WHILE switching different programmers and serials shown on our TV, I often wonder what kind of role the media is playing in our so-called Islamic society. Is it promoting positivity or negativity? Is it contributing to the development or retardation of Pakistani culture?

In the present era the media is the fastest way of spreading information throughout the world in the blink of an eye. Today we have become the slave of media, and what I am worried about is alien cultural invasion of our society.

Today Hollywood and Bollywood seem to be ruining our traditions through entertainment. No wonder our young generation appears to be enamoured of the way of life shown in these films. Our film industry, too, is getting influenced by Western and Indian films and trying to follow them in a way that goes against our religion and culture. Instead of promoting our religious values and norms we are blindly promoting Western values. Turkish serials have become common on Pakistani channels and people take a lot of interest in them.

Our fashion shows and TV commercials have become vulgar. Our way of dressing, greeting and thinking is no more Pakistani, for we are adopting Western lifestyle, latest fashion and slang words faster than we cane image.

Some of fashion magazines are encouraging the Western way of life and some of our commercials are so vulgar that we hate to see them while sitting with our families. That’s why vulgarity has become common.

The excessive use of social media — Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, snapchat and many others — are adversely affecting our young generation and children because every kind of content without any censorship is available for all the age groups

Cultural invasion is a dangerous weapon to weaken a country not by direct attack but by influencing the minds of the people. This challenge can be met by creating awareness among masses and taking control of the contents displayed on TV and social media.

Syeda Fatima Rizvi

Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2019