Nearly a month back, a journalist of the New York Times, Bari Weiss resigned due to the bullying and harassment by a group of Left-liberal journalist who almost controls Twitter. This is a growing trend in the media who do not toe their views – be it journalism or any platform is given new names.
Now, this bullying tactics of the Left has reached India. Now, they are accusing Facebook of biased to the Right views. They are not ready to accept that Right has also the right to freedom of expression and ideas. Not only this, but Congress Member of Parliament Shri Shashi Tharoor also plans to summon Facebook officials before the parliamentary panel.
This has stirred a new row. This is not a new thing. This is a global pattern. Further describing this Weiss said,” It has become that truth and a process of collective discovery, but an orthodoxy already known to an enlightened few whose job it is to inform everyone else.” She further added about her own experience as a journalist,” Stories are chosen and told in a way to satisfy the narrowest audiences, rather than to allow a curious public to read about the world and draw their own conclusions.”
Back home Congress, CPM and other opposition parties’ blame that there is a BJP-FB nexus. Whatever the facts and truth may be but all the parties try to create media and voices positive and favourable to them.
Not very long back Cambridge Analytica hired and made fat packages to Indian journalists and intellectuals to write against the BJP and Shri Narendra Modi during Gujarat riots but they remained silent on Malad killings.
The movie The Social Network (2010) that is based on the life of the founder of Facebook Empire Mark Zuckerberg, clearly depicts the authentic mind of Zuckerberg. The movie makes it clear the capitalist inclination of Zuckbererg, chiefly how to enlarge Facebook and to make big money. In the movie the performance of Jesse Eisenberg is noteworthy.
Hollywood movies are very honest in their depictions. In biopics, they present positive as well as negative parts os a character, unlike Bollywood biopics those are always a glorification of a person. Even dreaded criminals are glorified in Bollywood.
Since its foundation, Facebook has always in the news and as one of the most popular inceptions. It provides free of cost connection with the world with a tagline was “it’s free and always will be”. In the beginning, Facebook was considered a status symbol. If one did not have a Facebook account, then one was treated as ‘backward’. There was a time when people boastfully declared about their Facebook account, especially to impress girls.
On the one hand, people were connected with their family and friends and on the other hand, they have full freedom of expression and speech and ideas. Everybody is his chief editor and contributor. There is no censor and scissoring of thoughts.
There are big politics, nepotism and pressure groups in the media and publishing. Recently, Bloomsbury withdrew its consent of publishing a book on Delhi riot due to hidden pressure from the left-wingers. Similarly, some episodes of a popular channel ‘Sudarshan’ were stayed by the court due to the petitions by the fringe elements.
Facebook has no such problem. There is total respect to one’s freedom of expression and ideas. Only, objectionable contents are removed, if there is any complaint. This is the greatest contribution of Zuckerberg. It is an absolutely free platform.
Thus, in the 2008 American Presidential election, 70 per cent of voters who have Facebook accounts, voted for Obama. This survey was made by news portal USNews (Nov.9. 2008, at 12.20 p.m.). Barack Obama used Facebook very intelligently and showed the whole world the influence and power of Facebook and social media. Russian spy Vasili Mitrokhin has noted in detail in “Mitrokhin Archive” about the use of money trail to influence the voters, journalists, intellectuals and the leaders in India. Retired Intelligence Bureau officer M.K.Dhar has also mentioned even the names of such leaders who were managed by foreign forces to influence the Indian policies and voters.
However, Facebook provides freedom of expression and thoughts to everybody. It is a very good platform to express their views. However, it is very difficult to publish even a comment in any newspaper. All have their private censor board in the name of moderation. Advertisers, political parties and voters all get an easy platform on Facebook.
Facebook users supported Brexit and ‘notebandi’ enthusiastically. The aim of Zuckerberg was to help people stay connected and freedom of expression. Now, some groups have been trying to defame Facebook of fake news and hate contents. Nevertheless, these are the elements that indulge maximum hate contents and fake news.
Traditional media is badly stained by nepotism. It is in the grip of left-wingers, Islamists and missionaries. Facebook is not in any way responsible for fake news and hate contents because it is its policy to be freedom of expression and ideas. Similarly, Twitter is blamed that it is in the grip of left-wingers and Islamists.
It is the politics of Left, Right, Islamists and centrists. It is their game to influence the hearts and minds of social media players. But during the last few years, the Left and the Islamists are increasingly trying to be vociferous “anything goes” and bullying ploy, to deny space on platforms to any divergent view. The world saw this during the anti-CAA/NRC disruptions when many left-wingers and Islamists used targeted campaign and baseless Islamophobia on social media and many Indians were put at grave risk of violence in the volatile Middle-East. Facebook does not need any change. It is the perception of the people who needs changes.
No comments:
Post a Comment