breathing in bodhi - life skills general awareness books

The Whatsapp Effect…May be I am Addicted 1

The Whatsapp Effect…May be I am Addicted

23Article

Man has moved way ahead by climbing upon the shoulders of technology. It is a technology-freak

world we are living in today. Everything needs to be done at the blink of an eye, no one desires a sloth. With need for faster pace, faster means of communication have significantly and outrageously erupted like in a volcanic movement. And with technological advancement, the social media has also leaped many folds. Moreover with the availability of technology under every palm, a new addiction has been generated among masses craving for even faster travel. No matter it has led to a faster channel for communication, but it has also smeared some life-impairing conditions upon the society.

Psychologists have found out that addiction is compulsively driven behaviour with many negative consequences. These days, the most common, crazed- after and sought-after social communication service is the Whatsapp. People today are really mad about texting over the Whatsapp, as it’s totally free and has a great text-based communication that underpins sharing of multimedia like photos, videos, voice mails, mp3, et al. With an connection, internet one can share things anywhere around the world. The whatsapp status feature is so alluring that it creates a familiar environment. For example, someone is always online and always gives instant response, while someone was last

This case has taken from Life Skills Theme Meant for Ages (11-13)

2 Breathing in Bodhi

seen on some earlier date at a particular time, and someone’s status cannot be seen because that person has blocked the person willing to look at the status. These are some of the instances which impact a lot on the psychological front of the human brain. Even if one does not know the person with whom he/she is chatting, yet this virtual interaction may prove a greater peril than physical. If one wants to use Whatsapp in an irrational way, it is a very dangerous tool controlling the entire psychological system of the person.

It has been observed these days that people often tend to get less gregarious with their surroundings. This solely is because of the presence of a sea of obtainable social networking services in the mobile phones, among which the Whatsapp acquires the premier position in terms of popularity and usage. We often notice these days during some occasions or parties, people, especially youngsters do prefer to comfort themselves more by reclining in a corner and operating the cellphones, rather than talking and exchanging wishes. The presence of whatsapp induces a magnetic attraction so much so that it keeps the person craving all the time until he has opened up and peeped into his whatsapp page. While he tries to continue a chat or to answer questions sent from the other end or for that matter watches a video or images, most of his time goes unproductive. This is because he would never engage himself into real human conversation when he has, in his hands, a virtual networking facility which caters to parallel conversations, tracing locations of another person and getting entertained in all ways possible.

When it comes to the matter of students, at an early age, students are exposed to such technological abuse, their yet-to-be-flourished faculties have greater tendencies of differing from what is actually human. Students are very much prone to inherit the lethal trait of narcissism with


networks such as whatsapp at hands, as they frequently click the so-called “selfies” to paste in the social networking page so that people look into them and like or praise them. In order to do this, they often spend a lot of time trying to ornate themselves so that they look better in front of the watching eyes. This can certainly create a hindrance in their studies and other activities.

It has been observed most of the time people generally manage to check their whatsapp one or the other time of the day, be it when they wake up in the morning or at the bed time. So one wonders whether people are actually suffering from a kind of addiction to the social media or facing some sort of a crisis in contemporary living. Whatsapp allows its users to send unlimited videos, images, texts and audio messages for free for a year. Subsequent to that, it charges a meager 0.99$. It has been now for five years and has now a user list counted to more than 500 million. It was founded by two US citizens, viz., Brian Acton and Jan Koum, who formerly were employees at the Yahoo office. Whatsapp records a sharing of 700 million photos and over 100 million videos by its users throughout the world on a per day basis.

The addiction towards whatsapp has been soaring as more new users join the social networking platform regularly. This cannot only be infectious for kids, but can also be the reason of obstruction in serious and matured relationships. To get rid of such addictions, one always has the room of finding some hobbies or taking a ride or reading some good books or for that purpose, may be watching a good movie. So true, for there does not exists much chasm between technology and slavery, only that the slaves remain aware of their condition.


Directions (Qs. 1-10): Match the words with their correct meanings.

1. Outrageous (A) Zooming

2. Smear (B) Excessive interest in oneself

3. Impair (C) Sociable

4. Underpin (D) Gap

5. Alluring (E) Support from below

6. Gregarious (F) Excessive in a bad sense

7. Sloth (G) To mark something

8. Narcissism (H) Fascinating

9. Soaring (I) Weaken or damage a function

10. Chasm (J) Laziness

Directions (Qs. 11-15): Choose the correct meaning for the following phrases with reference to the context:

11. Climbing upon the shoulders(a) To let a baby climb (b) With the help of(c) Wrongly utilize (d) Use wrong means

12. The blink of an eye(a) An eye disease (b) To shut one’s eyes(c) Extremely quickly (d) Full of dust


13. To desire a sloth(a) Want to be slow and clumsy(b) Want a sloth bear(c) Want a very large thing(d) Want to be fast

14. Under every palm(a) Astrology (b) Under a palm tree(c) A palm top computer (d) Available to all

15. Much chasm exists(a) A wide opening(b) A correspondence or similarity(c) Much gap exists(d) Connection

Directions (Qs. 16-20): Answer the following questions based on the information provided in the story.

