The Indian anthem was recently declared the best national anthem in the world. Or so we believed . Unfortunately, it was fake news.Much like the news publication machinery across the globe, today a lot of news in India comes via the fake news route. Adding fuel to fire, rampant and uncontrolled usage of social media and WhatsApp is delivering these messages to millions of Indians. These messages are so popular that they now border on ‘having some truth to them’ just because so many people can verify them.
Freedom of expression and speech is a fundamental right. No one can be denied that. But freedom of expression with no responsibility is a recipe for disaster. John F Kennedy once said “The cost of freedom is always high” and today, in India, we are witnessing how costly it can be.
People, educated people, need to understand that they have to be accountable for what they say and where they say it, especially when it comes to matters of culture, nation, society and humanity. Today, messages are forwarded with zero consideration as to the nature of the content that is being shared. Is the news authentic? Will this have negative repercussions? Very few take the effort or the time to answer these questions.
While freedom is not truly complete until and unless one has the freedom to make a mistake, mistakes that are born out of ignorance or even indifference can be dangerous. Very recently, a fake news item published via a right-wing media outlet spread like wildfire through WhatsApp and social media. It led to several lynching cases and mob agitations. Similarly, during the Kerala floods crisis, many people heard an audio clip advising others to be cautious of what/how they contribute to the relief effort as most of the affected people were very rich and did not need any support. Turns out, the person concerned didn’t want the government to have additional funds for the approaching elections.
In both cases, free expression led to massive reach of these nefarious activities. What may seem like a simple act of passing a message, can be a tragic twist in a nation’s history. Like the wrong turn Archduke Franz Ferdinand took that resulted in his assassination triggering the start of World War I, a single act of free will can create a major risk point for a society. However, unlike the incident with the Archduke, today it most likely will be a digital error.
But all this can be prevented. While technology giants are working on using blockchain technology to track down messages, we as educated and responsible citizens can also contribute. It needs a simple web search to ratify the authenticity of a message that we wish to pass on. Just two minutes of your time can prevent an unimaginable chain reaction.
Freedom of expression is a fundamental right, but it cannot be the justification for illogical usage of a great medium. Social media has worked tremendously to change society, to give a voice to people who didn’t have one before. It has helped mobilize people to unite for a cause. Lack of common sense cannot be allowed to destroy this. You and I can help prevent this. Next time you hear a hate speech, report it. If you spot fake news, refute it with a real story. It may lead you to be trolled but as Stephen Covey said, every human has four endowments - self-awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom. The power to choose, to respond, to change.
