I AM proposing a new ailment unique to Pakistanis: Perpetual-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I am not making light of our situation. On the contrary, I’m asking we recognise how this PTSD unites us, irrespective of income or political affiliation or even a lack of interest in politics. It requires recognition and then treatment, one of which is mobilising powerful nations to impose change on social media platforms and AI companies’ incentives. They will not self-regulate. And I don’t want any Pakistani government to regulate them because their solution to everything is to ban it.

In almost two decades, social media has gone from being the place we (re)connected with to becoming a source of major conflict in families and societies for disinformation. It is an uncontrollable beast that no one can tame.

But this column isn’t about the dollar-proliferating disinformation industry per se; it is about its impact that, along with a curb on our liberties, is making us … umm … ill. We are in a perpetual state of traumatic disorder caused by the uncertainty of when the internet will return to normal, for example. And normal wasn’t even that amazing to begin with.

This state of anxiety has reached a perpetual level because we do not get good governance or balanced, fair information from the government or media. Karachi may be a better city at the moment due to “low AQI no PTI” (thank you Teepu Sahab for this joke on X) but our stress levels begin when we step out into a crumbling infrastructure. Friends in Lahore say the smog is killing them. Islamabad is in some form of lockdown every day. Fear rules KP and Balochistan every day. And this is without them turning on screens.

Who is responsible for this constant form of anxiety?

Who is responsible for this constant form of anxiety? Will banning the PTI cure us of these ailments?

There are plenty of studies to show how exposure to TV following mass traumatic events — violence, war, natural disasters, disease outbreaks — leads to post-traumatic stress disorder. They can result in health issues like depression, which can be a lifelong issue, says the National Institute of Health. In the last decade, studies show anxiety is heightened among people who use social media more than those who don’t. Social media is responsible for young peoples’ mental health troubles. It is responsible for the increasing polarity in societies the world over.

The trouble is not the studies documenting what we all know. It is a failure to address these issues that causes this perpetual state. No one paid heed to the warning signs like a 2015 study in the UK by Dr Pam Ramsden which suggested that watching gruesome videos and images online at home could lead to the same types of symptoms most associated with combat veterans. Its publication caused a lot of controversy at a time before TikTok or ‘fake news’ was a phenomenon.

“How could someone who merely watches events on a screen suffer the same problems as, for instance, a combat veteran,” asked the BBC. One expert replied “vicarious PTSD is a well-established phenomenon”. The vulnerable are especially susceptible. Social media doesn’t come with a warning, like traditional media, about harmful content. In fact, it lures you in knowing the harmful consequences. Unesco said on Thursday that 62 per cent of social media influencers do not verify their content.

You see this play out on our streets every day like the controversy around the number of dead PTI protesters. No one is willing to believe anyone. Also notice how no one is even talking about the documented deaths in Kurram. Our PTSD is also selective.

The trouble is we are left to fend for ourselves in the ab­­sence of adequate services, from utility to health to information. We have limited access to resources to help us. A two-day wellness festival in Karachi offers lots of options to help you deal with a number of issues — if you can afford it. Imagine if this was offered as a national service.

For that, you’d need to have a government which prioritises the healthcare industry in the same manner it spends locking up dissidents.

Imagine living in a country where you feel cared for, secure knowing that a lockdown won’t deprive you of access to essentials. Of equal import is knowing the information you receive is fair, accurate and responsible. People are turning to social media because traditional media has over the years eroded public trust. The last few months have shown us the violent consequences of disinformation campaigns. Maybe, they can be the wake-up call for journalists to unite and come up with strategies to win back public trust. I am hopeful people will return to news outlets because social media will trick them and fail them. Until then though, I fear we will remain in this perpetual state.

The writer is a journalism instructor.

X: @LedeingLady

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2024