Time to take a hard look at our social media policy
The role of social media in creating communal tensions is once again under the spotlight after the recent spate of attacks on Hindus which, experts say, was set off by a hate campaign over the alleged desecration of Islamic scriptures at a Cumilla puja mandap. That such a campaign, if left unchecked, would have a devastating effect is hardly surprising. It matters little that the man alleged to have put a copy of the Quran at the puja mandap was a Muslim. In a country with generally poor digital awareness and pent-up social tensions and frustrations, social media holds the power of life and death. It can cause unimaginable suffering when used with nefarious intent.
An investigation by The Daily Star has tracked over 300 videos on YouTube featuring hate speech on the Cumilla incident, a significant number of which were made and uploaded within hours of the attack on October 13. These videos, uploaded by channels that cater to a specific audience interested in religious content, describe how the religious sentiments and values of Muslims were demeaned, peddling rumours about the possible culprits. In some videos, casualty numbers were also inflated. Imagine the destructive power of such videos when those are widely circulated through Facebook, with many sharing them without verifying the content—thus sparking angry backlash. Eventually, the reliability of such content becomes immaterial, and what remains is the ingrained, unaddressed feeling of hurt—perfect fodder for the communal actors.
We have seen this cycle play out too many times. We have seen this in Sunamganj's Shalla upazila. We have seen this in Nasirnagar. This is why stronger social media regulation is needed to counter fake, hate-filled videos, to stop them before they go viral by debunking the rumours, and trace and block such contents when needed. That said, a blanket social media ban or internet blackout, like the kind we have seen in the aftermath of the Cumilla incident, is not the solution. Going forward, we also need to work on raising digital awareness among people so they can differentiate between the fake and the real. Digital awareness is part of the modern-day survival kit. But will this solve the problem of communal violence?
Given how vast the cyberspace is and how people can still access blocked content with the help of technologies like VPN, it will be unwise to think stronger regulation alone will be enough to counter the adverse impacts of social media. The government needs to offer a reliable alternative to rumours and fake news, and only a free press can do that. That, and a sustained campaign to nurse the communal fault lines through increased dialogue and responsible behaviour from all parties involved, especially the political parties, can bridge the gaps significantly and make it harder for the communal actors to take advantage of people's feelings and sentiments.
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