Social Media Platforms and Misuses of Social Media platforms in Pakistan

 

Social Media Platforms Definition

Social media platforms are known as, “ The places where different users may produce and share information on websites and apps, as well as participate in social networking.”

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Social Media Platforms (Advantages and Disadvantages)

In Context Of Pakistan

Image by Pixelkult from Pixabay

It is self-evident that everything in life has advantages and disadvantages, and in social networking, our practices are no exception. The practical pros and cons of social networking are many and they are widely spread. On global level, the public’s use of social media has risen dramatically and its usage is common among people of all ages and professions. In America social media usage is increased, around 233 million Americans used social media in 2021.

        According to datareportal," In January 2021, Pakistan has 46.00 million social media users. Between 2020 and 2021, the number of social media users in Pakistan rose by 9.0 million (+24%). In January 2021, Pakistan's social media users stood for 20.6 percent of the country's entire population.”

 Advantages

Here are some advantages of Social Media

• Users may engage with others and form communities via social media and it is about creating relationships rather than just announcing or posting something. It is obviously altering one's communication style.
• Social media platforms are important because they are utilized in a plethora of ways throughout the world, including social, economic, and political development. 
• The emergence of social media has altered our perceptions of and interactions with information. For many people, social media has supplanted traditional news sources. Never before has it been so simple to get information, publish it, and share it. Anyone may create one or more Facebook or Twitter accounts in minutes, often anonymously. By design, social media platforms encourage users to share information with the press of a button, yet information is frequently twisted in the process. Humans may not even be in charge of the transmission of information in some situations; 'bots,' or computer programs that automatically publish and circulate information, can also handle social media accounts. 
• Social Media Platforms are best place to spread your positive messages at wide level.
• These platforms are useful for business communities and for their growth purposes.

Disadvantages

• Though social media platforms have their benefits, we cannot overlook their drawbacks globally. On social media platforms, media rules like journalist norms and balance are being ignored, or purposely ridiculed to promote hatred in the society.
• Users are more prone to distribute the material without verifying its accuracy, especially when it involves stuff that is controversial or emotionally sensitive.
• The pace with which information travels is influenced by users' emotional reactions, and the sheer number of information that individuals are now exposed to makes determining honesty extremely challenging. 
• Many citizens are unable to make well-informed judgments due to biased reporting, under- and over-reporting of specific issues, and plain misinformation published and disseminated on social media. The fallout from these incidents, as well as their continued influence on current events, has elevated the concept of "fake news".
• It can be difficult to deal with the misuse of social media platforms and it is generally difficult to prove malicious intent, most people believe that fake news involves intentionally publicized lies. 
• Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook are among the social media platforms used to propagate fake news. Political parties and militants groups, in particular, use social media to distribute negative information against other parties, people and institutions.
• The spread of misinformation constituted a severe challenge to political discourses as populist politicians successfully engaged the general public using rhetoric emotional appeals and fake news. 
• Particularly in terms of fueling political chaos in Pakistan. It has become a platform for unethical, unauthentic news and propaganda, in addition to privacy issues in Pakistan. 
• Some political parties with more active social media teams than others are propagating fake news. These teams propagate false news using photo-shopped techniques, or they splice footage of interviews or other speeches of political parties and utilize that material for their own political gain.
• Now-a-days Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf which has a strong social media team, is in the forefront of spreading misinformation and launching a propaganda war against Pakistan's institutions. 
• These academics argue that the omnipresent social media has made it easier for lobbyists, advertisers, and politicians to target the needed public for political and military purposes through contrived and organized political strategic campaigns. 
• Aside from politics, international relations and economic the religious topics are also misused for personal benefits.
• Once made, false news is widely disseminated through social media by ordinary people who trust in its truth and share it with a large audience. In Pakistan, however, there is no systematic process in place to distinguish between fake and genuine news. The Facebook authorities recently initiated a false news campaign.
• The bulk of fake news are connected to foreign affairs, judiciary, military and politics. The economy and religious themes received the least amount of bogus news.

How to stop such fake news or propagandas on Social Media?

Bots that are malicious should be recognized and banned. However, determining whether an account is managed by a bot or a genuine human is particularly difficult because not all bots are built to post and disseminate falsehoods. Some bots designed with malevolent purpose operate in a very humanlike manner, posting in irregular patterns or with tiny mistakes, for example.

Users of social media should be taught how to examine information and be given the tools to do so. Many people distribute information without assessing its accuracy, let alone double-checking facts.

Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter must also bear more accountability. Apart from bot identification, platforms should make it harder for individuals to create numerous accounts or exchange information without permission. This can help to delay the spread of fake news and give time for counter-measures like information campaigns. Algorithms are also used by social media sites to choose which information to show to users.

Governments across the world have made attempts to prevent the flow of false news, aware of the harmful consequences it has on society. So, Pakistan has to introduced them in Pakistan too.

Government has to take actions against those spread malicious information against individuals and institutions.