Dr. Asangba Tzudir
How Well-Informed Are We?
Dating the ‘Information Age’ to the early eighties when the internet came into operation and the computer had just been born, since then people around the world bestowed with the technological medium have become more well-informed. With the coming of various social media platforms, the flow of information in various forms and templates has become rapid. However the question is whether people are better informed or how ‘well-informed’ are we, even about the things happening around us.
Whatever the case, information and being well-informed should define our times. Contextually, the use of technology and its potentials is yet to be fully exploited, and within the ‘comfort’ level it finds its operation and so in many ways we have not allowed it to serve its real purpose. Rather, it has taken control over our lives and taking us through a merry ride in a virtual world, a testament that we are becoming less informed in this age of information.
The channelling of knowledge and information is still inadequate and it sets a dangerous precedent because such inadequacies are bound to mislead the people. One inadequacy is the seat of storing and disseminating information especially the websites being not updated. This leads to another inadequacy of not having not only the latest news but also the lack of the means to authenticate the same brand of news and information got from other sources rather than from the ‘official’ source. This further leads to the danger of news and information going viral without authenticating its truth and falsity.
In the social media, where the masses largely become informants and disseminators while at the same time consumers, the inadequacies especially relating to the questions of credibility, of truth and falsity gets dangerously connected with larger issues of ‘epistemic violence’, ‘sensationalism’, ‘dramatisation’ etc. which only blows things out of proportion and may provoke violence.
A case in point, at a time when the issue of ILP implementation in Dimapur has created tension which has also led to certain untoward incident, the circulation of an “unverified video clip” on social media claiming that the incident occurred at Burma Camp could have easily provoked and escalated tension leading to possible violence. The nature of the video clip was such that it could easily give a perceptive connection as a chain reaction, as a form of retaliation to what happened in Dimapur Nagaland gate.
Though the Dimapur police issued an advisory and clarification via social media cautioning against rumour-mongering, it only highlights the inadequacies of dealing with a different problem of running against the flow of fate information going viral rather than having to deal and curb the issue or problem at source. It further provokes the question of how well-informed are we in this age of information.
The general mentality of the masses especially the social media users is such that there seems to be more ‘excitement’ as information disseminators be it fake or true. As such, this calls for the need to be well-informed which would enable one to exercise due caution and rationality before ‘acting’ as an informant. There may be times when certain information and knowledge can be shared unintentionally or unmindful of the larger issues connected with it, there are also times when ‘information’ also becomes a tool to disseminate propaganda. Considering the consequences of legal, social, political, ethical etc., it calls for scrutiny and the need to be well-informed despite the various forms of inadequacies.
Technologies and the various medium which enables information are wide open but we have let technology and social media take control over our lives so much so that we rather enjoy ‘cheap and quick unauthenticated information’ including fake news, while those hard information that not only broadens the spectrum of knowledge but also create a sense of awareness are seldom pursued. Considering the complexities, confusions, dilemmas and more so the sensitivity and the society in which we live, it is time that we realise the importance about the need to be both informed and well-informed and most importantly exercising rational caution in social media in relation to dissemination of information .
(Dr. Asangba Tzudir contributes a weekly guest editorial to The Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com.)
