5 New-age problems that didn't exist a decade ago

By Team Asianet Newsable | First Published Oct 30, 2017, 12:27 PM IST

In the past few months, we have seen students, youngsters obsessed to get the best click lose their lives. 
A little they realise is that there would always be another chance or place to take a selfie, but not another life.
Another new age problem is how to communicate with teens introduced to the murky online world.

Technology has made our lives easier, be it instant communication, apps to handle daily chores, no more long queues and the list is endless. But, this has also given rise to a new set of issues that didn’t exist decades ago. These new-age problems are unexpected and relatively new challenges are a byproduct of our hi-tech digital lives, and we are still grappling with them.

To begin with, phones have been a boon. They’ve evolved and selfie phones seem to have become quite a rage in India. Companies have been churning out phones that focus on 'selfies' as the front camera takes the centre stage in the mobile world. Yes, unbelievable, but over the years, a good selfie camera is become as important as other features. However, the selfie craze has its repercussions that are far more dangerous. A couple of months ago, a research revealed how 60 percent of all selfie deaths occurred in India.

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In the past few months, we have seen students, youngsters obsessed to get the best click lose their lives. A little they realise is that there would always be another chance or place to take a selfie, but not another life.

Love your life, and not selfies!

Another new age problem is how to communicate with teens introduced to the murky online world. Talking point being the cases of blue whale death, a game that targets teens and pre-teens by the way of showing off bravado, and if that stops working, then by inciting fear. Though a ban was imposed to curb the game, it didn't really help as the game surfaced in another forms. So, clearly that is not the solution and one has to look at a broader solution.

This is a new-age problem, and also shows how the euphoria from physical activities is slowly shifting to online activities. So, it is important for schools as well as family to have an open dialogue with students, promote other physical activities, talk about awareness around cyber bullying and so on.

Another factor that we don't usually talk about is cyber counselling. Schools should have cyber counselling as a part of the curriculum, as that is what the digital age education requires. You can read more here.

Google, Facebook are spying on you? Here's what you can do

Social media frenzy is another problem that didn’t exist years ago. We love flaunting our 'happening lives' on social media, irrespective of how different the reality may be. But, there is always some caution to be exerted when you post something online for the world to see. The repercussions have been shown in how it impacts on self esteem, and even linked to mental health in many ways.

You no more have to stand in long queues of the bank or wait until a holiday to make a transaction. Now, you can do it instantly even on-the-go. But, this has also given a rise to the increasing ways in which fraudsters are find ways to rob you off your money. Mobile banking comes with its own share of issues, and the need of the hour is awareness. A stronger password, basic knowledge that you bank doesn't ask for your private details, and some awareness is the need of the hour.

But, there are also other issues like taking Sextortion on Sexting to another level by shaming the person publicly. Sexting isn't a problem, but there are rules to follow.

Similarly, there has also been in a rise in the cases of Sextortion and the victims are usually said to be men. It was said to be a part for an extortionist group trying to get money from you, and could be doing it from any part of the world. So after phishing and online frauds, online criminals have found newer ways of cyber crimes. However, this isn't all. It could also happen with a partner, whom you once trusted. Imagine, you have been with your boyfriend for years and trusted him with a cyber sex chat including images. One day, things fall apart and you decide to part ways. He has the recordings and blackmails saying he would create a WhatsApp group with all your family members and close friends, and release the content.

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