A person’s freedom is limited as long as his freedom does not curtail the freedom of fellow citizens. So also the freedom of expression is limited as long as it does not harm the other person. However, now the technology is posing a threat to the private lives and image of the individuals.
The proliferation of youtube channels and various social media platforms are on the prowl in the absence of any regulation. The occasional reprimands by the Courts of Law are of little use. Irrational and unscrupulous criticism, morphing of photographs, sharing widely on various social media platforms and making them viral have become the order of the day. They go on damaging the hard earned public faith and assassination of character of the person particularly those in public life like politics.
A political leader strives for decades to build an image for himself and earn the trust of people cutting the caste, creed and religious barriers. A single post against him by the vested interests will wash away all that in a single stroke. It cannot be undone and even the defamation case will not bring his image back.
Having known the power of social media, even political leaders are having their own social media network and patronise some youtube channels. They use them to tarnish the image of their opponents. They spend huge sums paying technicians and content writers for their political mileage. Social media lacks all sensitivities. It does not take into account that the person they target have their private life and a family.
Who would control this? Those with money and muscle power do deal on their own with these unruly elements operating youtube channels blackmailing people. Then hue and cry begins. When the government takes action as per law, the opposition leaders are ready crying foul and protecting the bad elements.
Whoever is the victim, either the opposition or ruling party, there is an urgent need for a regulatory authority to check youtube channels and social media and the content being aired and shared by them as the mainstream media is regulated.
By Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao