About seventy years or so back there had been only theatre or musical groups for the entertainment of the people. Theatre was the platform for the performance of dramas based on the religious like ‘Ram Leela’, ‘Krishna Leela’ and some based on historical as well as social subjects. ‘Choupals’ , a common and open place in the villages and also in the towns, were used for performing musical programmes and also for social activities. The arrival of the Cinema in 1896 changed the whole concept and definition of entertainment in India which then had its majority of population residing in villages. However, the Cinema in the beginning was neither in the reach nor affordable for common man. In the beginning for about a decade it remained an affair of big cities and of the elite class. Despite this, the cinema created a craze among the common men. As such within a decade it reached small towns and also became favourite of all. Then in 1923 when Radio made its entry in India the source of entertainment shifted to Radio from village theatres and ‘Choupals’. However the local sources of entertainment continued to enjoy the love and favour of people even after the arrival of television and then cable and satellite TV. But the entry of social media has now overshadowed almost all the sources of entertainment. Not only entertainment but has now become a major source of information and also of education. As far as the issue is related to entertainment, the impact of social media has not been a matter of concern but with regard to information and education this media is now proving to be hazardous not only for the users but also for the whole society and above all for the country. Majority of social media users belong to youngsters and as such any wrong and misleading information being circulated through this media by scruples elements have resulted in some incidents of violence and hatred. It is not really a matter of concern because our young generation is the biggest user of social media and the coming generation of children and adolescents is now outnumbering the other users of social media. This in near future can create various socio-cultural problems which may lead to violence. It is time to address this issue otherwise we may lose the opportunity to make our country a model of ethics and amity for others.
