Not too long ago, I remember using a newly invented platform called “Orkut”. It wasn’t called a social media platform back then. It was just a site to connect with long lost friends or make new friends. Very hesitantly I did accept friendship requests from unknown people, gathered the guts to message them. Even that was a big thing to do. Our communication ended at asking basic information, birthdays, hobbies etc. Very seldom did anyone cross their limits. A certain level of decency and innocence prevailed at that point. Eventually, people found out ways and methods to abuse this platform.
Cut Two.
The introduction of Facebook. A little more advanced than Orkut, Facebook also served a similar purpose. Here people could post photographs and share life events. It was also open for friends to comment on. Slowly, people got addicted to sharing every little thing. Traveling, Shopping, Reading, everything was being shared here. This desire to share your personal life happenings on Facebook, quickly translated into a habit. Seeing people “liking” and “commenting” on their posts was encouraging for many. Scrolling through the feed of Facebook and checking out what others are up to, was satisfying for unknown reasons. But,before one could realize its repercussions, these gradual habits became addictive. Facebook kept introducing new features, which compelled us to keep sharing more and more information about us. Then came SnapChat and Instagram. After information, we were now sharing our photos, dancing videos etc. killing privacy even further.
However, the impact that these social media platforms have on our lives, is mind boggling. Sharing information which started as a fun element a decade and a half ago has now become an indispensable part of our lives. We now starve for attention. Rather, seeing people like and comment on our posts, is nothing less than a validation we actually crave for. We are all silently running a race, where we are constantly trying to be better than someone else on our “friend list”. The peer pressure, social media has created, is directly and indirectly influencing our behaviors and thought processes. People who see the videos and photos, placed in public domain, mindlessly comment on these posts. These comments are usually very insensitive. Body Shaming, Slut Shaming, Status shaming is highly prevalent. Nobody really has the time to pause and think, how their comment is going to hit the person sharing the content. I am personally of the opinion that humans are losing their sensitivity with every passing minute.
Well, going a step further, if we try to look at the bigger picture and evaluate the societal effect of social media, the threats are even higher. There is no dearth of people creating fake accounts, who share content which is hazardous even from a security perspective. People from a particular religious faith trying to instigate people from the other religion. People who believe in a particular political school of thought, will leave no stone unturned to bash someone who does not necessarily agree with him/her. Social Media platform is the primary tool used by anti social elements to spread hatred, promote terrorism and extremism, hire terrorists etc. Although Social Media Platforms are an extension of our fundamental right of speech, it comes with no limitations at all, often causing irreversible damage to societal unity. It has become so easy to fragment the society and break it up in multiple groups, by sharing content which aims to only create a divide.
At the same time one cannot deny that the advent of social media has brought the world closer. It is very easy for us to know what is happening in other parts of the world now. These social media sites are also being used to sell and market products and services, digital influencers are getting a platform to exhibit their talent, it is also used for brand building by companies and being in touch with consumer base etc. Transmission of information is a lot easier.
There is barely anyone left in the world, who does not have a social media account. It has occupied a large part of our lives. There is a large population, who trusts and believes everything that appears on Social Media, influencing their opinions to a large extent. Organizations and Activists, also tend to misuse this platform to influence people negatively. This fake news is then spread into the community, leading to a situation of chaos and insecurity. While, right to information is a fundamental right, one has to be sure it is accurate.
As humans, we have to understand that every invention or discovery will have its pros and cons. If we choose to exploit it, it can cause huge damage to us and the world at large. Saving the world from fake news and its implications, is not the government’s responsibility, it is a shared responsibility of the global citizens.
