After the announcement of the SSLC and PUC results, a message circulated on WhatsApp said students with 75 per cent marks in SSLC would receive Rs. 10,000 and those with 85 per cent marks in PUC would get Rs. 25,000 from the Mysore City Corporation under Abdul Kalam scheme.
MCC was taken unawares as it had no such scheme. But, when the message went viral, the corporation was forced to issue a clarification: “MCC is not implementing any such scheme. The information is far from truth. Don’t believe in fake messages.”
A large number of dubious messages are floating around on social media, particularly WhatsApp, spreading and perpetuating falsehood, and causing concern among people.
Kanth Raj, Chief Executive Officer of Dotangles, a web development company, which also handled the district administration’s social media initiative last Dasara, said few social media users care to check the genuineness of a message before pressing the share button. “When it is shared with groups, one or two in the group will forward it to other groups, leading to messages going viral,” he said. Mr. Kanth Raj attributed this to the tendency among people to share information without confirming its veracity to show that they are “active” on social media and are “knowledgeable”.
Recently, many social media users received another viral message that claimed that Kannada had been identified by the Guinness World Records as the oldest living language in the world. A few smart users cross-checked with the official website and found out it was a hoax. Though a few users did try and clarify that the message was not true, Mr. Kanth Raj regretted that clarifications do not have the viral effect that original hoax messages have.
Then there are some “divine” messages that users must share immediately with a specific number of people if they want to be blessed.
Wary of drawing the Almighty’s ire, the receivers promptly forward the same to all their contacts. Social media platforms are also used by mischief mongers to spread fear and hatred. During the Ebola scare a few months ago, a WhatsApp message said Ebola had broken out in Karnataka, prompting the State government to issue a statement threatening to take action against those spreading false information.
With millions of videos and photos being shared on WhatsApp every day, technology experts say it is not possible for the social media giant to save every message on its server. “It is deleted the moment it is delivered,” Mr. Kanth Raj said.
However, recalling the investigation into the rumour-mongering during the exodus of northeast people from Bengaluru in 2012,
Mysuru city Police Commissioner B. Dayananda said it was “technically possible” to trace the origin of the message and identify people who share them.
Only few social media users care to check the genuineness of a message before pressing the share button
Kanth RajCEO, Dotangles
