Social Media is today's platform of
communication; a countless array of internet based tools that increase and
enhance the sharing of information within seconds. Since many years, Social Media has rapidly grown
in social and political activism in its different forms. It provides new ways
to stimulate citizen engagement in social and political circles of common man's
life especially where elections and electoral campaigns have a central role. But
it also turned out a platform where 'hate-speeches' could be delivered and
abusive material could easily be uploaded as we have seen since 19th April in
case of Pakistan 's
press history.
Social Media, which mostly comprises Facebook, Twitter, & YouTube, if I am not mistaken, is also considered as a deep dark jungle where any unknown monster could come out any time to harm you. With this vision, since 2009 I am an avid user of Social Media but had managed to avoid any disastrous encounter while enjoying some really good stuff to gain knowledge and interact with cross-continental colleagues easily & quickly. Neither I nor my family is die hard supporter of Geo TV or Jang group but as a house hold name or assumed as a good employer; always get Jang copy regularly. And with the advent of electronic media, we became one of the million viewers of Geo Network enjoying news, dramas, and sports 24/7 till the intervention of some hidden 'angels' who took away our right of fun time independence.
Social Media, which mostly comprises Facebook, Twitter, & YouTube, if I am not mistaken, is also considered as a deep dark jungle where any unknown monster could come out any time to harm you. With this vision, since 2009 I am an avid user of Social Media but had managed to avoid any disastrous encounter while enjoying some really good stuff to gain knowledge and interact with cross-continental colleagues easily & quickly. Neither I nor my family is die hard supporter of Geo TV or Jang group but as a house hold name or assumed as a good employer; always get Jang copy regularly. And with the advent of electronic media, we became one of the million viewers of Geo Network enjoying news, dramas, and sports 24/7 till the intervention of some hidden 'angels' who took away our right of fun time independence.
Since
20th April 2014, very next day after Jang group's Hamid Mir was attacked in
Karachi and luckily -thanks God- he survived, a storm of non sense had struck
the Social Media and that is still going on after around one and half month.
This covers utter abusive language against Geo TV, Jang Group, Hamid Mir, and
Jang's editor-in chief Mir Shakeel ur
Rehman especially. It is assumed that behind this planned and powerfully orchestered
campaign, main reason is, when Hamid Mir's brother accused, Pakistan 's most
powerful spy agency, ISI and Geo had aired his statement for some time which
eventually had struck the fragile ego of some one powerful.
So
Facebook pages are flooded with abusive material. Starting with accusation such
as Geo is an Indian or RAW agent, traitor, anti-Islam, blasphemous, just name
few. Likewise stuff is being presented by many of our elite educated tech savvy
youngsters who are mostly either affiliated with political parties but in rare
case accusing Jang group individually. This accusation list could further be
classified as hatred against Geo transmission, Jang group, and Hamid Mir
especially, or abusive language against the journalists who are in favor of Geo
transmission, anger against PMLN government who is somehow -though in its weak entirety-
supporting Geo perception, and utter non sense about ex-Chief Justice of
Supreme Court of Pakistan Iftikhar
Muhammad Chaudhry along with present day judiciary including Justice Jawwad
Khawaja, who had initially headed the Supreme Court bench that heard and concluded
Jang group petition about its illegal closure against PEMRA line of action and
directed cable operators to stop playing their role once the matter is decided
and cleared.
With
the inclusion of Chairman Pakistan Tahreek e Insaf, Imran Khan and his political
party PTI in campaign against Geo, PTI tech savvy fans took it religiously to
spread as much hate against Jang group they could. While PTI workers are
distributed geographically so this propaganda against Jang group on Social
Media goes on round the clock. For example few tweets are worth mentioning
highlighting the biased approach of a party's head. Once it is initiated by top
notch then you could imagine the 'worthy' views of common PTI workers!
Beside
PTI false accusation campaign, there were others who already had personal grievances
with Jang group due to its past editorial policy that always prefers democracy
over dictatorship and had played vital role in recording its protest against
General Musharraf's Nov 2007 emergency action & sacking judiciary. So all
the dictators' fans found it an opportunity to sharpen and test their swords
against Jang group. They all came forward and long lengthy tongues of
Godzilla's came out producing flamboyant material of hatred over Social Media that
in simple words, termed as mere - fake propaganda without proper evidences and
professional jealousy at its height. Musharraf's fans not only used their
Twitter accounts to persuade PEMRA to act unilaterally against Jang group by
passing all laws but they moved one step ahead to file a petition against Geo
TV using Social Media platform to inject their poisonous propaganda in common
viewers mind.
While
Hamid Raza Khan of Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), a body that is suspected to
receive foreign funds to work against Taliban in Pakistan , igniting fire on roads
against Geo, these hate mongers were busy using this hi tech platform against
Jang group to meet their malicious motives.
Role
of few journalists in refueling this fire on Social Media is also unforgettable.
Their initial tweets allowed their fans to upload whatever their wishes could
allow them against Jang group and their staff. So fake-information, from tax
invasion till blasphemy in Morning Show is depicted on either Facebook or blogs
in the form of dirty caricatures or images edited using Adobe Photoshop to
proved the invalidity of Geo TV. Certain individuals, took it religiously to
present abusive material (within limits of 140 characters, as confined by
Twitter) against Jang group as much as their skills could allow.
Beside
19th April 2014 incident, dirty campaign on Social Media against Geo was already
in progress but with low tone as people had paid less attention to it. Zaid
Zaman Hamid, a self claimed defense analyst, over twitter kept sending tweets
against Geo and Jang group since long with a motive to malign the group and its
journalists with the help of a dedicated team of Social Media expert posting
his views, updating his personal blogs, and re-tweeting his comments rapidly.
Even before Hamid Mir's attack, the expert was on his 'assigned' job since
April 8th without fail to counter free unbiased media as well as weakest
democracy:
It
is unfortunate that within Pakistani context, Twitter platform is used heavily
to spread hate sermons, or preach sectarianism, or upload speeches against
conflicting-sects to continue the 'divide, rule, & invade' business. By analyzing
the arguments of these hate-mongers on Social Media, it is evident that few
allegations are totally baseless such as Jang group always malign Armed forces,
or acting as an Indian agent, or a traitor. In spite of public demands many
failed to submit even a single evidence for their such false claims in any
court. In fact, when failed to prove their allegation they used 'religion' to
twist the whole situation against Jang group into blasphemous subject such as
Shaista Vahidi's Morning Show, which was an unintentional mistake. Or when
notified that entire security Establishment was on board before initiating Jang
group's famous Amn Ki Asha, the hate-mongers had no argument to defend their
accusation database.
Most
sad part of this 'hate business' was that Hamid Mir's late father also got implicated
though he was known to entire nation by his straight forward support for democratic
rights since ages and his only fault was his hate against dictators or their
cruel actions. All this has now been twisted & used to malign credibility
of Jang group journalists.
Many
educated elite as well as political workers, on Social Media, are high critics
of Hamid Mir and in current circumstances, quite a bit rough spoken about Geo
TV. Their only argument is that Geo has insulted state institution; ISI &
its Director General and implicated him in Hamid Mir attack case, hence said
network is traitor but they forgot that like other TV channels, Geo had only
aired the statement of complainant, which is his right to, without editing! All
this is done in an emotionally charged environment when his brother was in
critical condition and fighting for his life in a hospital.
Social
Media, in today's growing tech-based communication platform, is a powerful tool
that could change public opinion. So these hate preachers against Jang group
had decided to spread as much as lies until common men start believing it. Much
of the info available over Facebook or in the form of tweets about Jang group,
Geo News, Hamid Mir, & Indian link is almost baseless with no substantial
evidences to concrete.
So
now Geo is closed for 15 days but Social Media is alive. Though it's not true
journalism but a reflection of masses thoughts presented in limited-text or
graphic forms. Based on last 45 worst days of all sorts of trails against
mainstream media of Pakistan; Jang group, we could say that its long way for
our educated young generation to learn the way communication is done in modern
world or the core of modern education has failed to teach us the difference
between right or wrong. If so then the future of all political parties is
bleak.......
Dr Nadia Khan is an educationist,
writer, & micro-blogger. She could be contacted through Twitter @nadiakhaan