The Andhra Pradesh High Court has recently pulled up the US headquartered social media giant Twitter for not complying with its orders to take down abusive content against the judiciary on its platform which amounts to contempt of court. It was told in no uncertain terms that it will have to abide by extant laws in India or ship out pronto. Entities like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc have become a law unto themselves and are huge influencers of public opinion.
Though many social media platforms were used for good during the last two waves of Covid when people posted appeals for beds, oxygen, medicines, ambulances and provisions it is of late being increasingly used as a means to amplify hate and bigotry by malcontent. The negativism is very difficult to get a grip on, owing to the 'virtual' nature of the medium which guarantees tremendous anonymity to mischief mongers. People must exercise caution while posting or reacting to anything on social media. A fire can be used to light the hearth but it can also be used to burn down the house.
