Alhaj Md. Abu Yusuf: The Internet and the virtual world are completely changing the way relationships exist in the family and society.

Sociologists have repeatedly said that in order to sustain society, it is necessary to preserve the healthy culture that exists in the society and to follow the right plan in this regard. In today`s session we will also talk about the impact of the Internet and the virtual world on the family.

At present, the influence of internet and virtual world is being noticed in all fields including politics, economy and culture of every country of the world. The famous American writer Elvin Toffler has divided human civilization into three parts. These are agriculture based civilization, industry based civilization and information and computer based civilization. We currently live in the information-based civilization of Elvin Toffler. According to him, those who have control over the information and communication media will have the power. As I have said in previous sessions, the area of ​​computer-based information and communication that is most influencing the family system is the social media. In this case, the name of Facebook is particularly significant.

The results of various studies show that the influence of various means of social communication, such as the Internet, has reduced the number of heartfelt discussions between family members. At present, family members do not talk to each other for an average of 15 minutes daily. Not only that, social media is now violating the boundaries of personal and family privacy. As a result, bitter incidents like quarrels and divorces are happening. The friendship between husband and wife that is being created through the internet is giving rise to many doubts and destroying trust and confidence in each other. In Muslim countries, Islamic culture and values ​​are inextricably linked with the family system. Due to this, religious atmosphere still exists in the families. But these values ​​are being eroded due to the dominance of anti-Islamic countries and quarters on the internet.

The situation is gradually escalating to the point where Western values ​​and culture are infiltrating the Islamic way of life and pushing the new generation into a dilemma. Religion and religious identity have an important impact on Muslim society. The importance of religious identity in the field of unity and solidarity in Muslim society is immense. But under the influence of uncontrolled internet and virtual world, it is becoming unimportant. At present, the Internet is changing people`s social and religious identities more than creating new opportunities and possibilities. The identity crisis is intensifying among the young society. However, it cannot be said that a person will face a crisis of identity or religion just by using the internet or the virtual world. This crisis arises when a user is deceived and cheated. The more a person uses such a medium in such a situation, the more he will suffer.

At present, the imperialist Western powers are trying to spread their culture to increase their influence and dominance in the whole world. In this case, the Internet is working as a great opportunity for them. Western countries are trying to spread their culture all over the world. Their nefarious activities have already come a long way with the help of the internet and the virtual world. As a result, the cultural foundation of the individual, family, society and the state is weakening. At every level, a culture is being introduced that has nothing to do with history and past experience. Attempts are being made to introduce in Muslim society things that are unacceptable from a religious point of view. Not only Muslim thinkers, but many non-Muslim thinkers also consider the culture spread by the West to be destructive to human society. It is considered a culture of defending capitalism.

The effect of the virtual world is also noticeable in the change of individual identity. There are three elements to self-identification. These are personal, cultural and social. All three elements play an important role in personality formation. On the Internet, a person encounters different cultural and social situations and situations at different times and stages. Sometimes he gets acquainted with all the ways of life which are in conflict with his thoughts and culture. But at one stage it also has an effect on the thinking and culture of the internet user. Not only that, there are many people who operate on the Internet by hiding their identities. Many boys pretend to be girls and many girls pretend to be boys and make friends and cheat on the other party. It is also seen that older people are making friends with children and teenagers by portraying themselves as younger and teaching children things that should not be learned at that age in any way. For this reason, if you are a little careless, the virtual world can bring serious consequences for individuals and families.

 (To be continued...)

Author: Alhaj Md. Abu Yusuf is a Columnist, Literary and Chairman of Ababil Hajj Group