THIS is apropos of Hajra Mumtaz’s ‘Social media pitfalls’ (March 11). The writer has only brought to light the shortcomings of the social media and has overlooked its achievements. This gives an uneven image of the case.

We all have recently witnessed how the social media could be proved useful for accelerating a cause. In Shazaib Khan’s murder case, it was the social media that brought the killer behind bars or else. Like any other tale of injustice that takes place in the streets of Karachi, it would have never made it to the mainstream media. There would never have been so much pressure put on the government to bring the matter to justice if it wasn’t for the social media.

And who can ever forget the Arab Spring which was itself a product of the social media. In countries like Tunisia, Egypt, and Syria, where governments used to rule over the mainstream media and the masses were kept ignorant of the real current affairs, it was the social media which brought them the true picture of their country. When the people came down to Tahrir Square (Cairo) to protest against the corrupt government of Hosni Mubarak, the traditionally-censored media in Egypt  didn’t talk about the protest. However, it was the social media, where people were posting real images and accurate information of the protest, which invited more to participate in.

Thus the social media had been serving as a form of alternative media, making the masses aware of what’s going around and giving them the other side of the story which usually the mainstream surpasses.

GULZAR FARID NAYANI Karachi