I am a movie buff, and I am always on the lookout for new trailers, and good content and keep track of upcoming projects of filmmakers I like. I was particularly looking forward to Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, because it is produced by Zoya and Farhan Akhtar, two of my favourite creative persons. Upon watching it, my liking was not just for these two individuals but for its content (story) which is so relevant and relatable to today's Gen Z and our contemporary society.
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| Image: IMDB |
The protagonists of the movie are three friends (Gen Z), in contemporary times of smartphones and social networks. As this is not a movie review, I am not getting into the story plot and twists and turns. The moot point of the movie is 'The Potential Harms, Addiction to our Smart Phones and Online Social Network Can Cause To Us.'
Why do I say, it's a relevant and relatable problem of our contemporary society?
I am sure, each one of us has anecdotal experiences of either ourselves overusing our smartphones, glued to screen time or we have seen our friends, family members, or a youngster displaying such online behavior.
If you are a data-driven person, you can look at the alarming statistics:
- 210 million people worldwide suffer from addiction to social media and the internet (Science Direct, 2017).
- Symptoms of Depression are twice as likely to appear in teens who spend five to seven hours a day on their smartphones (NPR, 2019).
- Not being on social media causes FOMO (fear of missing out) in 34% of young adults (CBS, 2018).
- A massive 70% of teenagers feel left out or excluded when using social media and 43% of teenagers feel bad if no one likes their posts (Statista, 2018).
Being an optimist and solution-oriented person by nature, I am always drawn to stories that provide Hope and not just paint a sorry picture. The climax of Kho Gaye Hum Kahan is a nudge to reboot ourselves and shake up this addiction, with 5 New Year Resolutions, which are so apt in our contemporary paradoxical world of Reel and Real.
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| Image source intercost.edu |
Rule 1: Life is to live in the moments and to be experienced. So keep your phones down, and look at life through your eyes, without filters, without lenses.
Rule 2: Take it easy, keep it real, to be happy we don't need much. Embrace your whole self - the good and the flaws, because once you are at peace and true to yourself, you will strike a truthful relationship with others.
Rule 3: Stop the comparison. You are unique, so be yourself. You don't have to copy others and try to be like them. Just remember, you are unique and the only thing better than you, is your tomorrow. So make use of today to become a better version of yourself tomorrow.
Rule 4: Be grateful. You have so many blessings in your life, but you are being unmindful. So count your blessing every day, be grateful, shout out, and say Thank You, from the bottom of your heart.
Rule 5: Find your Tribe. When you have real friends, you will not need followers and likes.
It's 2024 now, but I am pretty sure these New Year resolutions will stay relevant for all years to come because the Internet, Smartphones, and Social Network is not going anywhere. So let's be mindful, let's be conscious, let's reboot and help others to reboot with these 5 rules and transition back from Reel to Real.
Reference: https://truelist.co/blog/social-media-addiction-statistics/