The Hindi film ‘Aarakshan’ saw one dialogue which has registered in my heart very strongly. Amitabh Bachchan says in that ‘Is Desh Mein Do Bharat Baste Hain’ (This Nation has two Indias living). While his reference was about the rich and poor, I took it as a reference towards technology invasion and the ignorance towards it. In any developed nation, it is the government which drives such a thing but in India it is the other way round.
The reason for all this is looking at the impact and influences that social networking has created in our society. With each passing day, the social networking has been spreading but it looks like more than encouraging it, the government is rather apprehensive about it. It seems to have its own fears. It should be because there are no restrictions and anyone can post just about anything on the web for the whole world to see.
Earlier there used to be only two avenues- Prasar Bharathi and Akasahavani. Due to this, the media was under complete government control. But eventually the private news channels came out and created a major revolution in media. But still they are manageable to an extent because they all come under I & B ministry so they are bound to work under certain boundaries.
However, now everyone has got stuff like Twitter or facebook which has made every individual a media house by himself/herself. All that a media reporter needs is a camera, expression and platform. These three are there with everyone right now with HD cameras even in smart phones. With the kind of population India has and lakhs of individuals becoming net savvy and tech savvy, they are uncontrollable by government today. Hence the fear has risen in administration.
This fear is also due to the extensive corruption and looting the system is indulging in. And if the system really focuses on doing some clean work, the government will become a national pride and a role model for the rest of the world because the same social networking will work as the medium for spreading the good deeds. Ultimately, it depends on how the government can work ways of utilizing the social networking system.
Sumana Raju, Vizag