16. Arrange the following in chronological order:A. 500 million users of whatsapp.B. Launch of android phonesC. Brian Acton and Jan Koum were employees of

Yahoo.D. Launch of whatsapp.(a) CDBA (b) CBDA(c) CABD (d) CBAD

17. Match the following:1. Virtual interaction (A) Whatsapp charge after a

year2. Students (B) Photo sharing in a day


3. 700 million (C) Dangerous than physical4. 0.99$ (D) Technological abuse(a) 1 – D, 2 – A, 3 – B, 4 – C(b) 1 – C, 2 – D, 3 – B, 4 – A(c) 1 – B, 2 – A, 3 – D, 4 – C(d) 1 – C, 2 – D, 3 – B, 4 – A

18. Choose the incorrect statement:(a) Whatsapp records a sharing of over 100 million

videos in a day.(b) Once added as a friend in whatsapp, the person

cannot be blocked.(c) Everyone is a potential addict of social media.(d) The portability of whatsapp can affect taking of

different moral decisions among students. 19. Choose the correct statements from those given below:

A. Whatsapp is totally free for a year.B. There are only limited numbers of networking

services available for android mobile phones.C. Whatsapp is the most popular among all social

networking platforms on mobile phones.D. Virtual conversations are similar to real

conversations.(a) A and B (b) B and C(c) A and D (d) A and C

20. Whatsapp allows its users to send unlimited

A. videos

B. images

C. texts and audio messages

(a) A and C (b) B and C

(c) A and B (d) A, B and C


Directions (Qs. 21-25): Explore the answers in the following questions.21. List some of the growing competitors of Whatsapp in

today’s social media market.22. A social networking site is ready to disappear on 30th

September 2014. Name the site and reasons for its disappearance.

23. Addiction of anything is harmful. Give some of the growing addiction that needs urgent curb among youth in India.

24. Give two reasons for switching of Whatsapp from a free service to a paid service.

25. Why is Whatsapp called a “Cold Media”?

Directions (Qs. 26-31): Give your opinion.

26. What is the reason behind the grand popularity of Whatsapp as an instant messaging application?

27. Are there any benefits of Whatsapp? Who are the people benefitted by this application?

28. How has Whatsapp addiction affected people, especially students and kids today?

29. Describe the technological misuses in the contemporary world. Is technology stealing away privacy in people’s lives? How?


30. Do you use Whatsapp? How do you make use of it? Does it make an impact in your daily life?

31. Social Media plays a major role in opinion creation. Discuss.

1. (F) 2. (G) 3. (I) 4. (E) 5. (H)

6. (C) 7. (J) 8. (B) 9. (A) 10. (D)

11. (b) 12. (c) 13. (a) 14. (d) 15. (c)

16. (b) 17. (d) 18. (b) 19. (d) 20. (d)

Answer Key

21. Skype, Viber, Wickr and Hike are some of the competitors.

22. Orkut. The reasons for its disappearance are numerous:(a) Arrival of hate groups. (b) Privacy issues(c) Anti-India Campaign

23. (a) Smoking(b) Drug (c) Alcohol (d) Cell Phones(e) Social Networking

24. (a) For coping the high growth rate(b) To earn profit as the primary cost was limited to

sending of a message. 25. A Cold media requires high participation in form

of sending and sharing from one person to another. Whatsapp is one such example that can effectively work only when there is an exchange between two sources. This is the reason for it being called a “Cold Media”.

Explanatory Answers


Articles focussed on Thinking Skills

1. Preamble - The Stepping Stone to Democracy2. Evolution of the Divine Food-Chocolate3. Monsoon: An Elixir for Indian Economy4. Coral Reef: Rainforest of the Ocean 5. Blackhole: Warping Space and Time 6. NASA7. Go Green-Ecotourism8. Crude Oil: Black Gold9. The Spectacular Spider-Man10. Malls: Shopper’s Paradise or Paradise Lost

Articles focussed on Social Skills

11. Elections in India-When the Voice Transforms into Votes12. Old Delhi vs New Delhi....... ‘Dilli Meri Jaan’13. Cybernation: A Threat or A Convivial to Employment14. Shipping through the Suez Canal15. Obesity – The Silent Killer16. The Mother of All Cells–Stem Cells17. Rain Water Harvesting – Make the Most of the Rain18. National Food Security Bill19. Mars Rover – Reporting from the Red Planet20. Adventure Sports – Experience the Thrills and Spills

Articles focussed on Emotional Skills

21. India-Pakistan Kinship22. Quit India Movement: A spark that Burst into Flames23. The Whatsapp Effect…..Maybe I am Addicted24. Computer Virus: Benign or Merely Annoying? 25. Changing Life with Internet26. Play Stations- The extremities of gamers27. Water Shortage in India28. Airlander: The Wave of the Future29. Hazing Art of Kathputli30. Antarctica – An Exile to Mankind

Life Skills/ Beginners [Level-1] Ages (11-13)

