A Classroom Question That Aged Better Than Me

10 years ago, I was a university student.

During one class, an engineering professor asked us a question—

“You guys scroll social media all day long. Do you think it is worthy of your time?”

Most of us, including me, got puzzled and confused.

The professor said again, “Raise your right hand if you believe that social media is a helpful thing.”

Most of the students raised their hands. I was also one of them. Those who didn’t raise their hands were asked to go to one corner of the room.

A few of my friends were there. It really astonished me. I wondered why they believed that scrolling social media wasn’t a helpful thing.

Come on, I thought. It’s a modern form of entertainment. We get updates on everything we want. We don’t have to wait long. We can talk to strangers or stay connected with people who don’t live in the same town.

All these thoughts were running through my mind at that time.

The professor then asked the other group to explain their reasons. Some of them said—

• It makes people less attentive.
• It reduces focus and concentration.
• It’s a slow poison that consumes creativity.
• It shows only success, not the rough paths behind it.
• The thinking process slowly deteriorates.
• It makes teenagers escape from reality.

Apart from these, many more reasons were presented in that class. Now, I remember only a few—but they all seem valid. In fact, I can add a few more myself.

If I had the opportunity to rejoin that class today and answer the same question, I would raise my hand with the other group.