Social Media: Boon or Bane?
Social media appears to be more of a bane than a boon for India as users tend to cross the ‘Laxman Rekha’ on various issues, including matters related to national security
- Social media appears to be more of a bane than a boon for
India as users tend to cross the ‘Laxman Rekha’ on various issues, including
matters related to national security. The misuse of this powerful medium was
evident in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack with many users resorting to
spreading misinformation amid the volatile situation prevailing between the two
nuclear powers, forcing the concerned authorities to debunk fake content. There
are numerous instances where social media users crossed the line by not
adhering to the golden rule of maintaining restraint and discipline during
crisis and war situations, as many resorted to parallel commentaries about the
military operations without having proper insight about the ground situation,
and thus complicating things for the authorities. They didn’t pay heed to
age-old advice to verify information or content before making it public. In a war-like
situation, it is also essential to remain silent on certain important issues as
revelations of certain information could go against the national interests.
This is why special instructions are issued to media houses on dos and don’ts
whenever such tense situation arises. Besides this, journalists are also made
aware of fair war coverage. Sadly, many social media users in India indulge in
sharing unverified content and sensitive information for public consumption,
which can actually harm the nation.
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- As tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after
Indian armed forces launched a targeted military strike dubbed Operation
Sindoor, at nine terrorist infrastructures located in Pakistan and
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to avenge the horrific killing in Pahalgam, a
parallel war unfolded on various social media platforms including X, YouTube
and Facebook with unverified content and false claims. We saw fake content –
videos, images and texts – claiming to be from ground zero bombarding our
mobile phone screens during the recent crisis, only to be found false later,
with authorities pointing fingers at foreign hands for morphing pictures or
lifting old content to deliberately confuse the citizens and create panic. The
fact-check unit (FCU) of India government debunked several misinformation
spread allegedly by pro-Pakistan accounts that reportedly spiked shortly after
India launched Operation Sindoor. Apart from this, many social media users
resorted to attacking any views that were not in sync with theirs. For
instance, wife of deceased naval officer Vinay Narwal, one of the victims of
Pahalgam attack, came under a brutal troll after she pleaded for peace and
justice instead of hatred. She found herself at the receiving end for her
mature and sensible comment during such a tense situation. What we witnessed
recently clearly points to the need for restraint on matters related to
national security as well as uphold the country’s age-old tradition of
tolerance and non-violence.
