{"id":486042,"date":"2019-08-16T12:19:59","date_gmt":"2019-08-16T06:49:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthkiawaaz.com\/2019\/08\/social-media-and-article-370\/"},"modified":"2024-04-24T17:05:06","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T11:35:06","slug":"social-media-and-article-370","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthkiawaaz.com\/2019\/08\/social-media-and-article-370\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Media And Article 370: Who Decides Popular Opinion These Days?"},"content":{"rendered":"

“When everything is coming your way you are probably driving on the wrong lane<\/em>” goes a proverbial saying which has assumed utmost importance in the age of digital media. Although all of us celebrate freedom of speech and expression to the hilt, we seldom prefer to use them when the popular refrain in the country is in a contrary direction.<\/p>

Who wants to expose their peaceful life to a barrage of criticism, trolls, offensive tweets, vulgar labelling which ends in an explanation giving spree of being misunderstood or being quoted out of context? Very few, unless you are a celebrity looking for some media space or someone who takes the freedom of expression part a bit too seriously. This brings to fore a very important question – Who decides what is the popular view in a country and what is unpopular? Even before we can gather all the data and analyse the pros and cons of an issue, the media channels and social media are buzzing with the popular mood of the country. Our decision has been already made by others, so we too decide to fall in line. We start liking and sharing the viral posts on FB and think out some unique witty tweets in line with the trending hashtags on twitter.<\/p>

This is precisely where political parties and Governments jump in to bulldoze their way through contentious public policy issues. “Make America Great Again<\/em>” has been carefully and diligently exploited by Donald Trump in the USA although he gives the general impression of a maverick at sea with both internal and foreign policies. Right from building the Great Wall to deporting immigrants, Trump manages to link almost everything under the sun to nationalism.<\/p>

He is egged on by frenzied mobs and critics are left out as bystanders. Closer to home, no one can miss the nationalism track being played out in India, encompassing almost all topics of relevance in the national discourse. Article 370 has kick-started a near referendum in India with the overwhelming brute majority favouring Government action. The only ones left out of the debate are the Kashmiris who are major stakeholders in the decision. The decision to shut them out from the mainstream and leave them gasping for breath is a well-crafted Government strategy.<\/p>

By the time Kashmiris get back their voices, Article 370 will already be a done and dusted topic across the rest of the country and even the laddoos will have become stale. Any further protests will be dealt with an iron-hand by the army and will be dismissed as sporadic incidences of violence by the Government in Delhi and social media. Every war won has some collateral damage and expected incidences of violence will go down in that bracket.<\/p>

Also read: Revoking Article 370: Why I Am Both Happy And Sorry For Kashmir<\/a><\/div>

This is undoubtedly the future of governance in the coming times. Cheered by frenzied mobs in the cyber domain, policies get their desired public backing and leaders don’t need to look back at media, courts and expert op-eds for validation. Social media has connected billions to public policy and Governance. But what if the majority opinions are manipulated? What if they are ignorant?  The pressure to fall in line with public opinion is showing on smaller parties in the Parliament and the Government is breezing through legislation at breakneck speed. As of now, there is no looking back for the ruling party. Whether it is beneficial for the country only time will tell.<\/p>

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