It appears as if the social media all of a sudden has emerged as the biggest problem for Pakistan. From the Army chief mentioning it at a conference to the Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar bringing it up every day, the social media “issue” is on top of the news agenda. Social media — online networks — have been around for over a decade now but it seems our civil and military leadership have realised their influence only recently. But their over-simplification of new technologies is baffling. For example, a Nisar presser always mentions how anyone can create a social media account under fake identity and essentially burn down the entire country. This is nothing but a gross generalisation. The minister should not worry about ‘regulating’ or ‘steering social media in the right direction’ because that’s not how the social media work. State authorities cannot regulate it unlike the press. If they did — it wouldn’t be social media. There is also an element of self-regulation here. Whenever someone posts on Twitter, under a fake profile or otherwise, it doesn’t automatically reach everyone. It only reaches the masses if shared or cross-posted by peers or fellow social media users. Now if it is something false or defamatory or something that incites violence, the social media companies have their own checks to curb that. There are ways and means to report such violations. Despite the digital divide that we face in a country like Pakistan — social media are as democratic as they can get. They give everyone an equal chance to have their say and self-regulate. Perhaps the Interior minister also needs some basic lessons about the importance of digital media for a 21st century society. Social media facilitate entrepreneurship, small businesses and even social movements. If the ministry were to check the amount of remittances earned by online freelancers in Pakistan — with the help of social media — the minister might get a better perspective. A decade ago the lawyers’ movement — fully supported by the then ruling party — was also enabled by traditional and new media. When the Musharraf regime clamped down on TV channels, the social media uproar informed the world about the valiant struggle of Pakistan’s middle class against the military dictator. If it were not for social media many human rights violations despite the existence of dozens of TV channels and newspapers, would not be known to the public and the government. Now that the PML-N is in power it may not like instances of misgovernance brought to public light. Such as any number of recent PIA blunders. While the Prime Minister’s daughter is an avid social media user, it is time that she deputed someone from her alleged ‘media cell’ to coach the Interior minister on the basics of social media. Millions of online Pakistanis are alarmed at the government’s new posture driven by its need to please the lobby of the religious right and the powers-that-be. Needless to say, such censorship is difficult to manage in the age of the Internet. *