Protesting farmers at Ghazipur border get social media crash course

Members of the All India Students Federation (AISF) at the Ghazipur border have been organising these sessions for farmers

There's a lot more happening on the stages dotted around Delhi's borders than just discussions on the farm laws. The stages, which serve as a venue for protesting farmers to speak during the day, and sleep during the night, has also lent its space to crash courses on how to use social media, The Indian Express reported.

Members of the All India Students Federation (AISF) at the Ghazipur border have been organising sessions for farmers to teach them how to set up and use a social media account of their liking - Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. The sessions, the report says, are held in the afternoon.

After setting up the account, the farmers are also taught how to update posts, the significance of a hashtag, and how to best convey their message and point of view.

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Sant Kumar, a 28-year-old farmer from Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district was one such farmer who set up a Twitter account, the report said. He told Indian Express that he, along with many others, wanted to join the social media platform to "respond with our truth" against the "negative things" written about protesting farmers.

The workshops have been attended by farmers both young and old. While some own a smartphone but are unfamiliar with social media, others were only familiar with one social media platform, noted a student at the site.