Fact-check Media Contents

Sujan Silwal

Among many evolutions Nepal has recently witnessed, the digital evolution has come out comparatively rapidly. Increasing globalisation, skyrocketing technological advancement, and intertwined information-sharing systems could be attributed to the astronomical surge in the development and expansion of the digital landscape in Nepal.

Presently, it is very common to see people ubiquitously using the internet and figuring out new information on politics, economics, and academics regularly, despite geographical isolation or economic standing in society. The internet has truly served as a means for people to express their unique ideas and perspectives on a wide range of topics. From politicians full-fledged campaigning their political ideologies during election time to a victim of social issues expressing their harrowing tales, the digital landscape has become a lifeline for people to bank on, far and wide.

Due to a lack of complete accuracy and reliability of social media platforms, the experiences of people, both good and bad, shared in them cannot always be gauged effortlessly and readily, as the encounters and events shared by an anonymous user could very well be a hoax, luring people into sharing fabricated news driven primarily by financial gain or popularity. Many misconstrued theories and discriminatory ideas have been spreading on such platforms like a wildfire, targeting the most vulnerable members of society and tarnishing the images of people online. 

Nepal is not insulated from the ecosystem of misinformation and disinformation plaguing the world in recent times. Many, particularly youth, have grown to prominence overnight through their widespread videos, wherein they sometimes appear uncanny in their act of drawing attention, while other times preposterous, causing havoc in society. Take, for instance, Ashika Tamang, a social activist turned politician, who gained name and fame and became a talk of the town before receiving overwhelming votes in the recently concluded election from Dhading. 

One cannot infer her electoral success without mentioning the positive impacts of the videos she had been making before entering national politics. By contrast, multiple Nepali nationals who had gone abroad in search of a livelihood got apprehended by the UAE authorities after they were found sharing what seemed to be a military aircraft in the sky on Facebook. These two examples, while contradictory, represent how volatile the social media landscape truly is. For Ashika, it was a key to becoming a well-liked figure, but for those migrants, it was a bane, a thorn in their side.

These examples, as vital as they are, only serve as a tip of the iceberg, as a growing number of people have been able to receive long-neglected economic support, social inclusion, and judicial relief. As such, many victims of heinous crimes have also been able to come to the fore to raise their silenced voices, share their suppressed stories, and get social justice. Many such inspirational stories become headlines in the media, but there also lies a propensity for character assassination of popular figures without empirical evidence to support the stated accusations online. 

Propelled obsessively by online fame and revenge against individuals, many, regardless of gender, opt for ruthless mudslinging and severe defamation, causing unprecedented damage and, by extension, enabling the sugar-coated stories to float online. Online scams have mushroomed, and scammers have increased with the accessibility of the internet. It is vital to ensure that digital awareness reaches even the most internet-susceptible people living in the remotest parts of the country. In order to digitalise Nepal effectively by including every citizen, the government, civil society members, stakeholders, and digital users have a significant role to play.