Being active, virtually

DUBAI — A 15-year-old Ayesha Irfan’s idea of a day well spent is that of being hooked to her laptop to watch episodes of her favourite television series or check up on one of her many accounts on social networking sites that she uses to keep in touch with friends.

A majority of youth in the UAE are choosing to live in the virtual world instead of the real world, and Ayesha says that it is a norm among those of her age.

“The internet’s got everything. Instead of waiting for shows to air on TV, I can download the episodes or watch them online. It (the internet) also saves me and my friends a lot of phone credit because we have our long talks through msn or skype,” she said.

“People usually say that spending too much time on the computer breaks your interaction skills but I feel I’ve learnt to approach people much easily because of it. I think the internet has helped me gain confidence in myself. But my parents still pressure me to go out every now and then to get some fresh air, play with the neighbours’ kids, or take up an outdoor sport.”

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) recently revealed in a household survey on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the UAE, conducted over the course of year 2010, that around 63 per cent of residents have internet connection at home and use it at least once a day.

Further statistics showed that 27 per cent of residents, between the ages of 15 to 74, access their home internet more than once a day, and in the past 12 months, around 81 per cent have used it to send or receive e-mails, 45 per cent accessed social networking sites such as facebook, myspace or twitter, while 30 per cent used it to download or stream music and movies.

Mukesh M. Amarnani, a 22-year-old call centre officer, falls under 55 per cent of the residents who access the internet through a Blackberry (BB) device as he has his fingers glued to the phone.

“It’s like a plug to my social circle. Some of my friends are annoyed with me because I can’t help but bury my nose into my BB whenever I get a message while we’re hanging out,” he said, adding that the ‘ping’ of a message brings pleasure to his ears.

Ayesha said that young people should not become anti-social or fall into the clutches of ‘stereotypism’.

“It’s natural for our society to group teens into a phase. Some of our family friends think I’m being a rebel when I’m not. So it’s better we prove them wrong by not letting our hobbies affect our education and social lives,” she said.

· farhana@khaleejtimes.com