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Young Catholic Students Movement: Walking Together & Leading Together
Ivan D'Silva, SVD
A total of 70 participants from various parishes and institutions of the Agartala Diocese attended the seminar.
Fr. Ivan D’Silva, SVD, was invited as the resource speaker and gave a session on Media Literacy. Using various media clips, he spoke in-depth about the responsible use of mobile phones and the internet. Fr. Ivan warned students about the risks of blindly receiving and forwarding messages and images without verifying them.
He shared, “Today’s young generation are experts in taking selfies—they smile, strike a pose, and take photos. But as you capture the moment, your fingerprints may inadvertently enter the frame. Do you realize how that can be used against you? A single selfie posted on social media can turn your life upside down. What many don’t realize is that, with advanced algorithms, high-quality images of your fingerprints can be extracted directly from a photo. This poses a serious risk, as hackers can replicate your fingerprints and use them for fraudulent activities.”
Fr. Ivan also addressed the rise of “mobile language” in the digital age. He spoke about the widespread use of emoji—those small icons like smiley faces, sad faces, and thumbs-up—which now punctuate much of our daily communication. “It’s said that 92% of millennials use emojis in their everyday chats. This may contribute to a decline in the use of rich language and expressions, leading to the possible extinction of many words,” he said.
The session covered several other relevant topics related to media literacy, encouraging participants to think critically and act responsibly in today’s digital world.
