The truth of the matter

In these days of instant celebrity, where each of us are the stars of our online narratives, how does one determine the authenticity of a post?

January 04, 2015 08:25 pm | Updated 08:25 pm IST

Ice,rice, baby: An excellent campaign to spread awareness Photo: K.R. Deepak

Ice,rice, baby: An excellent campaign to spread awareness Photo: K.R. Deepak

The year gone by will be remembered for many things, including the rise of the ‘selfie’ and stuff going viral online and being accepted as Gospel truth.

The video of two girls from Hisar beating up a couple of men on a bus went viral, with the girls receiving appreciation online and on television. The Haryana government even announced an award for the girls. However, after a couple of days, the story changed and the girls were revealed to be attackers by those on the bus.

There are positive sides this as well. The ice bucket challenge and its Indian variant, the rice bucket challenge raised awareness about issues that would have otherwise been ignored.

In these days of instant celebrity, where each of us are the stars of our online narratives, how does one determine the authenticity of a post? Is it not important that outrage take into account both sides of the story?

Sajith P, a web developer says videos that go viral are mostly harmless. “Music videos such as Kolaveri Di and Gangam Style owe everything to publicity online. The issue we face is when we have to make judgments on a case after hearing or watching one version of it. In the case of the Hisar girls or the racial abuse videos that go viral, it is important to understand the context. I feel that social media, ignores the fine points of the case as long as there is a point to rage about.”

He adds, “This is not to say that all viral videos are fake, but steps must be taken to ensure that people are not lambasted for something they never did. In the Hisar case, a fight over seats become one about eve teasing and resulted in the men involved in the case losing an offer from the Army. That should not happen.”

Pranav Gupte argues, “Social media loves outrage. No one cares much about the nuances of a certain case, especially if a video or Facebook post goes viral. I feel that it is a form of crowd justice that proclaims people guilty without even hearing their side of the story. It is a dangerous trend.”

He adds, “In Bangalore, a girl posted that she had been racially abused in a mall in the city. The post went viral and cops were alerted. Eventually, it was learnt that there was no racial abuse and it was just a small tiff at a counter that got amplified by the online voices and television channels. Such cases will make us look at all cases of assault with suspicion and does a disservice to society at large.”

Janaki Das, a research scholar contends, “I feel that social media platforms such as Twitter are always angry and filled with people looking for a fight. Such videos help them channel their angst and appear as someone standing up for rights. Political handles make it messier by accusing the governments not ruled by the political party they like of complicity in any such crime. That must also be curbed. For a good cause, viral videos are a good thing. As far as deciding criminal activity or racial abuse, I would much rather the police and courts deal with it, rather than outraged denizens.”

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