A blatant intrusion into one’s personal space, crossing the line of decency in the garb of ‘free speech’, opinionated comments and hate speech in the name of analysis, below-the-belt remarks in the name of trolls, and hyper-sensationalism for the sake of higher views.
These are some of the traits attributed to the social media that has made people’s perception on reporting go astray.
Concurring with the view, noted actor and writer Tanikella Bharani expresses pain at the way the social media targets and denigrates celebrities.
Speaking to The Hindu, he sees a need for the bloggers and ‘media analysts’ to exhibit a sense of responsibility.
“Media earlier meant only newspapers, magazines, radio and television channels, which function under a broad framework and with some curbs to ensure ethical reporting. The advent of social media has changed the way a news is covered. We need to have a rethink on bettering the functioning of social media,” he says.
Mr. Bharani also expresses annoyance at the ease with which celebrities are targeted and their dirty linen washed in public.
On the scant respect paid to the dead in the garb of ‘free speech’, Mr. Bharani finds the blogger’s speech and the views in the comments section as being so contemptuous.
“There were times when obituaries recalled the great things about a departed soul. But today’s remarks bear negative shades against a person who was in our midst till the other day. How is this justifiable?” he wonders.
‘Negative energy’
Coming to the visual part, Mr. Bharani is of the view that gory and grotesque images / videos strewn across the web can trigger ‘negative energy’ in humans.
“Even the 9/11 tragedy, considered one of the heinous incidents of our times, was responsibly covered with the help of suggestive images of buildings and avoiding bloodshed. But today, our ‘unrestrained’ social media channels show severed human parts without any qualms, causing a sense of uneasiness among the viewers. This has to be curtailed,” he observes.
