The digital age in underdeveloped, extreme poverty, and social chaos ridden Pakistani society has pros and cons. One of the biggest cons is 'foul language' that nobody acknowledges and everybody suffers from as well. Yet we must understand some hard facts that led Pakistani society and communication here. These reasons must be considered to address this problem of 'online heated abusive arguments'.
Pakistan has not hit its Political Puberty
Pakistan is not a politically mature country. People barely understand the basics of politics and social theories. Pakistani public at large doesn't even know what 'Human Rights' are, or must be. Pakistan's media and public figures (who struggle to understand politics and social theory themselves) expect the masses to understand the extremely complicated and exploitative political and social structure. If any random political or social argument in Pakistan gets structured around rich and uneducated political figures, rather than political or social logic, how can we expect exploited uneducated extremely frustrated, struggling to survive in poverty masses to refrain from showing that off in abusive language (this is a fact not a justification).
Frustrated and Exploited Masses
This frustrated public is exploited for DECADES by two parties, one that is supported by academics and media on ideological grounds (Pakistan People's Party - PPP) and the other is supported entirely on elitest culture (Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz - PML N). It is ok to support these parties as an individual but just because you support them on some grounds doesn't exclude you from the social construct of Pakistan. There are repercussions of your ideological or political support. As a journalist or opinion-maker one cannot choose to NOT be part of the immature politics of Pakistan). One's denial of this fact is the reason why (Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf - PTI), a third party won the elections in 2018. Which is also denounced the cause of abusive language in the digital age, PTI defeating ALL seasoned politicians, and the opinions of seasoned Journalists suggest otherwise. Pakistan's elite academics and media reject and do not understand the cause of PTI's popularity among young masses and though PTI has unsatisfactory performance it still remains very popular showing what connects better with the public. If PTI solely relied on conventional media to gain popularity it would never be able to mobilize society like it did in 2018.
No sense of direction laid out in Conventional Media
Our media and journalists don't educate masses over politics, nor do they educate or upgrade their own understanding of politics. The majority (if not all) journalists are very rigid often inflexible to accept anybody's opinion constructively. Conventional media has become a group of somewhat influential people catering to the needs of rich elites in politics and the private sector [establishment]. Media and journalists choose to extend their support based on like-minded political ideology and are NOT seen as neutral critic ANYMORE. Their work is highly influenced by the well being of their career supported by different political groups in society. This process had a very strong stake in our conventional media and politics some decades ago but social media took that away from them and media or journalists completely missed this. Conventional media under the same conventional business model stands incapable of gaining the trust of the masses and fails to represent the interests or sentiments of the masses. If the Jung group (biggest media conglomerate of Pakistan) had a comment or feedback section that was as easily accessible to masses the way social media is to people today we could easily see the same abusive language as a tool of mass communication.
Social Media a Numbers Game
Social media reduced the popularity of journalists as opinion-makers and provided the public with a broad choice of opinions as well so nobody's opinion matters unless millions share that opinion (Numbers talk). Now even a 12-year-old on the internet has the power to compare opposing political views on social media eliminating conventional opinion-makers in media and politics. The young Gen Z develops opinion by educating itself on social media and see conventional media and opinion-makers as biased and equally clueless. Masses on social media DONT have access or interest in conceptual politics, economics, and social science-based peer groups around them. So masses are educating themselves on social media by comparing opinions hence the chaos and hateful reactionary comments.
Is Abusive Language a New Phenomenon?
Let's be real: This abusive language is NOT a new phenomenon in Pakistan, it's a culture that always existed in Pakistan. Foul language is a reality of uneducated and exploited society and has ALWAYS been a major element of public communication in Pakistani society (journalists who are supposed to be whistle-blowers for such uncomfortable truths don't highlight such realities because of their political support), I fail to understand how come they are not aware of this fact if journalists were not aware of this, they must be seriously disconnected to society). Due to social media, abusive language ONLY got digitized publically. There are no gatekeepers in Pakistan to give direction to such communication. Hence the conventional media is losing popularity fast, their opinions have less impact on society today than it had few decades ago. People form opinions via comparisons and debate on social media rather than following seasoned journalists and media houses. This makes them inclusive while media houses seem distant and noninclusive the way it has ALWAYS worked in Pakistan. Conventional media should argue this observation if they want to stay relevant by 2030. Abusive language is a reality we must accept first to initiate a change. If you lived long enough in Pakistan you will know how well versed we are in general (women and children included) and what we are dealing with.