11-13Ages


Articles focussed on Thinking Skills

1. Cold War – The Political Hostility2. Ice Age – The Encounter with Glacial Episodes3. Building Better Global Economy: BRICS4. Benefits of SEZ5. The Short Cut to America6. Hydroelectricity – A Modern Necessity7. ISRO – In the Service of Human Kind8. Beading the Energy9. The Gurukul and the Modern Modes of Education – A Larger Dichotomy10. White Goods

Articles focussed on Social Skills

11. Amazonia: The Unexplored Life12. The Promise and Peril of India’s Youth Bulge13. Lifeline to the Nation–Indian Railways14. Touchdown of A380 to India15. Fashion Trends16. Holidaying to Moon17. The Virtual World In Our Hand18. The lost Treasure of the Developed Nations19. Permanent Seat for India in UN Security Council – Yes or No20. New Writers, Young Readers

Articles focussed on Emotional Skills

21. The Chinese Year of the Horse22. Living with the Menace: Terrorism23. Vivekananda’s Strategy for the Youths24. Commercial Friends and Political Foes25. Benaras— The City of Ghats26. Malnutrition—The Yearning Childhood27. Networking or Not Working28. CNR Rao: The Seer of Science29. The Thin Line of Wagah30. Reality TV—Remaking of Television Culture

11-13Ages

Life Skills/ Avid Reader [Level-2] Ages (11-13)


Articles focussed on Thinking Skills1. Immigration issues and reforms2. There is a little bit of SAIL in everybody’s life3. BRICS BANK – Building economy brick by brick4. Sales is directly proportional to advertisement5. Las Vegas — Just the right amount of wrong6. Make in India — a dream or reality 7. Cloud Computing — Cloud 9 or Creative Destruction8. Bi-Party Vs Multiple Party9. Burra Katha: A Folk Art form of Story Telling10. Insurance — The Business of Caring & Conducting

Articles focussed on Social Skills11. Government Subsidies — Special Political Privileges12. Jan Dhan Yojna – A dream comes true 13. 100 years of Indian Cinema14. Trust, Transparency, Tranquility — Core Competencies of Human Resource Management15. The Golden Quadrilateral – The longest expressway India ever had16. Is your doctor minting money?17. Media: Investigates or Exaggerates?18. Solution to Pollution: Yamuna Cleaning Project19. Women in India- Kitchen to Cosmos20. The power of words- History of Indian Publishing

Articles focussed on Emotional Skills21. Telangana: Rising above the constitutional barriers22. Proud not Primitive: Tribals shying away from entering the mainstream23. MGNREGA — Unproductive employment24. Are you in good hands? Mobile Banking25. Modern Age Agriculture — Giving riches to a nation26. Don’t be mean behind the screen – Cyber Bullying27. Erase your e-waste or Green is a dream 28. Building palaces from lowly logs: Dying Cottage Industries29. South Asia – Peacemaking is your best bet!30. Relief by Mother Nature- Naturopathy

11-13Ages

Life Skills/ Experts [Level-3] Ages (11-13)


Philosophy - Breathing in BodhiThe paradigm shift in the field of education focuses on the development of life skills, attitudes and values which are the 21st century skills. This was the prime focus which made us divide this series into two themes-life skills and attitudes and values.

Each theme strongly voices out in three levels - beginners, the avid readers and the experts making it a six book series. Each book contains 30 fascinating stories about people, places, events, ideas and issues.

Theme - Life Skills Theme - Attitude & Values

The stories are further based on Life Skills - 10 each on Thinking, Social and Emotional Skills.

The stories are further based on attitude and values - 15 each on attitude and values.

Thinking Skills acquired by a person makes him organize information, solve problems, make decisions, judge problems and be creative.

Attitude is how we respond to a specific situation or people. Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal. Similarly, nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.

Values are about how we have learnt to think things ought to be or people ought to behave, especially in terms of qualities such as honesty, integrity and openness.

Social skills help a person to develop capability to establish and negotiate the complex relationship between self and social environment.

Emotional skills guide thinking and behavior. It powers you with the ability to discriminate between different emotions and how to deal with the various emotions.

The books aim at enhancing the comprehension skills along with augmenting the general awareness of children leading to the development of the life skills, attitude and values. The books are an honest attempt to trigger the young minds to think, explore and relate to the world around them.

It makes them think, comprehend and analyze. The articles given for the comprehension purpose are actually in sync to the real world.

Each story has been elaborately discussed and is analyzed by the following tools

1. Wordsmith-aims at developing the vocabulary and contextual usage of words.

2. Finding the fact-aims at developing the comprehension skills

3. Extra inning-gives an opportunity to the reader to explore the extra information related to the story.

4. Reality check-a platform to create opinions about the various issues related to the story.

Only when the reader is in a position to generate thoughts / opinions about a given situation / issue then only he is in a position to provide a real solution model.

This series is a must have for children who not only want to build their communication and leadership skills but also want to enroot an eye for comprehending, analyzing and transforming their approach from problem finders towards becoming problem solvers by reinforcing the power of a collaborating (partnering and sharing) and accommodating approach (including people of all sections of the society).

In other words the children would become CONFIDENT & COMMITTED LEADERS who can THINK & COMMUNICATE to SOLVE PROBLEMS with a COLLABORATIVE approach while ACCOMMODATING all.