The world seems to be at the tip of our fingers nowadays. There is no doubt that the young generation of 21st century India is moving ahead of its time with the inception of the digital age. While there are folks who consider the rise of the digital world to be a boon for the youth, there are still many who consider the life of the older times to be much better than the present. While there are several questions being raised in front of young India about their potential, there are both positive and negative aspects which will determine the country’s face in the near future.
As we know that India is the fastest growing country, there are two inter-related factors which play a major role in developing the backbone of the upcoming generation, i.e. education and employment. One cannot deny the fact of the rapid growth rate of education but unemployment is still a matter of contention since the last few decades. When we come across education, both people and the government are very concerned about achieving higher literacy rate. We can find graduates in every house now but to find a Class 10 pass back in the days was quite a hectic job. As the number of schools and higher education institutions tends to rise up at a fast pace, so does the competition between the students.
Students of today’s age and time are more conscious than yesteryear’s because we are living in a world where news reaches way before the newspaper. Every entity in this ongoing lifestyle is getting upgraded but unfortunately, our education system still relies on the same age-old methods of teaching. There is delusion in the minds of the students about the importance of the role of education. The learning aura is focused on examinations and is job-centric rather than being based on knowledge and passion.
Every school going student aspires to become either the conventional white collared doctor or engineer. The irony is, India is producing the highest numbers of engineers in the entire world but doesn’t fall in any list in terms of innovations and inventions. As the education rate increases rapidly, a strategic reformation is the need of the hour in the prevailing system.
With the advent of digitalisation, new horizons have been created upon the minds of the young generation in terms of education as well as employment. The process of e-learning has been adopted as a new form of studying not only by college students but also by young kids. The ability to reach anywhere at any time using a single device has literally transformed the outlook of the youth. There was a time when young adults could not take a single step without the consent of their elders but now even children are at par with their parents’ updates. Accessibility to the internet has not only widened the options of learning but also opened doors to earning. Entrepreneurship is the contemporary face of new-age development.
The youth is venturing into the independent working zone rather than depending on government jobs. In the changing times of modern India, it is essential that young minds explore the needs of transforming the world and render their calibre to design a new dimension for the betterment of mankind. Being an entrepreneur is not only about building a product or an organisation but also shaping an independent creation or innovation to drive the folks into a new sphere, which eventually entrenches society and connects the nation.
Due to the rise of networking start-ups and companies, youth from even the remote areas and villages across the country have got the opportunity to work. In the case of media also, people are getting an appropriate platform with the help of various online portals. While filmmakers can get their recognition through film festivals, music enthusiasts are getting fame through YouTube. Many artists have become an overnight sensation and are shining over YouTube.
Talking about the role of the current political scenario of the nation, social media has played a significant role in influencing the youth to take part in mainstream politics. Due to the vibrancy of smartphones, students are getting deep into the political ground and coming up with genuine voices across Facebook and Twitter. In fact, during the 2019 elections, healthy campaigning was observed all over social media. It is good to see college students raising critical questions concerning the burning issues of India through social media. There are instances where pertinent issues of the masses were reached by the youth.
Technology has really taken the level of communication beyond our imagination. Be it WhatsApp or Facebook, we don’t feel the distance anymore. It seems as if the person is right in front of us. But there was a time when letters used to be the only means of connectivity between two people. The biggest loss for the digital age is the worth of a relationship. Today’s generation will never understand the essence of writing a letter to their dear ones and waiting for days for them to reply. Since the world seems to be very small today, the saturation point of human relations is getting lower day by day. As a result, the youth of today is an easy prey to boredom and frustration.
The future of India lies on the shoulders of the young generation, they have seen a massive transition due to digital transformation. The incredible progress of the internet, smartphones and social media are the game changers in influencing the lives of the youth. It will be quite interesting to see how young India faces the challenges of the transforming world in the near future.