First of all, let us praise and thank the presence of Allah Almighty, for the abundance of grace and the joy of all of us can still gather in this place without any barriers at all and in good health. Secondly, shalawat and greetings we pour out to the Prophet Muhammad who has brought us out of the dark ages to the era of bright light today, namely Islam. May we all get intercession on the end, aamiin.
On this nice occasion, allow me standing here to deliver a speech under the title the ethics of social media for young generation.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We are currently entering an era where everything is connected through information and communication technology with all its sophistication, as if the world were borderless. We are no longer difficult if we want to make friends and communicate with people who are in other parts of the world. But on the other hand, it turns out that these conveniences are starting to divert our lives from the real world to the virtual one. Many people are too complacent and comfortable with the virtual world, to the point where they forget how to live in the real world. So that he becomes indifferent to his environment, making the distance wider with the people close to him. On the one hand he can be close to people who are far away, but on the other hand he is even far away from people who are close. All of this is possible because of social media.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Social media is currently a phenomenon in the midst of society, especially among the younger generation. Almost all of them have social media accounts as a form of existence in their social interactions. Seeing the activeness of social media users proves that almost all of them receive great benefits. However, the phenomenon of using social media also raises many problems such as the emergence of slander, division, not even a few which lead to criminal acts.
We cannot blame the negative impacts that arise on existing social media, because the function of the media will follow who the users are. If used properly, social media will have a good impact function, and vice versa. Therefore, when surfing social media, we need to put ethics first.
1. You are not allowed to make hate speech or hate speech, provocation, and slander. Islam teaches us to maintain and create peace. As Islam itself means peace, and brings prosperity and tranquility. So, social media must be used as a means to create peace, not the other way around. There have been many cases of hate speech, provocation and slander that have threatened our unity.
2. Filter before sharing.
Not all information that we get from social media and the internet is guaranteed to be valid. So as intelligent beings, every time we receive news, we should first make sure it's true. If the news is confirmed to be true, then we can share it via social media. In Islamic teachings, this principle is called tabayyun. Allah swt says in sura al-Hujurat verse 6:
"O you who believe, if a wicked person comes to you with news, then check carefully. so that you do not inflict a disaster on a people without knowing the situation that causes you to regret your actions"
3. No showing off. Lately there has been a lot of talk about the flexing phenomenon. Many people like to flaunt their luxury on social media. In Islamic teachings, this is strictly prohibited because it causes many negative effects. If his showing off attitude is seen by people who are not able to afford it, it will cause offense. It's better if we really have excess abilities to be grateful in the right way without having to show it off on social media. So empathy must be prioritized not only in the real world, but also in social media.
4. Not all can be posted.
If in the past there was a term "Your mouth is your tiger", in this social media era that term can change to "Your fingers are your tiger". This means that what we post on social media we must be accountable for. Every time you post, you have to think about the impact that will arise from the post. So just post positive things.
5. Respect others. The rapid flow of information on social media, of course, has its pros and cons. Differences in attitudes and views are natural, so it is necessary between us to prioritize mutual respect and appreciation. Do not let our posts or comments on social media contain elements of tyranny. As in real life, our actions on social media will always be monitored by Allah and recorded by angels who watch over us. Allah swt says in the letter Qaf verse 18:
There is not a single word spoken but there are Roqib and Atid by his side who is always ready (to record) ".
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thus, Islam guides us in this life, in fact we should be able to use social media as a means of strengthening brotherhood, not the other way around. May we always receive guidance from Allah so that in this life we live according to His guidelines. All right ladies and gentlemen, the time has come for me to end this speech. I am very grateful for the audience’s great attention to my speech. I apologize if in my speech there are delivery or words that feel inappropriate in the hearts of the audience. I hope we all have a glorious day. The last I say wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh
