As the lockdown relaxed and people are getting back to life, some social elements spreading gossips and forwards to create unrest. There are many table stories and propagandas as the lockdown is coming to an end. We see many circulations on COVID’s misery most of them are proven to be fake. Amid such crises even politicians have not missed the opportunity of taking the situation to a new dimension. The blame game, circulation of videos, and false data, creating fear among people is common practice. Social media platforms have generally taken an aggressive stance toward countering coronavirus misinformation. Many offenses have been registered across the Maharashtra state for misusing the social media posting or sharing messages, videos, or audio. Clips related to rumours and misinformation related to pandemic COVID-19 and also to create a rift among two communities. From WhatsApp to Facebook and Instagram to twitter Maharashtra cyber security cell, sending a strict message, also ensured that objectionable posts were removed from the social media.
The cybersecurity cell has been playing a crucial role in curbing the rumour-mongering, fake news trend, and also spreading hate messages. The cybersecurity cell team has strictly warned the citizens against the misuse of social media in the backdrop of the pandemic Corona spread and also to target different communities holding them responsible for its chain scare.
The Mumbai-based cybersecurity cell was also instrumental in tracing many social media users who were responsible for the mass gathering of the migrant laborers outside the Bandra station last month, WhatsApp users in India may be astonished to learn that there’s more to messaging apps than interactive medium. These days it has become a political propaganda tool for porn sharing groups.
Anything to everything, moral to immoral, and fake to make belief as truth, this one particular app has not only grabbed your time, peace, and attention by making you addicted to it but it has influenced your thought process and also your mindset. It is conditioning you every day against one particular agenda. Educated people falling trap to such things then one can imagine the common man of this country. What are we achieving out of it? No one knows. Similarly, there are many groups in the name of Dalits, Muslims or this party or that party ideology and they just create impression and panic among their community people as if India is not safe for them. They too share photoshopped pictures, videos, fake write-ups and much more to make-believe their point by endorsing one or the other political party and condemning rival party. There are thousands of such groups and people are divided in those groups. The acclimatizing goes on 24/7. They just don’t stop there, the same post is circulated on social media by all the participants and from there it again gets circulated further, this is how we are colluding entire ambiance against our country. Trust me our country knows how to live with diversity, all those who are born on this soil are belong to this nation and this nation belongs to them. There is nothing to feel unsecured or threatened. You have both sides; if some hate you some are there in bulk to hold you. No matter who so ever rules you, they don’t change your life for sure. WhatsApp is probably the best example of the vast potential that messaging apps hold. With over millions of active users, it helps them socialize. But the abuse of such apps needs to be monitored.
Depending on the content spread on social media, which is unfortunately based on falsified information, the opinions are created. The fake information on social media builds fear psychosis among people. In fact, ongoing tension itself was believed to have been sure to result in images of corona dead bodies on road, non-availability of hospital admissions, and much more. Opposition and their supporters making use of social media to tarnish the image of government at the same time create fear in the minds of people. Plus attributed to anti-Hindu and anti-national rant these fake circulations created lots of anxiety among students. There was almost a riot like situation in India but no one took action against the perpetrators, rather action taken on the ones who unmasked the fact, took beatings and attacks. There are many such stories and numerous videos get circulated on WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter allegedly showing whatsoever by conditioning the minds of people. Having investigated the sources of every single video, each could have led to communal tensions, panics and unpleasant incidents. Somehow, the people of the nation have become slaves to smartphones and IT-Cell Propaganda. Social media has been a breeding ground for misinformation since a long time and ironically the seeds of misinformation sown by the so-called responsible people on the root level.
While Facebook and Twitter are highly public spaces where news, photos and videos generally flow freely, WhatsApp is more classified. This app was actually designed to keep people’s information secure and private, so no one is able to access the contents of people’s messages but now this has become a dangerous tool in people’s hands to propagate all that they want. People are afraid bad things will happen if they say something wrong on social media. WhatsApp is a kind of safe place for people and they can discuss more conspiracy things. However, while WhatsApp-spread misinformation has become an increasing concern across the world — along with efforts to debunk it, this is somewhat looming danger. Without facts checking, the users are irresponsibly passing the messages about COVID-19. To maintain peace and to deal with corona pandemic one needs to be smart enough to not get carried away by such schemes.
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