NEWS ANALYSIS: CasteApp, Castebook etc


By Kartik Lokhande
Long ago, someone had said that social media will strengthen democracy. While one tends to believe this statement on the basis of positive usages of social media platforms, one is also encouraged to think otherwise because of caste-based usages of the same platforms. In true sense, the platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook etc have turned into tools to deepen the social divides in virtual world.
There was a time when the media was controlled by ruling political class. Then, especially during the British Raj, the freedom fighters in India used mainly the print media to express their dissent. When there was no space for expression of dissent in so-called mainstream media, they resorted to starting secret publications devoted to the cause of struggle for Independence. There were instances when radio or television media working from foreign soil became useful platforms for Indian freedom fighters, to make the world know their views. Since India earned her Independence, situation has changed a lot. Gradually, business and corporate houses started taking over media to wield power or to simply run it as an enterprise. Infusion of money helped media evolve over the years. Today, media is not restricted to print, television, or radio but has expanded its reach to Internet, mobile phones, ‘social’ platforms etc.
The evolution of media and emergence of social media has brought with it lot many good things. Politicians and political parties, corporates, bureaucrats, public figures, artists in the country have become increasingly aware of the media power through good and bad experiences. People have become sensitive about speaking before the media. People have learnt how to employ people to maintain good ‘media relations’. In fact, several wrongdoings have been exposed with ‘evidence’ through the use of cameras in mobile phone handsets. The fear of adverse publicity has become a deterrent for those operating with brazenness till a couple of decades ago.
However, sadly, the same evolution of social media has got negative annotations too. Smarter entities and persons have learnt how to ‘use’ media for their own selfish gains, and against their rivals in respective fields. Morphing of images and videos has ruined many lives, and have also put at stake the credibility of media highlighting these. More visual media has brought with it flood of pornographic content to the extent of increasing perversion in the society. Inundation of public mind with too much of information and views has actually left people confused about truthful content with right intent. The lines between truth and fiction are getting blurred increasingly. People who know how to pull commerce levers of media become celebrities or powerful even without any other merit. And, people who do not know how to ‘handle’ media, often find it difficult to get even deserving space.
But, even more dangerous than these things is that the so-called social media is being used increasingly to extrapolate the social divides in to virtual world. For instance, if there is a joke making mockery of a national figure to the extent of insulting him/her; there is a reaction to it. Once a reaction is posted, the user posting the joke interpretes it from caste or religion or language or state or ideological or political point of view. Then starts a slugfest of insulting each other’s caste or religion or language or state or ideology or political entity. There have been some instances when such ‘differences of opinion’ on social media led to some real-life rioting or violent clashes.
In fact, there are groups or communities on WhatsApp and Facebook and other social media that are confined to bashing a caste, a religion, a State, or political party or ideology. Often, such groups are found to be active not in propagating a particular ideology but in spreading hatred. Often, content is ‘created’ to further venomous false propaganda. One can cite several instances when such caste, religion, or other identity based usage of social media has gone to the extent of insulting even the Constitutional authorities, and in the process, the nation itself.
This actually shows that technological advancements do not necessarily change the mindsets. Rather, those with such sick mindsets use technology to widen the existing social divides. It is surprising and shocking to see that those claiming to champion the cause of working for annihilation of caste or religious or political or ideological barriers, are using social media to strengthen those barriers. Sadder is the fact that these forces are vitiating the minds of youngsters, who form major chunk of users on social media platforms. If young minds are vitiated, the seeds of future unrest are sown.
It is time to think whether India, as an internationally emerging nation, can afford sowing of the seeds of social unrest through social media. Sane persons need to step in and increase the presence of truthful and verified content.
Time is ripe for the ‘revolution’ of telling truth. For, as George Orwell once observed, “In a time of universal deceit-telling, the truth is a revolutionary act.” 

(21-06-15)

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