Scrolling through Facebook and Instagram every day for a significant amount of time is not a favorite pastime anymore; it has now become an integrated part of our daily life. Media scholars have written volumes analyzing the digital space as an expressive realm for many who cannot do it otherwise. Moreover, living in the age of mobile phones, tablets and handy cameras we are not only able to witness the events from every nook and corner of this globalised world, but also every internet user has an equal opportunity to play the dual role of an informer and an informant at the same time. Hence, the debates about fake news and real news; credibility and liability of content; and how a subject is framed and by whom, have gained momentum.
Along with words, power of visibility has also amplified its affect in the digital space with an unprecedented influx of pictures and videos on social media sites. This democratisation of digital domain is a blessing in disguise. While it provides equal space, opportunity and voice to everyone and everything, the flip side of this unchecked ‘populisation’ has a horrendous tendency to normalise the intensity serious matters that require a tactful dealing.
This increasing level of indifference towards gut-wrenching and dehumanising imagery on social media is extremely problematic and it needs critical attention. It not only aids the objectification of the sufferers but it also removes the agency of those who are featured in those pictures.
Not so long ago, Zainab’s murder and rape case broke the Pakistani society into rage and despair. Every conscious human being who was aware of the incident was devastated. Of course, this was neither the first nor the only incident of its kind; rather it was a part of a series. Therefore, civil society realized that it is high time to make a collective demand for justice through popular mobilization in order to bring this brutality to an end. In order to do so, people took to the roads to protest; NGOs, activists, politicians, celebrities and even religious right wing publically endorsed the cause to raise awareness and pressurise the state to deliver justice and be proactive in future.
This democratisation of the digital domain is a blessing in disguise. While it provides equal space, opportunity and a voice to everyone and everything, the flip side is that this unchecked ‘populisation’ has a horrendous tendency to trivialise serious matters that require tactful dealing
However, today, one of the most convenient ways to show solidarity or to protest is to express your views on social media or through what we can conveniently call ‘keyboard activism’. This January, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were taken over by the images of Zainab’s dead body lying on a pile of garbage; unattended and abandoned; showcasing the ugly dimension of humankind and its wrecked reality.
No doubt, ‘visuality’ is a powerful realm and many times it can be more effective than words, nonetheless in such situations, it has its own reverse effects as well. It not only adds to the victimization process of the sufferer or survivor but also abundance of these images may lead to insensitivity of the viewers who come across these pictures in such frequency that it would stopped meaning anything to them. Hence, these pictures instead of creating a moving impact, ends up generating an immune system in viewers who develop a resistance towards these painful, brutal and disturbing images that are originally meant to sensitize people.
Another case in point is the death of Bollywood diva Sridevi whose sudden death got turned into a popular mystery that needs to be solved. Its confusion gave rise to interesting reactions among people who follow her or follow Bollywood in general. The initial news of her death proposed heart attack as the cause of death.
On one hand, people shared this sad news with lengthy statuses condemning her age control procedures and social pressures of staying young in the fashion world. On the other hand, people shared her glamorous pictures praising her timeless beauty and youth. Her life choices were more under discussion then her work. This contradiction also points towards the contradictions this digital ‘visuality’ gives rise to among social media users. Here, people focus more on what is visible than why it is made visible.
Apart from the people who commented on Sridevi’s life and death, there were those who were upset for the fact that Sridevi’s death got more attention than the barbaric killing of Syrian infants which happened around the same time. Although pictures of Syrian babies were also circulating on internet. The question that which news should get more limelight or if there should be a comparison at first place, while in fact in these cases we are dealing with death either way, is a difficult one to answer.
Kunduz massacre of innocent children at their graduation ceremony is another such example where Facebook on one hand played a vital role in dissemination of this tragic news which didn’t get sufficient media coverage on national and international platforms.
Yet people could not help comparing it with terror attack on APS Peshawar in 2014. Unfortunately, these grieve matters need much more solidarity and humanitarian approach than these illogical comparisons, insensitive satire and inconsiderate sarcasm. Moreover, being conscious humans and responsible social media users, it is our responsibility to carefully choose what we post and think about its both positive and negative consequences. Last week, an Indian friend who is a photographer himself posted a few questions on his timeline about the social and moral responsibility of social media users regarding Asifa’s murder case in Kashmir.
Still, it is hard to claim what should be the right course of action as digital rights and actions are a matter of debate globally. However, it is important to acknowledge different ways in which we can approach the problem and sensibly fight for the real cause with least contribution towards any further damage unless we come to an agreement if ever possible.
The writer is Falak Sufi Scholar at Hagop Kevorkian Centre for Near Eastern. Currently pursuing a Masters degree at New York University
Published in Daily Times, April 25th 2018.