Why the farmers’ protest in India ‘OUR’ protest

The 2020–2021 Indian farmers’ protest is an ongoing protest against the three farm acts which were passed by the Parliament of India in September 2020. The farmers feel that that these laws will loosen the rules around the sale, pricing and storage of farm produce. According to BBC resources, around 250 million people are part of this protest that is more than the adult population in the United States.

As farmers from different states in India continue the protest there has been a barrage of information targeting the farmers and the police alike on social media by means of manipulated content and false news. Genocide hashtags which advocate for “Khalistan”( the Khalistan movement was a Sikh separatist movement seeking to form a homeland only for the Sikhs) and allegedly “backed by Pakistan” have been trending.

This is where you and I come in, we are all aware that social media has made itself omnipresent in our lives constantly shaping the way we perceive the world. As consumers of digital media we have understand the responsibility we hold every time we retweet or share a story on Instagram. We become the bridge between the news source and consumers creating an illusion of true information. When something isn’t a lie doesn’t mean it is not deceptive, giving rise to anarchy.

The purpose of me writing this article is not to shape your opinion on the Farmers’ protest in India but rather to make you understand the role all of us play every time we share feed on social media.