Call against misuse of social media Of key board warriors
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Be responsible citizens. This is the line one can read into the call of Chief Minister N Biren to all not to misuse social media and to get a better understanding of the note of urgency in the call, one would need to revisit the various social media platforms such as Facebook, X formerly known as Twitter, Whatsapp, etc. To add muscle to the call, the appeal to the public was a sort of a warning that action deemed fit would be initiated and according to a video clip which has been shared all over, the Chief Minister said that police team will be sent outside Manipur to pull up the key board heroes and heroines who have come under the impression that they are some sort of warriors. Significant to note too that the Chief Minister minced no words in asserting that some of the contents on social media have the potential to endanger the lives of others, particularly individuals whose private lives have been publicised negatively. What if these people take the extreme step of harming themselves to escape the ignominy of being publicised for their private conduct in full public view is the line of reasoning the Chief Minister has sought to convey. In line with cracking the whip against the key board warriors, the Chief Minister minced no words in cautioning page handlers on social media and reminded them of their duty towards society. The Chief Minister has a point, a solid one at that and it is significant to note that the warning came just a few days after the video clip of some people being pulled up went viral on the social media sites. Responsibility, this is what is found lacking in many and this is what is deeply disturbing. Manipur has come to such a stage that the reputation of anyone today can be besmirched beyond repair by putting up a video clip or two on the social media site with a public more than ever ready to draw their own conclusion and play the policeman and Judge all rolled into one. Other than tarnishing the image of an individual or two, the Chief Minister also talked seriously about contents which have the potential to pit one community against the other and one just has to recall the last few days to understand the point that is sought to be made here. Contents, which do nothing other than promote communal tension and enmity, have been found doing the round on the social media, particularly on Facebook and it is against this reality that the stand of the Chief Minister must be seen and understood. A good number of individuals have also been pulled up in the recent and not so recent past and one only hopes that the Chief Minister is in a position to cast the net wider and pull up those who have been posting incendiary contents from the hills, especially in connection with the ongoing clash between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zos.
The laws of the land should be applicable to all and it is equally important that it should also seem to have been applied equally to all. This is where the State Government would need to walk the extra mile to ensure that no rooms are created for any misgivings when the whip is cracked against trouble makers on the social media. It should also not be forgotten why many have taken to the social media to post whatever comes to their mind and the ground reality should be kept in mind. For 21 months Manipur has been in a ‘state of war’ with no one from the Kuki-Zo community daring to return to the house they once called home at Imphal or any other place in the valley districts, while no Meitei can go beyond Kanglatongbi in the North, beyond Pallel in the South and beyond Moirang in the West. And this has been going on for over 21 months now. Such a situation is just right for mischief makers from either side of the clash divide to put up whatever comes to their mind to impact on the narratives that have been doing the round. It is also not a new thing for Manipur to see moral policemen and policewomen who have taken it upon themselves to impose what they think is right on the people. All these factors must be kept in mind to get a better understanding of the mentality of the key board warriors and mischief makers. These are points that should be kept in mind but yet at the same time it is important for everyone to know what responsibility entails.
The laws of the land should be applicable to all and it is equally important that it should also seem to have been applied equally to all. This is where the State Government would need to walk the extra mile to ensure that no rooms are created for any misgivings when the whip is cracked against trouble makers on the social media. It should also not be forgotten why many have taken to the social media to post whatever comes to their mind and the ground reality should be kept in mind. For 21 months Manipur has been in a ‘state of war’ with no one from the Kuki-Zo community daring to return to the house they once called home at Imphal or any other place in the valley districts, while no Meitei can go beyond Kanglatongbi in the North, beyond Pallel in the South and beyond Moirang in the West. And this has been going on for over 21 months now. Such a situation is just right for mischief makers from either side of the clash divide to put up whatever comes to their mind to impact on the narratives that have been doing the round. It is also not a new thing for Manipur to see moral policemen and policewomen who have taken it upon themselves to impose what they think is right on the people. All these factors must be kept in mind to get a better understanding of the mentality of the key board warriors and mischief makers. These are points that should be kept in mind but yet at the same time it is important for everyone to know what responsibility entails.