The Internet Simultaneously Divides Loved Ones and Brings Strangers Closer

At present, internet plays a vital role in connecting people from all over the world. One can communicate with one another within seconds using internet. It affects people of all age. Consciously or subconsciously everyone is dependent on the internet. We use social media (Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter etc.) to express our feelings or to communicate with friends and family. But mostly people use these platforms to connect with their friends or people they know through internet. As a result, they do not spend enough time with their family members which slowly creates a distance between them. Recently, on 26^th October,2023, due to a fire break out in Khawaja Tower (Mohakhali) internet was down for a couple of days. Consequently, people could not use internet for 4/5 days. People started to reconnect with their loved ones. They spent quality time together playing games, talking, doing household chores together, helping each other. Within these few days their relationship became stronger than before by spending time together. But as soon as internet connection was retrieved, everyone got back to their old habit. They started to use internet rather than spending time with their families. Indeed, using internet or social media is not unpleasant but the usage needs to be limited. If not, then family members may live under the same roof but there will be a distance amongst them. For instance, if the elderly members of the family spend a lot of time on the internet, the younger members will feel neglected. On the other hand, if the younger members spend more time on the internet, elderly members will feel displeased. As a result a gap will be created amongst them. People interact with others via internet but often forget to interact with the people they actually love or care about. They give their precious time to strangers or distant people while their loved ones feel unhappy. At some point they start to believe that they are not prioritized. It is true that internet connects distant friends or people but in reality it also drifts apart family members. People don't appreciate what they have because of internet. They take their family members for granted. They start to think that loved ones will always be there for them no matter what. Although it is true that family sticks together through thick and thin but effort is really necessary for that. One cannot expect to be online all the time and maintain a good relationship with one's family members. Everybody expects to spend some quality time with their family members. It strengthens the bond they share. Sometimes people might have a misconception due to internet that they can live alone or they do not really need anyone to live as long as they have internet, which is not true. Human beings need their loved ones to be alive and to live a happy life. So, spending quality time together is a way to express their love for each other. Therefore, it is necessary to be careful that we do not lose our loved ones in search of finding peace on the internet. Internet may seem like a great way to pass time for the time being but family is permanent and nothing can ever replace it. So, we should always spend time with our loved ones whether we have internet connection or not. Our priority should be the people we share our home with, not the people who support us virtually. In times of need, it is always our family who is there for us no matter how difficult the situation is.