Al-Watan newspaper

IN a previous article titled "The strategic role of media", I have emphasized that media is a decisive tool that can cross borders and influence public opinion as well as world opinion, if used properly adopting a constructive approach to create a positive stereotype of nations.

In this article I would like to discuss the culture of exploitation prevailing in all media means and platforms. I have seen a video clip of a three-year-old child published by the pioneers of the social media in Zareef. The child was seen taking photos and speaking like social media celebrities.

The child started crying when he suddenly noticed that his mother was not with him. When he saw his mother he became normal and resumed his amazing talk as if nothing had happened.

From this fascinating video clip we understand that some parents do not prevent exposure of their children to unsuitable electronic content from the very start of their life.

I think the child in the video has learned the art of speech and photography. In my opinion, he has received training on how to use the app cleverly under the supervision of an adult. Exploitation of children for amusement is quite evident in this program.

We have seen so many reality TV shows for children’s singing competitions where children often cry bitterly when they fail to get prizes. In my opinion we are exploiting children in these programs to make quick money and entertain viewers with tears of children.

I don’t think it’s a meaningful and objective program.

Lip sync is another app developed by social media stars and many old and young men and women as well as children use it. Lip sync is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person’s lip movements with prerecorded sung or spoken vocals.

Sometimes people will be moving their lips wrongly making the program ugly. The most saddening thing is that many families encourage their girls to mimic recorded songs and dance to the tune of such songs with the intention of making them models. What kind of generation it will produce?

I would like to know the opinion of parents toward such programs. Did any father or mother ask their children whether they are interested to join such programs to become a subject of mockery and receive disgusting comments from the public? It will also affect their future life.

Unfortunately, I did not find a logical explanation for families and entertainment program makers for exploiting children to make material gains. Parents who encourage their daughters to dance and sing to increase the number of TV viewers and thus raise their advertisement revenue are like those who push their daughters to beg in the streets. The first one is electronic begging while the latter is traditional begging. Here comes the need to launch a campaign against exploitation of children for entertainment.

These are the sort of artists who do not deserve any following as they spread destructive culture or the culture of random entertainment that we do not need.