aged 18 to 24 years admitted to having anxiety over their body image, compared with 30% in the age group of 45 to 54 years, and 20% for those over the age of 55.

Global statistics show that at least 91% of women are not happy with how they look and end up following trendy diets to achieve an “ideal body”. These statistics apply across race, marital status, gender and age. Almost half of the population that uses social media has admitted to having had low self-esteem.

Negative body image and low self-esteem can lead to anxiety, nervousness, depression, jealousy, eating disorders, alcohol abuse, and living in a make-believe world where social media perfection has a disproportionate influence on people.

However, with some effort, society can overcome body image issues. There should be a culture of inclusivity and the promotion of a positive body image. Parents should be more careful and look for signs of negative body image among children and seek timely help. Parents can help their children by promoting a positive body image, making their children understand the implications of unnecessary social media use. They can seek help from trained counsellors and psychiatrists.Social media is both a blessing and a curse. It is up to us how we use it.

Sasha Raikhy Sain is a consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist, and director and founder, Possitive Vibes.

Source: Hindustan Times, 9/02/21

Quote of the Day

 

“When I was young I observed that nine out of every ten things I did were failures, so I did ten times more work.”
George Bernard Shaw

“मैं जब कम उम्र का था तो मैंने देखा कि हर दस काम जो मैं करता था उसमें से नौ में विफल होता था, तो मैंने दस गुना अधिक काम करना शुरु कर दिया।”
जॉर्ज बर्नार्ड शॉ

Current Affairs – February 09, 2021

 

INDIA

46 security personnel killed in ceasefire violations by Pakistan in 2020

Pakistan resorted to 5,133 incidents of ceasefire violations in 2020 in which 46 security force personnel were killed, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in Rajya Sabha on February 8, 2021.

Rajya Sabha clears Bill to merge J&K cadre with AGMUT

Rajya Sabha on February 8, 2020 passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill to merge Jammu and Kashmir cadre of IAS, IPS and IFS with the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territory, or AGMUT, cadre.

TERI to organise World Sustainable Development Summit on Feb 10-12

The 20^th edition of The Energy and Resources Institute’s (TERI) flagship event, the World Sustainable Development Summit, will be held online from February 10 to 12, 2021. The theme of the Summit is ‘Redefining our common future: Safe and secure environment for all’.

Govt. liberalises income criteria for grant of family pension

The Centre has issued instructions to liberalise the income criteria for eligibility of a deceased government servant or pensioner’s family member for pension, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on February 8, 2020. The relaxation is granted for family pension to differently-abled survivors as they require greater medical care and financial assistance.

Economy & Corporate

Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence announced

The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence were announced on February 8, 2021.

• Lifetime Achievement Award was won by former HDFC Bank MD Aditya Puri.
• Businesswoman of the year award was jointly won by Preetha Reddy, Vice-Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals and Suneeta Reddy, MD, Apollo Hospitals.
• Emerging company of the year award went to ICICI Lombard General Insurance.
• Business reformer of the year award was won by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.
• Corporate citizen of the year award was won by Tata Consultancy Services.
• Global Indian award was won by Piyush Gupta, CEO, DBS Group.
• Entrepreneur of the year award was won by Adar Poonawalla Chief Executive Officer, Serum Institute of India.
• Business Leader of The Year award was won by Pawan Munjal, Chairman, Hero MotoCorp.

Vodafone tax case: India moves Singapore HC against arbitration panel order

India has challenged in the Singapore High Court an international arbitration tribunal’s verdict that overturned its demand for Rs 22,100 crore in back taxes from Vodafone Group Plc, and the order passed in Cairn Group’s case is under consideration of the government, Parliament was informed on February 8, 2021.

World

Former U.S. secretary of state George Shultz dies aged 100

George Shultz, the U.S. Secretary of State in President Ronald Reagan’s administration from 1982 to 1989, passed away at the age of 100 on February 7, 2021.

China issues anti-monopoly rules aimed at internet players

China released new anti-monopoly guidelines on February 7, 2020 that target internet platforms, a move tightening the existing restrictions faced by the country’s top tech companies. The new rules formalise an earlier anti-monopoly draft law released in November 2019.

Sports

Centre grants permission to BCCI to use drones

Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have granted conditional exemption to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the deployment of drones for live aerial cinematography of the India Cricket Season in 2021.

Ishant Sharma becomes 6^th Indian bowler to take 300 wickets in test cricket

Veteran fast bowler Ishant Sharma on February 8, 2021 became the sixth Indian bowler to take 300 wickets in Test cricket in his 98th test against England at Chennai. Anil Kumble (619), Kapil Dev (434), Ravichandran Ashwin (377), Harbhajan Singh (417) and Zaheer Khan (311) are other Indian bowlers to take more than 300 wickets in tests.

Five Indian colleges in top 100, ISB offers best course in country: FT Global MBA ranking 2021

 FT Global MBA ranking 2021: The Indian School of Business (ISB) is ranked as the best institute in India by the Financial Times’ Global MBA rankings which lists the top 100 MBA courses offered across the world. ISB has taken the 23rd spot across the globe. A total of five institutes from India have been ranked among the best 100 MBA colleges in the world. Apart from ISB, the rest of the representations from India are from the IIMs.

Globally, Insead — based in France and Singapore — is ranked as the top B-school followed by London Business School, and the University of Chicago: Booth. Even as European colleges have got the top places, it’s the US-based institutes which have continued to retain their dominance over the ranking index. A total of 9 out of the top 20 institutes are from the US.

Here’s the list of top B-schools in India –

Rank 23: Indian School of Business
Rank 35: IIM Bangalore
Rank 44: IIM Calcutta
Rank 48: IIM Ahmedabad
Rank 94: IIM Indore

Top 10 in the world –

Rank 1: Insead
Rank 2: London Business School
Rank 3: University of Chicago: Booth
Rank 4: Iese Business School
Rank 5: Yale School of Management
Rank 6: Northwestern University: Kellogg
Rank 7: Ceibs
Rank 8: HEC Paris
Rank 9: Duke University: Fuqua
Rank 10: Dartmouth College: Tuck

The ranking is calculated based on the salaries drawn by the alumni three years after graduation, quality of research, value for money, among others. This year, Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton have suspended participation.

Source: Indian Express, 9/02/21

Award-winning Assamese film bridges understanding about the annual deluge

 A little after day break, they stood waist-deep in water, balancing their cameras — and themselves — against the push and pull of the mighty Brahmaputra. At many points, they nearly slipped and fell, at the mercy of the mercurial river. But they called it a day only seven long hours later — for that is how long it took director Kripal Kalita to get what he wanted: a two-minute-clip that had his main characters, two children, guide their epileptic mother through an inundated field. “It was risky, but worth it,” Kalita says, “To make a movie on the floods, you have to truly experience it, you have to live it.”

And that is what Kalita’s debut feature film Bridge, which bagged the ‘Special Mention’ award, at the International Film Festival of India (IFFFI) in Goa last month – is about: living with — and overcoming — the Assam floods.

Kalita is no stranger to the annual tragedy, the baan in Assamese. “One day, you have your home, your family, your animals, your land— and the next day you may have nothing,” he says.While Kalita can speak from experience (having grown up in Niz Defeli, a small low-lying village in Baksa’s Tamulpur Circle), it is not his story, but several news reports he has read over the years that make up Bridge. “At the end of 2017, I read about a girl who, worried about her future, asked the local MLA to build a small bridge in their village. Another time, I saw heart-breaking visuals of kids wading their way to school, books and clothes bundled up on their heads,” Kalita recalls.

Incidents like this are so frequent in Assam during the floods that they are rarely surprising for the locals. But not Kalita. Starting December 2017, he worked on building the character of Jonaki (played by Shiva Rani Kalita), the 17-year-old protagonist of his film, her life loosely based on such true incidents. “Her father is swept away by the waters, her mother falls ill and the burden of taking care of her little brother falls on her shoulders,” says Kalita, “At 17, she builds a house, ploughs the fields, takes care of her brother and her ailing mother. In many ways, her story could be the story of many young girls in Assam.”

But the film is not just about the weight that pulls you down, but also the ability of humans to stay afloat — “After all, life must go on,” Kalita says. And that is one of the key takeaways from Bridge, a film centred around a demand of the local populace for a bridge over the little tributary, whose waters cut them off every monsoon. “While a seemingly physical demand, the bridge can be metaphorical too,” says Kalita, “The floods don’t just cut you off from the rest of the world, but it also snaps relationships, ambitions and dreams.”

Kalita’s crew started filming in May 2018. And the schedule lasted 14 months, primarily in the flood-ravaged districts of Upper Assam, including Dhemaji, Golaghat, Lakhimpur and Tinsukia. “My aim was to make it as real as possible,” says the 43-year-old filmmaker and theatre actor, who was trained under noted Manipuri theatre personality, Heisnam Kanhailal. “Our story is set across all seasons, so we actually made it a point to shoot it like that — in shine, in thunder, in rain.”

