Caught in the bubble

Going viral

Time and again, social media has proved to be one of the most convenient modes of communication that brings people from across the globe on the same page. In an era where ‘being instant’ is the new mantra, many look forward to getting updates on recent happenings with the click of a button. And often, one ends up believing what they read without verifying the source of the information.

In that light, the alleged remark made by Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel, announced by one of the former employees of the company, stirred up a series of reactions among people —  from uninstalling the app to giving it a one-star rating among others.

Looking at it from a different perspective are a few Bengalureans who feel that people should not believe half-baked information. Rather, they should thoroughly research about it and try to understand the context in which a particular comment is made. Karthik Jannu, an analytics professional, says that he too, like many others, was irked by the remark when it appeared on various social media websites; however, he had questions about the authenticity of the news. “Like any other individual, I was shocked initially but then I decided to read up more about it and be clear as to what exactly the context is.
The fact that we live in a paradoxical world makes me sad. While we are growing as a world economy, there are still many things that we need to do to solve the issue of poverty. What we are doing is not enough,” says Karthik.

He adds that being active on social media, he sees a lot of news pieces floating on these platforms, as a result of which people tend to arrive at a conclusion too early without knowing the actual truth. “Most news pieces posted on these sites are without any validation, which can mislead people. If consumption of news through these portals continues, we are going to end up in a dangerous place.”

Agreeing to this is Hana Iqbal, a communication professional, who says that this alleged piece of information should not affect people in any way. It is an app and a medium to keep in touch with people. “It is an immature step that many people have taken — deactivating the app or uninstalling it. A few years ago, even Tommy Hilfiger had made a similar statement and there was a similar reaction by people, but today, it’s the same people who are carrying a bag from that brand,” she says.
                    
Hana opines that rather than taking an extreme step like this, people should look thoroughly into the facts and figures and understand the background. She says that she wouldn’t remove Snapchat from her phone as this has been a great way of communication with her cousins and friends staying abroad, who use the app more than any other social media platforms.

Ayushi Guha, an active user of Snapchat, says that the alleged statement made by the CEO mentions both India and Spain. “Without the news being confirmed or any official statement being made, people should avoid taking drastic steps like boycotting the app. However, at the end of the day, it’s an individual’s choice. I feel that if one is against it or is deeply affected by the remark, they should not use Snapchat at all; and if they are using it, they should first understand the context rather than rating the app with one or two stars.”