The future of every nation depends on the well-educated, mindful, competent, and capable youth it produces. In today’s world, it is hard to deny the influence of social media on the development of youth. Social media has emerged as the most influential platform that is shaping the general behavior and the character of the new generation. In Pakistan, youth accounts for 65 percent of the total population, and guess what? The young generation is mainly influenced by social media. In the current scenario, social media is a blessing yet a curse at the same time, depending on its use.
Digital Extremism
It won’t be wrong to say that we are living in the era of digital warfare. Social media is the deadly weapon of this war depicting the quick influence on the target audience. The Fifth Generation War is the war of ideology in which conscious efforts are being made to spread false notions through propaganda reaching massive audiences with the least protocols. Hence, baseless propaganda, disinformation, rumors, and misleading trends tend to pollute the mindset of youth by diffusing false and doubtful information regularly.
An underdeveloped society could easily fall victim to radical practices since social media is used to discuss sensitive issues and make it burn one in no time. It increases vulnerabilities for the social, ideological, cultural, political, and economic well-being of the nation. It’s been quite some time since baseless propaganda has been carried out against Pakistan and its Army to defame the institution and its leadership. Unfortunately, social platforms are shrewdly used by evil minds to spread misperceptions under the guise of fabricated stories, sarcasm, and humor.
Social Media Propaganda is Challenging the Ethics and Principles
An easy access to all kinds of information offered by social platforms is putting challenges at individual as well as state levels. Honestly speaking, our youngsters are not fully aware of the fact that how social media maligns the concepts and the credibility of the information posted on it. The recent trends on social platforms depict that the young generation is finding it difficult to differentiate right from wrong and legitimate from illegitimate information. There are internal and external entities deliberately working on the lethal propaganda against crucial internal matters and establishment. Hence the direct target is the Army and its relation with the nation. The key purpose of the propaganda on social media is to create despair and uncertainty leading to hate speech, panic, chaos, doubts, and frustration against the establishment.
Adverse Impact of Social Media on Youth’s Mindset
The pervasive nature of social media has significantly affected how we communicate, spread information, and perceive the world around us. From shaping the social interactions to influencing our opinions and behaviors, social media has a profound impact on our daily lives. Social platforms offer the ease of connecting yet it is posing a threat to the mindset of youth. According to the studies, angst and stress among youngsters have increased by nearly 70% during the last decade. Organised campaigns against the Pakistan Army seemed to be the systematic steps being taken to turn youth against the strategic stakeholders. A conspiracy is being hatched to discredit the Armed Forces and their sacrifices by changing the mindset of youth. Perhaps the majority of youngsters lacks the appropriate knowledge and thus the less mature minds get affected by the false narratives and disinformation easily. It’s not only harming the mental development and morality of our new generation, but also disturbing their physical health. The misuse of social media is undoubtedly misleading the youth and polluting their mindset in many ways:
- Causing Despair and Agitation: Humans are very sensitive towards their security, well-being, and protection. Propaganda against security forces happened to amplify the state of disrespect, prejudice, and chaos.
- Intolerance and Bias: Numerous incidents in the recent times have nothing to do with the Army, yet deliberately attributed to it to defame and instigate intolerance against the Armed Forces.
- Misinformation and Disinformation: Some of the social platforms have done more harm than good in the form of posting, sharing, and forwarding illegitimate information, targeting a large and diverse section of the public. Disinformation that is intentionally shaped and spread to misguide and harm others has posed the threats.
- Rumors and Hate Speech: In recent times social media has proved to be the easiest way to spread rumors, fake content, and tarnish anyone's reputation. Confused youngsters somehow have become a tool to spread uncensored narratives, unrestricted hate speech, and negative trends on social media.
Role of Youth as the Agents of Change
Social media has managed to gain the exceptional approval of youth in a couple of years. The brilliant young minds are the bright future of Pakistan, and hold the power to deal with social media challenges, disinformation, and propaganda with grace. If the internal and external forces are using social platforms as the hub for venomous activities, our youth can use them for a counterattack to spread awareness, hope, and positivity.
Badlo Soch Ko
The change of perception and soch is the first step towards answering social media propaganda effectively. You see, intruders hardly have good intentions. So our youth have to understand that external forces with evil designs are deliberately trying to weaken Pakistan on all fronts, and unfortunately, our hasty and insensible response to anecdotes and disinformation is adding fuel to their filthy efforts.
Be Mindful and Conscious: Think twice before posting and sharing anything you see and hear on social platforms regarding the country. Media will have to be used prudently. Make it a habit to research so that any false information and disinformation is not trusted blindly. Change in the thinking process and mindset to stand by Pakistan and its Army in thick and thin would serve the purpose.
Evoke Patriotism and Nationalism: Without any doubt, Pakistan is the reason of our survival and its Army is the reason behind safeguarding the borders and ideological fronts of the State. Youth are to keep alive the spirit of the belief that they belong to a great country and Armed Forces are capable enough to fight enemies with the support and love of the entire nation.
Quality Education and Awareness: Proper training and education as well as awareness, are considered the most effective weapons against digital radicalism. How wonderful it would be if media literacy programs are initiated and conducted by social media influencers to educate young minds so they can filter out right from wrong on social media.
Rational Thinking: Before believing any narrative circulating on social platforms, it is recommended to practice rational and analytical thinking. It would allow us to realize who is seeking benefit from the chaos by misleading youngsters through posts, videos, images, statuses, and fabricated stories that certainly arouse suspicion and clash against the stakeholders. A sensible and rational approach towards the internal and external matters over social media ultimately would not let an issue become a burning one and a threat to security.
Say No to Fake News: It’s the due right of the fake news and propaganda to be disregarded by all. We can play our solid role by ignoring the fabricated paid content, cheap publicity stunts, and hypes to ensure our peace of mind and the country’s interest. It’s the best way to hamper hate speech and biasedness in the name of freedom of expression.
Avoid Being Judgmental on Sensitive Issues: It doesn’t sound viable if we throw an expert opinion on any matter we are not fully aware of… right? So, opt for a more vigilant and balanced approach in expressing opinion about any sensitive matter. It’s a waste of time and energy to indulge in every matter with least knowledge. Every thoughtless judgment passed over partial information and rumor is a challenge in the end.
Stay Aware: As a youth and the future of Pakistan, we need to be aware of the reality that the facts are being distorted and manipulated by evil minds to create a state of chaos and uncertainty. Let’s prove through our sensible reactions that we are not afraid of facing the reality of social media to gain benefit from this blessing.
Be a Beacon of Hope: Pakistan is blessed with talented and mindful youth. All they need is the right kind of guidance and opportunities to channel their energies. We know there is a long list of youngsters that has stunned the world and made Pakistan proud as well as set examples for us to follow. They are the hope for our shining future .
Wrapping up
No matter what, every country has its own set of problems and limitations. The world appreciates the fact that the Pakistan Army has done its best in the war against terrorism. When it comes to digital warfare, youth are rightly considered the front-line soldiers of the country and the catalyst of change as they are the social media influencers. Indeed, our youth are the bearers of hope, rich traditions, and the legacy of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Muhammad Iqbal. Dedicated collective efforts to counter propaganda and disinformation on social media are dependent on the bonding between the youth and the Army based on mutual respect and trust.
The protection of young minds is the key concern of the time. It calls for immediate action and legislation. In the first place, it is the responsibility of the State to safeguard social media and the new generation from propaganda. Conscious efforts have to be taken into account to bridge the gap between the displeased groups of society and the Army that would guarantee the strong security and development of Pakistan. The strong regulatory mechanisms could help mitigate the adverse impact of social media.
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