How we perceive opinions in the Past
Let me give you an example: Authors like Nadeem F Paracha, used to be popular in the 90s for his satirical (طنزیہ) features. A lot of people saw him as a fresh cool voice in conventional media. Seasoned journalists used to celebrate his work like pop culture and Paracha also enjoyed the attention in his small group of people who read English Dailies or respected English Dailies. Yet he continued to get disconnected from the masses. Paracha used to mock political personalities candidly (in English) and he got a free pass because conventional media had control to suggest what they allow and what they don't allow (just like any other institution in Pakistan). Masses also followed the same pattern as Paracha did. Paracha did not respect his opposition politics or personalities (around which politics revolve in Pakistan). He opposed them by calling them names all the time. But since he had a good command of English, conventional media celebrated his style of writing. Paracha or conventional media both did not foresee the evolution of opinions in Pakistan through social media. Today Paracha can be seen complaining about abusive and طنزیہ comments he receives from his shrinking audience as he fails to form opinions shared by the masses. If opinions are in Punjabi or Sindhi or street slang anywhere in Pakistan, those same (طنزیہ) features become unacceptable to some higher logic that is hidden behind journalist's social image among media community and never by wit or logic. Hamid Mir is another good example he used to be the biggest name in Pakistan's conventional media landscape and his opinion mattered A LOT in the 90s. Now even a child has access to his EXTREMELY nonsensical news reports and widely known as لفافہ Journalist by the masses, thanks to his many digital footprints. Mir is not respected for his opinions anymore as he also struggles to keep his social integrity among the masses as his audience shrinks rapidly. Many journalists from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s are no longer relevant as social media comparison of abundance of content took away their credibility right under their nose.
Conventional Media must EVOLVE and embrace modern technology
Newspapers don't have a life of one day anymore. It's the social evolution of freedom of expression in an uneducated and politically immature society. Unfortunately, condemning abusive language DOES NOT address the problem, protesting or banning social media platforms due to foul language will only make you lose your audience on social media (it's a numbers game and conventional media are not educated on the usage of technology either).
How do we communicate among ourselves?
Everybody commenting on social media is communicating the way they do in real lives, on the streets, with their friends and family and that is making seasoned journalists and politicians and everybody else EXTREMELY uncomfortable. Nothing escapes a digital foot-print NOTHING goes away anymore and mistakes you make publically are punished in Pakistan's digital transformation. If you are a public figure and made a mistake 10 years ago, u can still be held accountable for it ten, twenty years after and it WILL affect ur credibility, regardless of who you are.
The only Inclusive Political Debate
This abusive language is the only voice that seems to affect the establishment, monopolistic journalists, political and social elites and they are helpless because they did not expect social media to outsmart them with abusive language and it will go on because NOBODY has control over it. You can fight it but angry abusive masses will win in Pakistan. If we take this to a global level even the strongest most influential people in the world cant tackle this SOCIAL MEDIA ABUSIVE SLANG. West faces the same problem, trolling Trump, Putin, Merkel, Modi goes FAR beyond what we face in Pakistan it's just that masses in the West are more politically and socially mature and we must address the issue to make sure Pakistan gets politically mature to have a political dialogue.
What seems to be a Realistic Demand?
We cannot demand exploited, poverty-ridden, uneducated, and politically immature masses of Pakistan to be responsible and civilized for their choice of words. It is IMPOSSIBLE, they are victims and outcome of exploitation that we see masses express on social media platforms. Expecting a smart political rebuttal still shows up every now and then, which is no less than a miracle, and that gives me hope. .... seriously do you think the masses in Pakistan are capable of civilized social and political arguments? if your answer is Yes, ill be surprised by your judgment and you probably need to spend more time on the streets of any town in Pakistan.
Political Landscape revolves around Personalities rather than Social Issues
Our journalists talk ONLY about personalities and they accept it as a political reality of Pakistan, I don't understand why do they reject abusive language as a social and political reality of Pakistan? Conventional media has not been a smart teacher. Media in Pakistan is incapable of talking about real issues with an intention of educating the masses. Seasoned journalists are incapable of producing well-documented smart intellectual content that is open for the masses and then we expect extremely frustrated and exploited masses to respond in a civilized rational manner. Quality content does not exist in Pakistan, personality-based 'he said, she said' is ALL that happens in political debates, seasoned journalists follow the same ' he said, she said ' approach while glorifying their journalistic careers to gain authenticity, but it does not work in digital age and communication as a major influence, it is only making people more frustrated and masses agitate to what they hear on TV or read in newspapers on social media. It seems to grow fast and conventional media practices don't seem to do much about it. Everyday political and social elites appear on TV defending or cashing on what they said some time ago.
Some Take-Aways
- Understand how the digital age is shaping the world and start planning accordingly.
- Accept the masses as they are, that is a democratic approach. Know your audience.
- Create interesting, progressive, logical, and politically correct content for the masses yourself, IF you want to do something about the abusive trolling online in political arguments there is no way you can expect a change to come by itself.
- Move away from conventional approaches, you will achieve nothing with the conventional approach.
- Try to be flexible while sharing, reading, and writing opinions online.
