Daily Times

It started, as these things often do, over a steaming cup of chai. I was sitting with a friend at a roadside tea stall in Islamabad, enjoying a brief escape from deadlines and digital noise. That’s when it happened — we stumbled into a heated argument. Not over politics, sports, or the usual tea-time banter, but over a post he saw on Instagram claiming that Pakistan army planed and attacked on India in mooring also had deployed troops across the Line of Control in response to recent Indian aggression. I looked at him, surprised. I’d seen no such news in any credible outlet. As a journalist, my radar for misinformation is constantly humming, and this one rang all the alarms.

“I saw it myself — a video of soldiers, tanks moving, the works!” he insisted. It didn’t matter that the footage was actually from an old military parade. The post had gone viral, shared by hundreds, liked by thousands. The caption? “Breaking: Pakistan responds to Indian provocation!” No date. No source. No context.

Welcome to the digital Wild West.

In the age of social media, misinformation spreads faster than wildfire, shaping public opinion, stoking tensions, and muddying the waters of truth. This isn’t a new problem, but it’s getting more dangerous. While traditional media had editors and fact-checkers, social media has algorithms. And these algorithms don’t prioritize truth — they prioritize engagement.

Just recently, a doctored video of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemingly endorsing military action against Pakistan surfaced online. It was shared widely before fact-checkers could flag it as manipulated. On the Pakistani side, similarly deceptive posts claimed India was planning a “false flag operation,” citing vague sources and dramatic visuals. In both countries, millions watched, shared, and believed.

The consequences are real. Public sentiment hardens. Online rage spills into real-world policies. And in a region as volatile as South Asia, where history is heavy and borders tense, fake news isn’t just misinformation — it’s a match near dry grass.

But it’s not just geopolitics that suffers. In the 2024 general elections in India, fake videos circulated showing opposition leaders making inflammatory speeches — videos later proven to be deepfakes. In Pakistan, a fabricated voice note of a prominent female politician allegedly conspiring with a foreign power made rounds on WhatsApp, tarnishing reputations and distracting from real issues.

What makes this age of misinformation so insidious is how personalized it is. On our phones, truth is tailored. Algorithms feed us what we want to see, not what we need to know. So if you’re inclined to believe your country is always right or your leader is always honest, there’s content curated just for you — true or not.

And this isn’t just a South Asian issue. Globally, from the January 6th Capitol riots in the U.S. to vaccine conspiracies in Europe, misinformation has moved from the fringe to the center, distorting democracy and public health alike.

So what’s the solution?

It starts with education. Digital literacy must be treated as a core subject — not just for students but for adults too. People need to learn how to verify sources, cross-check facts, and recognize bias. Media organizations need to collaborate with tech platforms to promote reliable information, while tech companies must be pushed to refine their content moderation practices, especially in high-risk regions.

But most importantly, we need a cultural shift — a return to skepticism, a habit of questioning before sharing, a willingness to pause before reacting. Because sometimes, the enemy isn’t the country across the border. It’s the lie whispering on our timelines.

That day at the tea stall, I opened a fact-checking site on my phone and showed my friend the truth. He blinked, laughed sheepishly, and said, “Yaar, mujhe laga asli tha.” I nodded, not smugly, but with concern. Because next time, the post might not be about troops or speeches. It might be about vaccines. Or elections. Or people’s lives.

And by then, chai won’t be enough to fix what misinformation has broken.

The writer is a broadcast journalist, human rights activists.