Recently, actor Akshay Kumar shared
an incident where his little daughter came across an objectionable content
while playing an online game. The news was covered extensively in the media as
a case for cyber awareness and cybercrime. But everyone knows that merely
“awareness” is not enough, and the situation is only going to be worse with
time.
Long ago, when I started using the
internet, I came to understand that the internet was an ideal platform for
people not accepted by the society. People looking for nudity, selling illegal
drugs, defaming religions and insulting gods and revered figures, bullying, all
which they could not do in real life, they were able to do so on the
internet-based platforms. We come across so much negativity on the internet and
we cannot just ignore everything saying, “it is only virtual”. Internet is not
safe, and no one is doing enough to make it so.
The primary role of keeping the
internet safe is on the internet-based platforms. Unfortunately, all sort of
recklessness from these platforms is excused in the name of calling such
companies “tech startups”. It is high time government should make it mandatory
for all companies running these platforms to be registered and being under
regulation for their practices and systems. It will benefit everyone in the
tech ecosystem too.
The second role is with the
government. They must stop seeing internet as a “virtual” media but need to
regulate every aspect of the online world in the same manner as the physical
businesses are regulated. Without government playing its role honestly, nothing
can be achieved.
If we look at common worker class
people like taxi and auto drivers, security guards, labourers, carpenters, etc,
they spend most of their idle time at their work watching small videos on their
smartphones. They are not even paying attention to what they are watching but
are just glued to the screen as if they are worshipping God or meditating. Very
often we see pedestrians and people on the roads, totally lost in their
smartphone screens, as if they are all in meditation. The situation is only
going worse with time.
I believe one thing fuelling the
online world is “cheap data”. Telecoms have come up with around Rs 250 per
month recharge and give users enough data to waste whole day, along with
limitless phone calls which has made all taxi drivers become ‘phone-zombies’.
The world is increasingly resembling a scene from some science fiction film,
because of such robotic, zombie like people lost in their phones due to cheap
data.
I was thinking if there were ways to
change this situation. One theoretical idea was to make the telecoms increase
the data prices, so that the monthly recharges needed for limitless data
increases to a limit which starts pinching people. Higher cost will reduce
demand, and people will start spending more time in real life. But, as
individual customers, we are not empowered enough to influence the telecoms
into raising prices. Government can certainly do that, but I am not sure if
they are interested.
At the same time, there is need for
public awareness campaigns about “digital minimalism” and for promoting offline
alternatives like books, and community events.
Given the present situation in our
country, where government is promoting digitization instead of discouraging it,
the road towards my ideal world is yet to take shape. Perhaps the developed
Western countries can take a lead in encouraging digital minimalism and
maximizing real world social interactions, to show the world a way forward.
- Rahul
