The Social Media University printing press!!

Last Tuesday, what shocked us all was the FIR by Shushant Singh Rajput’s family in Bihar against some bollywood actress. The intensity of allegations is not what surprises us the most but the collapse of all the allegations and myths that preoccupied our minds does.

One of the most powerful tools that the technological era gave us is the internet and then social media. Even a lay man’s hands have got power to share what they feel about world. These powers gave us beautiful bloggers, photographers, content creators and a whole digital industry. But these powers take a horrible turn when things that aren’t meant to be sensationalized take up the minds of most viewers. For whole of the last month, we have seen number of theories initiated, developed and then proved right by their own creators trying to find a solution to the suicide question.

Theories of depression, nepotism, foreign money, underworld gameplay and even murder. These allegations took up much of public sentiments that even the police could not define which of them is true. Among the most terrible theory was that of depression. People started zooming and scanning someone’s illegally leaked dead pictures just to find a scoop out of this tragic news. The extent of it could never be defined. They started boycotting star kids and suspected them of various things. There were numerous pages especially made by his fans to prove such theories. Messages were widely circulated.

Such malpractices give an example of how when a pivotal tool is used to satisfy personal score, can lead to terrible mistakes. Denouncing people, defaming them and stating theories that have no solid base at all to a case as sensitive as this not only disturbs emotions of his family but also gives a shameful title to media. The media which is responsible to go through the ethics of covering sensitive deaths failed drastically. Such was the chain of fake news that none of the user even once tried to wait for the police to give a pure and correct report of it. Investigative reporting shouldn’t be used by people who are not obliged to!

Although all of Shushant’s fans were hurt and have a right to know the truth, it doesn’t gives others a right to astray innocent public and to defame people as innocent as them. Investigation is the duty of police and not media.

Shushant Singh Rajput committed suicide on 14th of June. Even after 47 days of his untimely demise, there isn’t any angles in this case officially. Let us pray for justice for this intelligent actor. Media which is among the four pillars of democracy should refrain from yellow journalism and practise a Better Journalistic Approach that will help increase it’s credibility in the society.