Social media can make or break governments

Irrespective of  the merits or demerits of the possible fallouts of regime change in Nepal last week following mass protests and violence, it provides a window of opportunity for every country, especially in the global south,  to reinitiate the discourse on regulation of social media platforms. 
As the 13-hour power cut triggered  Sri Lanka’s Aragalaya of 2022 which led to the toppling of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government on a subsequent anti-corruption campaign, it was the ban on 26 social media platforms that served as the trigger for Nepali protests and the resultant resignation of Prime minister K.P Sharma Oli’s government on September 9, similarly on an anti-corruption campaign. 
In fact, the Oli government did not initially want to ban any social media platforms; rather,  it wanted to regulate them through registering them with the relevant state authorities. The Gen Z or the “demographic cohort” born between 1997 and 2012 in the country also did not oppose the government’s move to regulate the platforms, whatever the real motive of the government was. Despite several platforms agreeing to it, 26 platforms did not fall in line with the government, resulting in it banning them on September 4. It was then that the youth, especially the Gen Z went crazy. 
The refusal to register by  Western tech companies is an indication of the power they wield against small states. Would they have responded to a similar call by a powerful Western country? 
Should a government regulate social media is a question discussed across the world since the dawn of the new millennium. The answer is undoubtedly “yes.” From an abstract point of view, there should not be any obstacle for social media as it is the tool that represents the highest degree of freedom of expression with the widest participation. It also has served as the communicator, campaigner and the organiser of the people oppressed by the despots. Arab Spring, Sri Lanka’s Aragalaya, recent protests in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nepal are cases in point. 
Besides, these platforms now have become communication tools for education, business and industries. In fact, there is something called digital economy. The outreach of social media extended to far-flung rural areas and other less accessible areas during  COVID 19, in the form of online classes, work from home and many other services. With the advent of social media, the time when the mothers waited years to see the faces of their sons or daughters who went abroad for employment has  passed into history. Now, fathers play with their kids staying thousands of miles apart, thanks especially to Whatsapp. Also, social media caters to politicians and social as well as religious groups to sell their ideas not just regionally, but globally. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has multiplied such advantages.
Yet, this is only one side of the story. Social media has also become the most dangerous enemy of  human qualities and virtues such as compassion, kindness, selflessness, altruism, and a commitment to others’ well-being. It ruins the dignity and reputations of respected individuals. It disseminates fake news, hate speech, disinformation and misinformation. It incites communal hatred. It helps fraudsters to cheat innocent and unsuspecting individuals. Trolling is one of the major evils  in social media, especially against women and weaker sections of  society with or without any justifiable reasons. With the ever-widening usage of AI, these disadvantages too, have taken a dangerous turn. 
Hence,   social media needed to be controlled or regulated in a manner which ensures that all its plus points are safeguarded. However, governments can stifle freedom of expression of the people hiding behind this need. Sri Lanka’s Online Safety Act which was enacted in January last year was opposed by Opposition parties and  tech companies on these grounds, particularly on the grounds that the controlling authority, the five-member Online Safety Commission which is appointed by the President, is in turn controlled by its appointing authority. 
Leaders of countries must understand that they cannot suffocate social media without harming the national interest as well as their own interests. Besides, they cannot bar these services completely so long as alternative avenues such as virtual private network (VPN) exist. The most prudent way to minimise the harm brought about by  social media is to regulate them, based on a wide discourse with all stakeholders.

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