Globalisation is not new. Forms and modes of globalisation existed in the ancient civilisations of Sumeria, Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and India. Barter trade promoted globalisation in ancient times.
Social media is not new. In ancient civilisations, there was always social media of sorts, principally by word of mouth. In contemporary times, marketing people acknowledge that word of mouth is one of the most important tools in the dissemination of information. Modern governments control mediums of information dissemination, mainly radio and television, and the print medium.
The dawn of the digital era and technology has changed the speed, scope and means of information sharing. Like the proverbial double-edged blade, globalisation and social media can cut both sides. This risk becomes double jeopardy when globalisation and the social media agenda are aimed at the impressionable and teeming group termed the “Z generation”.
Educational institutions have taken advantage of the digital era by promoting e-learning, including massive open online courses. These institutions have predicted that the future of universities, schools and continuous learning will be learning in the digital world.
There are all kinds of communication mediums, in particular, what is termed “social media”. Lone bloggers, hate groups, franchised groups, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, emails. The X and Y generations, regarded as digital natives, do not invest time in official channels of communication. Instead, they invest time in social media. Given the new tools, there have to be safeguards to ensure that they are not abused to corrupt and control potentially creative and brilliant minds.
The curriculum content available and accessible in the digital world is unlimited. Unlike the filtered and carefully designed school curriculum, the curriculum in the digital world is unfiltered and unlimited, ever evolving.
There was social media in the past. The means, scope and time lapse have changed because of technology, in particular, digital technology. The digital era is regarded as that of the digital natives — the X and Y generations. Actually, it is also the era of baby boomers and octogenarians. The difference is that earlier generations had both content knowledge formally learned and mastered, and unique life experiences. The Z generation has mastery of technology, but has yet to systematically master content knowledge and life experiences, with lessons of joy, pain and tragedy.
Social media is about social, cultural, relationship and experiential capital. It is at risk by spammers, hackers and digital criminals. It is also subject to governmental surveillance, and big corporations’ propaganda and distortion of facts and realities.
The challenge of the digital era is to have design thinking and the intellectual capacity to discriminate between fact and fiction, and propaganda and imagination, and to always exercise, with increasing challenge, the faculties to identify and distinguish truths from falsehoods, half-truths from complete truths, truths in mechanistic modes and truths with wisdom.
In setting up a group, a group member recorded the following:
“IT depends on the purpose of forming the group. I prefer this group to be restricted to a fast and easy channel of communicating information related to only business activities;”
“I AM in a few WhatsApp groups that are social in nature. Sometimes, I see more than 20 ‘good mornings’, more than 20 recycled motivational quotes and more than 20 spiritual advice, which I sense that even the sender might not have read. They can be overwhelming at times;” and,
“TO engage in a ‘head and heart’ conversation in a community, I prefer Facebook.”
The group discusses all these topics in passing or in engaged extended discourse:
NOSTALGIA of traditional music, and music during their youth;
RELIGIOUS talks by all kinds of imam, Quranic and Hadith quotations abound;
ADVICE and words of support from support groups clarifying spiritual understanding and dilemmas;
POLITICAL discussions on the state of the nation in a neutral manner;
DISCUSSIONS on controversial political matters;
CELEBRATIONS of family successes and events;
SHARING of quotes of wisdom;
SHARING of positive values and virtues;
SHARING of the news of the day;
SHARING of wit and humour;
INSTANTANEOUS sharing of national events of concern;
SHARING of school-day memories, including via photographs;
KEEPING up with and paying last respects to classmates and friends;
TECHNIQUES to catch mosquitoes or rats;
PLANTING of “Harum Manis” and various kinds of rare guavas;
HERBS to cure dengue and other diseases; and,
DEFENCES and safeguards against crime.
So, much is learned from social media. In many ways, much more can be learned from the positive use of social media than schools’ rigid and limiting curriculum. With ceaseless advances and ideas, there is much to be in awe of and realise our ignorance of the world.
Datuk Dr Ibrahim Ahmad Bajunid is president, Malaysian
Association for Education