For a week, I was away on vacation thus away from print, television and the new age social media, trust me that it was a pleasant change as it was only positivity all around me during this time- no cacophony, neither any undue stress nor any instigative propaganda, thus feeling fresh in mind, body & Soul.
I recall that in our childhood we had only radio and print
as media, by and large we always looked forward to our newspaper daily and
listen to the radio at appointed times for news, editorials, debates, speeches
and live commentaries and felt the media then was generally bipartisan,
constructive and worked towards a social/national cause in various ways &
played its vital role to have a check on the executive, legislature and the
judiciary thus contributed towards nourishing the values of democracy.
During the last decade, with the invasion of social media (Linked
in, Twitter, YouTube, Face book, Google, Instagram, Pint rest and what’s app to
name a few, we are inundated with information. The same, if used with
discretion is good for democracy as well as society as we can always take an
informed decision, be aware of plurality of opinions and the society, act with
sensitivity, seek transparency and answers
from the other three governing pillars of democracy to ensure balance & good governance.
Sad to state that in reality very opposite is happening as
media is used to influence our minds, lifestyle, thinking & data used by
the media owners and politicians, making
polarizing and emotional statements on this platform to seek attention and achieve their dubious
intentions. All the media (print, social & television) are controlled
either by industry moguls or new age entrepreneurs, whose aim is purely
commercial thus susceptible to manipulations and exploitation for their
personal gains, at any cost.
Fake news, paid news, planted news, write-ups, so called
research, opinion polls and surveys, twitter handlers, rumor mongerers,
influencers, cyber bullies, analytics, phony anchors, paid T.V. debaters, limelight seekers and
many more such evils have started playing havoc with the society. We see a lot
of negativity, lack of trust, disharmony within and the among the societies.
The big players on the world stage and ultras are using this tool to poison our
minds thus we must be aware and act consciously.
A minor issue is made into a major issue, a major issue of
national/social interest gets marginalized, hate speeches and photo shops are
done to create divisions in the society and create communal disharmony. The mob
lynching, dalit riots, padmavati row, cow vigilantism, Kashmir reporting, rape
reporting, personal attacks of vicious nature and settling of political scores
by hook or by crook has sadly become the norm and needs to be curbed or
eradicated sooner than later.
In this digital age, one must realize that what comes free
is not free but comes with a price tag which is hidden and at the same time
these tools are a must for us to be in business and to run our daily lives
effectively, as well. As These tools give platform to anyone and everyone to
express an opinion, it is important for us to be selective, not fall prey to
false propaganda and use the tools with due respect to sentiments of others,
understand the implications of false stories, act/comment/forward with full responsibility
and use the tools appropriately else this malignant cancer shall destroy the
society.
Jai- Hind
Yours truly
Satish shitut
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