Mumbai: Of late, there seems to be an emerging fake news ecosystem flourishing on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp, where one seems to find fake news sources and amplifiers on the political right to be densely interconnected. These fake news items often lead to extreme law and order situations, with fatal consequences in some instances. People want to portray themselves as well-informed at all times and will not limit information to themselves but must broadcast the news to all and sundry and this drives them to share fake and unconfirmed news on digital platforms. Then there are those who consider the dispersal of news as their civic duty and hence ‘share’ or ‘break’ news. Sometimes, such sharing of information is also a vain bid to verify the very information. However, in both cases, the truthfulness of the content is questionable. How many times has a living person, usually a celebrity, been declared dead by the fake news brigade simply on the basis of rumours and unconfirmed reports.
According to psychologist Dr Devika Bhaskar, “The urge to pretend is so overpowering, it often clouds people’s judgment of what is right and wrong. There is this competition, not just between media houses, but also between common people, to show how well-informed they are. This attitude leads to sharing of wrong and fake information, which turns out to be a headache for the party about whom the content was circulated.” Dr Bhaskar has had at least 18 patients in 2018 who were on the verge of depression, having been victims of the fake news brigade.
Recently, N Suresh, a media professional woke up to the news of her mother’s demise on Wednesday, even as her mother remains in an unconscious state, getting palliative care at home. Suresh said, “The only person who can declare a human being dead is a medical professional. If anyone other than a doctor is doing this, it is simply wrong and illegal. The rush for breaking news has made people forget the basic fundamentals of journalism and humanity.”
Not just the common man, but celebrities too have been targeted by the fake news brigade, with messages of their demise being circulated. A photograph of a badly mangled car and the distorted face of a celebrity is morphed into the picture and is circulated on social media, just to create a buzz. Mumbai Police has tried to address this issue on its Twitter handle. In a witty take, they used a ‘Stone Age’ reference to emphasise how detrimental certain forwarded messages are to the country’s development –showing a caveman using a phone and a laptop. The message is of utmost relevance in a day and time when unruly mobs triggered by unverified and false WhatsApp messages, go on a rampage, injuring or killing people.
Last October, according to a WhatsApp message, four suspected terrorists had landed entered Chikhale village in Dahanu taluka through a boat on the seashore. The ‘terrorists’ were said to be carrying bags on their shoulder, similar to those in the 26/11 terrorist attack. Palghar district police, trying to verify the message, rushed a 25-strong team to the spot immediately and began a search operation which went on for hours. However, as the message was fake, it just proved to be a colossal waste of time and resources.