Without mincing words the use of internet is on the high side these days, especially now that all the Mobile phones are internet enabled. To my greatest surprise a woman of about 60 years of age pings and chat on ‘BBM’ and ‘what’s app’, besides, the rate at which information circulate on the internet via the social media platforms is faster than the speed of light.
A lot has
been written on social media platforms in the past, but here, I will like to see
it from the Islamic perspective. The question here is can a Muslim use any of
the Social Medias? Or can we put any information about Islam on the platform? And
if we are to use it, what can we use it for and how do we use the platform?
However,
to do justice to any of the above questions there is need to make some
clarifications;
What is Internet? The word internet is defined as a
global computer network providing a variety of information and communication
facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized
communication protocols to serve several billion users worldwide. It is a network
of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic,
business, and government networks, of local to global scope, that are linked by
a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies.
What is Social media? Social
media is the term for all the ways people connect to people through the
Internet computation. Mobile devices, social networks, micro-blogging and
location sharing are just a few of the ways people engage in computer-mediated
collective action. Social media is also known as Consumer Generated Media (CGM)
and there are many types from content communities such as YouTube to blogs such
as Twitter or social networking sites like Facebook, Google+, and instagram.
There are other forms of Social media such as virtual online games, online chat
rooms and collaborative projects such as Wikipedia. Social media allows the vast
majority of the public to make their own publications and report or comment on
their own news stories
Most
people use the World Wide Web to access news, weather and sports reports, to
plan and book vacations and to find out more about their interests. People use
chat, messaging and email to make and stay in touch with friends worldwide,
sometimes in the same way as some previously had pen pals. The Internet has
seen a growing number of Web, where users can access their files and settings
via the Internet.
Social
networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace have created new
ways to socialize and interact. Users of these sites are able to add a wide
variety of information to pages, to pursue common interests, and to connect
with others. It is also possible to find existing acquaintances, to allow
communication among existing groups of people. Sites like LinkedIn foster
commercial and business connections. YouTube and Flickr specialize in users'
videos and photographs.
Social
media presents a huge opportunity for us to reach out to people who may not
know about Islam or Muslims. Thousands of Americans have never met a Muslim but
they have access to us through social media. “It would be hard for anyone to
say that they have not ‘heard’ of Islam with the amount of coverage that our
deen has received in recent years through so many different media outlets.
Social
Media Increases Learning Opportunities, in the past, seeking knowledge about
Islam was mainly restricted to the Masjids, educational institutions, and
learning from imams and sheikhs. These traditional learning opportunities
remain intact. However, now Muslims are also able to learn, question, teach,
and network through social networking sites. “There are more avenues by which
to learn about Islam. The Internet has given the public access to all kinds of
information and made Islamic literature so much more accessible.” On YouTube, for example, you can listen to a
lecture in any language you want, whenever you want. Blogging sites such
MuslimMatters.org and SuhaibWebb.com have become extremely popular with both
Muslims and non-Muslims as a way to gain information and learn about Islam.
How to Use Social
Media as a Muslim
1 Be Time Cautious. Time is
very valuable in all spheres of our lives, and Islam reiterates that very
seriously. As a Muslim, you should know when to log on (time not in proximity
with your five daily prayers); how much time to spend on (avoiding excessive
usage of your time on Facebook to interfere with your daily ibadah); and when
to log out (ahead of your ibadah activities).
2 You Can Friend-request a
Non-Muslim. Islam is neither a one-sided religion nor a bigoted one. It is
an all-encompassing religion that tolerates and invites all people from all
walks of life. So, yes, you can send/accept friend request even from the Jews,
Christians and non-believers. By so doing, you not only pave way socially for
discussion, you also open a platform for online preaching.
3 Share Islamic Resources.
You can update your page with a hadith or a verse. Sharing Islamic resources
like the fatwa video, articles and links of rich Islamic resources will be a
great eye opener to many skeptics and hecklers of Islam as Islam is the most
misunderstood religion on earth. Share no matter how small information you
have, share it. Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessing of Allah be Upon Him)
said: “the most generous of people after me will be those who will acquire
knowledge and then disseminate it”.
4 Be Cautious of your Female
Friends. You have to be extra careful with your female networks. Be sure to
engage with them in the things that are vital, reproductive, and informative. Its
haram (forbidden) to be engaging in some chatty-romantic-play with women be it
online or offline. And if you can’t avoid flirting with women on Social Medias,
do not befriend them at all.
Islamic
ethics are applicable to social media (This will range from censoring anything that
is forbidden/haram such as material deemed indecent, violent or even
blasphemous to promoting and propagating Islam as a religion also known as
Dawah). The question remains how we ensure social media complies with Islamic
ethics and any other theories of ethics. Should this be done by governments,
Social media itself or by the very people using Social media? Many countries
already regulate the media through government agencies such as Ofcom and the
Press Complaints Commission in the UK.
In
conclusion, Muslims can use Social Medias if Social media can comply with
Islamic ethics and other theories of ethics. However this will have to be
applied on different levels ranging from government legislation and regulation
to social media outlets self-regulating themselves or by the very people who
use Social media. These people will have to decide what is wrong or right
according to their own conscience and using Islamic ethics to guide them.
No comments:
Post a Comment