Effective government control over traditional media is not the sole reason for the youth’s preference for social media. Commercialization, cost, dull and monotonous content, editorial gatekeeping, lack of diversity, limited access and coverage, one-way communication, sensationalism, and time delays are among the many other factors contributing to this shift.
Social media, on the other hand, offers unprecedented opportunities for communication, expression, and access to information. Its inherent features, such as accessibility, anonymity, citizen journalism, connectivity, cost-effectiveness, counterbalance to authoritarianism, decentralization of information, democratization, empowerment of civil society, encryption, entertainment value, facilitation of organized resistance, limited oversight, personalization, and virality, have made it a powerful tool for social movements and grassroots activism and mobilization.
While the rise of social media has democratized information, given a voice to the voiceless, facilitated global connectivity, economic benefits, and cross-cultural understanding, it has also become a breeding ground for digital evils. In this contemporary age of (dis)information, where media is proliferated, information and ideas are also weaponized. Social media has emerged as the third most powerful option, after weapons and economy, to destabilize a country. Hostile actors and forces are optimizing social media to sow discord and polarize societies, as evidenced by the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which serves as a stark reminder of how social media can undermine and influence entire societies.
The business models of social media companies, which rely on user engagement and targeted advertising, have created perverse incentives for amplifying sensational and divisive content, leading to the proliferation of echo chambers, filter bubbles, and the spread of conspiracy theories, eroding the shared reality required for sane public discourse.
In Pakistan, hostile actors and forces, whether internal or external, are using social media for various nefarious purposes, such as amplifying social unrest, corporate espionage, cultural influence, cyber espionage and surveillance, cyberattacks, digital subversion, disinformation, economic warfare, facilitating extremist ideologies, fake news, fostering distrust, chaos, anarchy, and instability, fueling identity conflicts, hacking, influence operations and interference, information operations, manipulating public opinion and discourse, micro-targeting, spreading polarizing and divisive content, propaganda, psychological operations, radical recruitment, targeted messaging, undermining governance, and widening fault lines, among others.
The rapid evolution of social media technologies, such as deepfakes and AI-generated content, poses new challenges for detecting and combating disinformation campaigns. These emerging technologies could further destabilize social and political systems, exacerbating existing fault lines, ideologies, disputes, and conflicts, as exemplified by the EU Disinfo Labs case, where a network of fake websites and NGOs was used to spread anti-Pakistan propaganda.
While no technology is inherently bad, its usage can be either good or bad. The more advanced the technology, the easier it is to misuse and counter. Social media is a double-edged sword because it has as many disadvantages as it does advantages. The opportunity costs of shutting down social media altogether far outweigh the actual harms of using it. If we cannot shut down social media or leave it functioning unchecked, the solution lies in engaging “all stakeholders” at “all levels.”
To counter the challenges and eliminate threats faced in the digital arena, we need to empower civil society, engage and empower the digital community, enhance cyber and digital security, improve transparency and accountability, promote counter-narratives and positive messaging, promote ethical use of technology, promote digital literacy, seek international cooperation if required, and take precise regulatory measures.
While direct influence over big social media giants may be limited, we should engage in constructive dialogue with these companies to advocate for measures that address the specific challenges faced by Pakistan, such as requests for improved content moderation, localization of policies, and collaboration on digital literacy initiatives. The first step could be to ask these social media giants to open their liaison or country offices in Pakistan.
Another option is to establish an authority to maintain oversight over social media in collaboration with citizens, governments, and tech companies. However, any misuse or abuse of such authority will certainly have serious and devastating consequences. This new regulatory authority should not become another PEMRA or NAB in Pakistan. It can be done by taking small steps in the right direction, such as capacity building, defining clear objectives, designing a legislative framework, ensuring privacy, and public consultation. Initially, a joint forum can be established for fact-checking to curb fake news and disinformation, which will eventually, but gradually, set up an independent authority with equal representation from the public and the government.
Social media is a double-edged sword – empowering yet disruptive. We must embrace its benefits while acknowledging its risks. It is our collective responsibility to cultivate ethical online behavior through digital literacy and strong safeguards.
