A famed political saying, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” is true about the power of social media platforms as well. The information revolution and social media have empowered the common man, but it has also become potent sources of manipulation of general public in the hands of gigantic technology companies. Some political analysts believe that social media has strengthened democracy, while others criticize it for threatening democratic values around the world. Similarly, psychiatrists assert that social media friends, followers, likes, reposts and stars are contributing to the promotion of narcissistic personality disorder in humans. Child abuse and sexual grooming of minor girls are some other forms of criminal use of social media. These debates underscore the need for social media regulations, as terrorist and violent extremist groups are using these platforms for propaganda campaigns, recruitment, and the planning of violent attacks in society.
Pakistan has 191 million Smartphone users, and 71 million Pakistanis have social media accounts; therefore, a national legal code and technical capacity to regulate social media are a must. It is believed that fake news spreads six times faster than factual truth around the world, and social media has made lies go viral. Facebook reports that it creates a billion posts in 24 hours and uploads 3.7 million new videos on YouTube every day. Monitoring and regulating such huge contents are very difficult and social media websites are often a source of disinformation, misinformation, fake news, propaganda, and hate campaigns. However, cautious participation in social media activities after gaining knowledge of safe surfing practices may be a healthy approach. Criminal networks use platforms such as Facebook and X to steal private data, necessitating personal information protection. Influence operations and sponsored marketing campaigns target users for online shopping sprees, often leading to financial burdens. Terrorists have perhaps made the most evil use of social media websites by radicalizing youth for terrorist activities. Unfortunately, many young boys and girls from Pakistan have become victims of terrorist outfits online recruitment campaigns, resulting in serious troubles for them, and tragedies for their families.
Government regulations must be in place, but teachers and parents need to be cautious as terrorist and violent extremist organizations are exploiting online social media platforms and private messaging applications to recruit young school- and college-going boys for terrorist activities. Al-Qaeda, ISIS, TTP, and banned sectarian and nationalist outfits are running dedicated WebPages, social media accounts, and private chat groups for propaganda. They employ audio/video content, devotional songs, and religious narratives to indoctrinate students into becoming terrorist recruits. Parents need to understand that reaching out to members of terrorist and violent extremist groups could potentially put their children in danger and even result in their loss. Therefore, they must act timely to prevent a family tragedy at the hands of militant outfits. To prevent online abuse, teachers should instruct students in safe internet surfing practices, and they should also raise awareness about the recruitment tactics used by terrorist outfits. Parents should supervise their children’s use of the internet and smart phones, closely monitoring the content they access. Teachers and parents should instil healthy narratives about Jihad and the resolution of Muslim grievances worldwide. To achieve this, they should seek assistance from Paigham-e-Pakistan, the national narrative against terrorism and violent extremism.
In this regard, the nefarious nature of organized social media campaigns to malign Pakistan’s Armed Forces is very unfortunate, and it is the responsibility of our youth to defend our institutions. In fact, only the educational services provided by the Armed Forces reflect that our youth are an essential part of planning and development. However, some individuals and parties are subverting youth for political expediencies; there is a need to show prudence and refute negative propaganda campaigns. Social media platforms provide enormous space for anti-social elements to remain anonymous and disseminate misinformation with unusual speed and connectivity. Social media often serves as a platform for another country to manipulate a country’s political movements and elections. As a result, we believe that such campaigns against Pakistan’s Armed Forces are nefarious designs of inimical states, and we should raise awareness to discredit them. Our Armed Forces constantly require the support of our youth, who undoubtedly hold them dear to their hearts. However, the new forms of psychological warfare pose a challenge to this bond. Moreover, globalization has softened borders, and local groups often have international agendas. The best option for our youth is to stay away from dirty politics and anti-social social media campaigns. Perhaps a sporting activity is a better form of leisure, and it will also boost physical and mental health. A healthy youth is also a necessity for our national development. Against this backdrop, many countries, including Pakistan, are making strict laws to curb the criminal use of social media forums and these measures also include blocking certain platforms. Therefore, awareness of the laws governing cyberspace is necessary to avoid trouble.
—The writer is a contributing columnist on the issues of violent extremism and militancy.
