Somy Ali: Social media is both destructive and constructive which makes it tricky

MUMBAI: Actress Somy Ali says that social media has become integral to our lives. However, she adds that one needs to be careful about what we watch online.

“Reels, YouTube accounts and videos are not just our future, but they are our present too. It’s both destructive and constructive which makes it tricky,” says Somy, who runs a US-based NGO called No More Tears.

She adds, “There are tons of material be it videos or posts that tend to be misleading and can create awful things such as bigotry, discrimination, corruption, and plain old polarisation. That’s where fact-checking is not only necessary but mandatory. However, our youth do not have the wherewithal to fact-check everything they watch online which makes it a scary world. But on a positive note, it has its perks for all professionals including entrepreneurs. One just has to be intelligent and intellectually make the distinction between propaganda and the truth.”

Talking about the future of reels and YouTube, she says, “All said and done these reels are only going to grow quite rapidly because the concept of getting your 15 minutes of fame has now been transformed into something much bigger than just that and the viewers seem to enjoy it thoroughly. Remember our world functions on supply and demand with pretty much everything.”