THIS is with reference to the article ‘Rulers struggling with social media’ (Aug 11), which argued that social media is “an instant mirror that shows us each our reality”. To the contrary, social media is a hall of mirrors, with many using them to distort, twist and turn ugly realities into beautiful myths.

Now the government is struggling to deal with the consequences of that hall of mirrors, because people seem to be more interested in the doctored version of the image rather than the image itself. It is mostly about ‘forwards’ ‘reposts’, ‘views’ and ‘likes’.

Let us not trivialise the matter of fake news running on social media platforms with no accountability or check. This is a problem that needs to be tackled, and tackled seriously. It is not a matter that should be swept under the rug. While social media must not be strangled, fake news and anti-state propaganda through such platforms must also not be ignored.

Asghar Qadir
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2024