Are you active on social media?

‘What a question?’, you might counter.  Who would not be on Facebook in our world today? You may wonder further. Owned by Marck Zuckerberg, the American prodigy, Facebook has become a marker, in line with Jean Paul-Sartre – the atheist philosopher, of being in the world; it is one way to show you are of this world. Facebook exemplifies your rootedness in the world. To be active on that exotic platform is to be on top of the currents, the sense and the nonsense that our world constantly yields, like the spider’s web, of and for itself.

Viewed positively, Facebook and other social media platforms of today can be referred to as the adornments of this world.  The Almighty says- ‘O! Prophet- say: who has made unlawful the adornments and good provisions that the Almighty has brought forth for His servants?” Say, “They are meant for those who believe while they dwell on earth and it shall be exclusively theirs on the Day of the resurrection…(Quran 7: 32.

In other words, for the believer to be active and benefit from social media is perfectly in order. Questions and concerns would arise, however, the moment those online platforms are deployed for purposes that conflict with explicit injunctions of our Creator. Indeed, your presence on social media could become unlawful the moment it threatens your well-being, the well-being of others, and society as a whole.  In recent times, several countries including the United States, China, and Australia among others have gone further to restrict access to online platforms such the TikTok either for security reasons or to protect and preserve public morality. It felt as if they have risen to adopt the fundamental objectives of the Islamic law that includes among others the protection of the human soul or dignity, the protection of the intellect and the protection of family ties. 

Thus, whenever I am asked – ‘are you active on Facebook?’ I respond by saying ‘I am actively inactive’- permit the pun, the palindrome. I say that based on my awareness that to be ‘active’ on Facebook or any social media platform for that matter – except for business or corporate purposes- is to have more than twenty hours a day at your disposal.  

Perhaps more concerning is the trend today where social media addicts have become so enamoured that they now find no inhibitions in desecrating all values, norms and sacred remits in their insatiable desire to be ‘active’, in their infantile urge to rack up more followers or, as they put, ‘likes’.  The absurdity has reached that egregious level where no privacy, decency and dignity exist anymore. The purveyors of indignity particularly among women have thrown all prudishness to the dogs. The more brazenly and explicitly sexual the content, the more the likes.  To be on TikTok today is to be treated, in part, to narratives, discourses and scenes about the male and female genitalia.

To put this in sharper perspective, I found the following story by a brother named Ibrahim to be very apt. Three robbers entered a house. They said to the lady: “We don’t want to spoil the order of your house and we don’t want to harm you, so we are sitting here on the sofa. Bring whatever cash and jewellery you have here.” The lady brought cash and jewellery. The leader of the robbers said, “Where is the diamond ring that your husband gave as a gift on your wedding anniversary?”

She kept silent and brought the ring and gave it to them. The chief robber said again: ‘Bring the watch that your sister sent from Dubai’. The woman had already started shedding tears while handing over the gift given by her sister. The robber said once again: ‘Now we will drink instant coffee of “Nescafé” and ask your permission’. After drinking coffee, the head of the bandits said, “Now bring the leftover pineapple cake from yesterday.” When all the goods had been taken by the robbers, the woman hesitated and said, “You guys are very professional and ethical robbers. How did you know about the things inside our house? “The leader of the bandits fixed the mask on his face and said, ‘Madam, we are your Facebook friends and regularly read your posts.

Facebook and other social media outlets are favours and privileges. They are like knives. Knives are innocent of the use to which we put them.  Social media are also ‘blessings’ from Him, the Almighty; blessings that hack back to the uncommon favours granted to Prophet Sulayman (upon him be peace). But just like others, you shall be held accountable for all those favours, privileges and blessings here and ‘there’.