The 89-minute-long Assamese language film, which is now making its rounds in the film festival circuit, has no background score, no make up on actors. “I made the actors live in the village for three months, plough the fields, walk in the mud — it had to be as authentic as possible,” says Kalita, “As authentic as what we face every year.”

“If it’s one thing that is pulling Assam down — it’s the floods. And a lack of solution to the problem,” says Kalita, “And mind you, this is something we have lived with for centuries. Even Sukapha, the founder of the Ahom dynasty, was compelled to change his capital multiple times because of the floods.”

That said, it is important to remember that floods are something Assam — through which the Brahmaputra flows — has to live with.

Just like Kalita’s characters do in the film. In one poignant scene, the brother, angry at all the river has taken from his young life, shouts in rage, “I will bury this river, it has destroyed our home, killed our father, spoilt our sister’s wedding.”

But his sister gently tells him that the river had bred civilisation, given them food and water, and enabled them to farm their lands. “It can never be our enemy,” she says.

Source: Indian Express, 6/02/21

IGNOU offers online certificate course in environmental impact assessment, apply at SWAYAM

 The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) launched a certificate course in environmental impact assessment which will be available via the SWAYAM platform. The 12-weeks course deals with steps involved for developmental activities in environmental impact assessment (EIA). Interested candidates can apply at swayam.gov.in/IGNOU.

The course provides an understanding of environmental impact assessment of water resources development; to assess the major challenges to sustainable environmental systems from water resources development perspectives, and to identify major environmental issues that need to be considered in sustainable water resources planning and development.

It will cover topics like- basic concepts of environmental impact assessment, environmental appraisal, measurement of EIA, comprehensive environmental impact studies, air quality impact analysis and water quality impact analysis, socio-economic impact analysis, noise impact analysis, energy impact analysis and vegetation and wildlife impact analysis, environmental siting, impact assessment methods, life cycle assessment, regulations in India.

The course will be conducted by Prof B Rupini, Dr Sushmitha Baskar, School of Inter-Disciplinary and Trans-Disciplinary Studies.At present, 105 courses are being offered through the SWAYAM portal by the university. Meanwhile, IGNOU has also launched series of online courses. Recently, the university launched a new certificate course in environmental, occupational hazards through open and distance mode. The programme is for six months’ duration and students who have cleared class 12 can apply for the course.

Source: Indian Express, 8/02/21

Reconsider the Seventh Schedule

 A thorough legislative appraisal of the Seventh Schedule to keep pace with changing fiscal priorities is overdue. An expansion of the Concurrent List, for instance, could be considered. But this must be managed democratically and consultatively, while keeping the spirit of federalism intact.

The sharing of financial resources between the Union and states, and inter se, among states, is key in any federal democracy. The Constitution, through Article 280 to 281, provides for a unique mechanism in the form of finance commissions for devolution of resources. The final report of the 15th Finance Commission (2021-26) is now public. The first thing most states, for whom the finance commission award is a lifeline, look to is the devolution formula. This has been maintained at 41%, which is a slight downward adjustment because of the creation of two new Union Territories.

Each successive finance commission has offered unique recommendations. The 10th Finance Commission, for instance, suggested all central taxes be shared with the states. The 14th Finance Commission was a watershed, having increased the share of states in net proceeds of Union tax revenues to 42% from 32%. There are many forward-looking recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission too. But beyond the report, there is one suggestion articulated by its chairman, NK Singh, that stands out. In an interview, he somewhat provocatively asked if the Seventh Schedule has outlived its utility. This newspaper, like Mr Singh, believes it has.

The Seventh Schedule divides subjects under the exclusive domain of the Union, states and common Centre-state jurisdiction, classifying them into the Union, State and Concurrent List. Over time, the Union has transgressed into subjects assigned to states for various reasons, including the fact some of these are national priorities and the Centre has obligations going beyond the Schedule. Subjects such as employment and education, for instance, are under the domain of states. Yet, India has justiciable legislation on employment (the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) and education (the Right to Education Act), to name a few. The advent of centrally sponsored schemes has necessitated central outlays in other areas, falling within the State List such as agriculture. A thorough legislative appraisal of the Seventh Schedule to keep pace with changing fiscal priorities is overdue. An expansion of the Concurrent List, for instance, could be considered. But this must be managed democratically and consultatively, while keeping the spirit of federalism intact. It must not become an exercise in greater power-accumulation by the Centre, but an exercise in greater burden-sharing. States will be more willing to come on board only if financial obligations are more evenly shouldered.

Source: Hindustan Times, 6/02/21