A page, many likes, many more shares and a ‘kissathon’ was in the making, an event that caught the attention of the world. Although the event proved that there is many a slip between the proverbial, well, cup and the lip, the sheer attention the event garnered caught many unawares and showcased the muscle of social media networks as a powerful tool for mobilisation and to reach out.
Eyebrows were raised, fists shaken and many discussions evoked a storm on the electronic media. But the actual drama was in the social media with many youngsters expressing what they felt about the event, the chain of events that led to it and its consequences.
With smart phones making it way into every pocket, youngsters are never too far away from an app to turn to social media to express their opinion, showcase their creative expressions or merely to hangout and network.
While the talking heads debated it, the walls of Facebook and tweets reflected what the youth felt.
“With wider Internet connectivity and cheaper smart phones, social media users in India have escalated. Arab spring, a social media offspring, and recently the ‘Umbrella Revolution’ have caused waves in this part of the world also. Social media can be seen as an organiser, campaigner, crowd puller and an opinion maker,” feels Abey Roy, an engineer.
Both actor Ahaana Krishna and musician Charu Hariharan say that, if used intelligently, social media is the best way to reach out and to promote creative expressions and also get “honest feedback on their work.”
Prior to the release of Njan Steve Lopez , Ahaana’s debut film, she created a page to promote her film and “that helped me a great deal during the promotions,” she says. “By the time the film reached theatres, the word was out that I was playing the leading lady in the film. There is a personal connect to social media and it helps, especially superstars and celebrities, to clear the air when there is a controversy. See, nowadays all of them express it on social media first.”
Keen media watcher Joe Scaria says the youth in Kerala are no different from youngsters elsewhere in their use of social network. “The elders on earth today considered the world divided into two eras, BC and AD. The youth of today see the division as BI and AI, or before internet and after internet. What’s happening today is that there is a world-wide conversation going on – on mute mode! Today’s elders took to the internet for facts and information. Youngsters go there for a different purpose altogether – to hang out.”
Management executive Anton Babu views social media, especially Facebook, as a medium that helps to know, discuss and debate the news faster than conventional media. “The USP of Facebook for me is that the communication is two way and, moreover, it presents both sides of the story without any censorship. This helps likeminded people to realise that they are not alone and thus unite for a cause when needed. The flipside, however, is that the authenticity is often compromised using photoshopped images. Again there is a disconnect between Facebook likes and real action on ground as evident from the number of likes and the actual turnout for the 'kiss of love' event.”
Abey adds that lately the hot topics were the execution of Iranian Reyhaneh Jabbari and issues leading to the ‘Kiss of Love’. In addition, what generates hearted discussions can be movies, music or even stars and their moves.
“Crowd-funded concerts and films are a reality thanks to social media. More than anything, it provides common ground for people with similar ideals and for individuals with varying ideals a platform to discuss and debate,” adds Abey.
For Charu, it is the chance to get across to a wide cross section of people that makes her a fan of Facebook. “There is a special happiness, a personal space, that happens after a concert. Thanks to social media networks, I am able to sustain that feeling on account of the likes and messages I get. Feedback is an important plus point too,” she explains.
Agreeing in principle to the idea of Facebook as a place to test the waters for a new film or an idea, film editor Appu Bhattathiri adds that sometimes there is “overcrowding” with friends, friends’ friends and their friends all jumping into a thread to discuss something. “That can be a nuisance. Initially, I used to accept all the friend requests I used to get. But then I found that there were days when my feed did not have anything from a single person I knew personally. That was when I stopped accepting random people as ‘friends’ and customised my feed. I am more into Twitter. I use Facebook to get in touch with my select group of friends to discuss common interests.”
But the savvy net users point out that the free flow of opinions has a flip side to it and highlight the abuse of celebs and vandalising of pages. “The extensive personal abuse as a result of online conflicts has lead to large sections confining social media to personal circles,” says Abey, while Anton adds: “What is despicable however is activities like spamming Maria Sharapova’s page when she says she doesn’t know about Sachin Tendulkar.”
Joe has the last word when he says: “For anyone trying to mobilise youth, there is no better platform right now than social media. But don't think the youth are causing social mayhem using social media. They are raising funds for the seriously ill, cleaning up a beach or two, and sometimes even toppling an autocratic regime. One needs to appreciate their openness, desire for change and the inbuilt transparency of the medium. I see it will be welcomed by a new generation that finds a political leadership in Kerala as old as the hills which just doesn’t seem to understand their emotions and dreams.”
