Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter was no surprise, but the speed with which he sacked the top executives, particularly Vijaya Gadde, was a matter of interest. Gadde was the content policy chief of Twitter, infamous for her “smash Brahminical hierarchy” viral poster standing alongside Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, in 2018.
It was once the time of mainstream media, which had a stranglehold on governments, democracies, industrialists, and famous personalities. They wielded power to elevate someone unworthy or to demonize anyone who was opposed to their interests. They influenced elections and controlled empires. Robert Murdoch is an example who exercised enormous power globally, controlling both electronic and print media.
The last decade has changed the prospects of traditional media, the social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp etc., grabbing a big slice of the media to influence the readers. These networks have enormous power to let you see what they want you to see, how they want you to perceive and in a way they think is right. They could hide and block any posts or anyone for short or long periods. Religious choices are either imposed or repelled. None could question them.
Many governments, including India, were peeved, which put Twitter in the crosshairs. The defiant social networking giant blinked eyes first and yielded, stepping down from their self-created invincible high pedestal. The Indian government has demanded more transparency to tackle fake news and posts adverse to our nation’s interests. While I support freedom of speech and expression, people like Gadde secured their berths primarily because of their venomous expressions against the Indian government, which regaled many, like Jack Dorsey, in the West. I shed no tears on her exit.
An unputdownable newspaper from Kolkata can be a classic example of an abrupt change in tone, the tenor of contents, and political loyalties, with the change in ownership. The newspaper stood on the frontline, fighting the various scams plaguing West Bengal, like the Sarada Chit fund, Rose Valley, s iCore etc. However, the voters disregarded the scams and corruption, choosing Mamata Banerjee, and returning her to power. It resulted in replacing the editorial board, amenable to the ruling dispensation. The new editors reciprocated the huge ad revenues from the State by its acerbic and nauseating stand against the Centre. Neither their stand before nor the present are truthful!
Most TV channels are either left or right, with very few centrists in their neutral news coverage. They influence viewers heavily and are often the result of violence on one or other matters. Ordinary mortals like us believe what we see and hear, which may not be true, but heavily conditioned news material.
With fake news bursters more active, the social network is increasingly becoming assertive to burst myths and fake stories. This alternative media could, over a period, make watching or reading the news more realistic than ever before. People like Elon Musk, who fought for unshackling social networks and now owning Twitter, could be a welcome change and must be unpalatable to fakers like Gadde.
Change is the only constant, which must be paved by truth and not fake news.
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix
