The linked psychology of communication and community: social media's psychological effects on religious politics and social environment
In today’s modern world, one cannot isolate the impact of social media from any sphere of our lives. Whether they are our personal, developmental, cultural, industrial, social, political or religious forces at play, social media has become a channel to connect people and affect them in many ways. If we particularly take a closer look at the context of contemporary India, it is obvious that the nation is under the constant sway of religious-political forces that also dictate the social tolerance and status of individuals in the Indian community. As the country tries to adapt to the constant changes in sentiments of different communities, social media on the other hand plays a major role in influencing the psyche of these communities as a whole, and has become a platform for the unchecked, unfiltered and constant sharing of strong personal views as well as publicly opposing or supporting such views.
Social media is undeniably the most powerful tool of influence in creating and changing our opinions about ongoing trends and issues. It acts as a “news-service” for the delivery and exchange of information on the latest sensational themes and debates. For more context, the social media platforms that are the most effective in these areas are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, My Space, YouTube, etc. The human mind is highly sensitive and vulnerable to the information it sees and hears in terms of imbibing it as a subconscious or conscious thought, even as a fact. However, what people often interpret incorrectly is the entire underlying context of the issue and the true basis of claims that they perceive. A 28 year old man was found responsible for a shoot-out at a pizza shop in Washington D.C. Upon investigation by the police, he said that he intended to just rescue the children he thought were captured there. It was found that the shootout was triggered because the soft-spoken common man assumed that there was a child-trafficking ring operating from the shop as its base, with some involvement of the then presidential candidate, Hilary Clinton; all due to the fake news that was spread on social media regarding the pizza shop.
In relation to this, social media can be looked at as a one-way communication platform; in the sense that people and organizations can communicate a stance or an experience subjective to them, however individuals that perceive them on the other end fail to create a collectivist perspective of such bits of information. A tainted or biased piece of information or perspective communicated via such platforms can have a major impact by either offending people or by swaying public opinion to extremes, while making social and religious intolerance more prevalent between such opposing extremes. For example, recently Twitter had to take down a tweet upon the demand of the government. It was shared by director Leena Manimekalai, promoting her film Kaali, through an image of the Hindu goddess Kaali smoking a cigarette. This started a nationwide debate on the wrongful portrayal of the Hindu divinity and led to backlash for films (like Adipurush) released thereafter, with Hindu religious or mythological themes. Such volatility of community or organizational sentiments is hence, only fueled further by the unfiltered and non-wholistic exposure to information on social media, especially on platforms like twitter, facebook, etc.
To elaborate on the direct connection between social media and religious-political intolerance between organizations and communities, let us pick up the burning issue of the crisis surrounding the hijab laws (unique to the Islamic religion). The hijab is a head-scarf worn by the women of the Muslim community/ Islamic women. There has been a recent uprising of debates globally, on the very significance of wearing a hijab since the women of Iran (Islamic nation) started their protests against the government and state to remove the legal compulsions of wearing a hijab, and their demands to have amendments made to their fundamental rights, constitutionally and socially. There are two sides to every coin, as there is to this issue. The mentions of the hijab in the Quran and the Hadith (religious texts of the Muslims) have varying interpretations as well as misinterpretations among people and scholars, and across the internet. Some believe that there are holes in the very narratives of these texts and that the accounts of their teachings have been heavily manipulated in history. Secondly, since time-in-memorial, the muslim men have been seen abusing their assumed power over women through many Islamic rituals and practices like the “tripple talaak”, “halaala” and even the use of the hijab and other garments as a method of oppressing women and controlling their bodily autonomy. Women who believe in the hijab as well have been told differing narratives over decades; ones where wearing of the hijab is only a method of showing reverence to Allah, however this is an obligatory show of love for the God by the debatable interpretations of the Islamic law. The psyches of the women of islam have been manipulated so far that at this stage, it is impossible to truly understand what are the right sentiments to maintain in this situation and what is the truth behind the sayings of Islam and its religious texts.
In a covert domino effect inspired by social media surges on the issue, recently the Karnataka government banned the wearing of hijabs in educational institutions that require a uniform dress code for all its students. This led to many individuals taking to platforms like twitter and facebook while expressing their approval or disapproval regarding the ban and hence, polarizing the masses. There are many Muslim women who themselves are protesting the ban without realizing three important factors considered while executing this decision: a) the uniform for any institution is the same for all students of all religions irrespective of their religion (except for sikh men who are mandatorily required to wear turbans on their head, without which they cannot be considered a sikh at all); b) the concept of hijab, in itself, at no point has been said to be “compulsory” or “mandatory” for a Muslim woman to remain Muslim, in any of the Islamic religious texts; c) The hijab has globally become a symbol of oppression to many Muslim women who have been curbed by the Muslim men to dress and act only a certain way, or they’ll be threatened with other oppressive islamic practices. The protests in Iran remain on-going as reported by incoming social media posts, and the awareness continues to spread. There has also been a constant promotion of free choice to observe or reject wearing the hijab or similar garments all over Instagram and other social media platforms in the name of equality, freedom, womens’ empowerment and feminism. Social media platforms, throughout this open controversy, have played a major role in constantly shifting the opinions of the masses as well as the fundamental perspectives of people on this issue.
Finally, one can only conclude that neither is wearing the hijab a mark of freedom if it isn’t worn for the right reasons (wanting to express your love and reverence to Allah on your own prerogative), nor is it compulsory and can be used to oppress women’s freedom by telling them that they share responsibility for “encouraging” assault and molesters by defaulting on the “dress code,” and their right to bodily autonomy. However, the amount of turmoil and confusion and extremes of opinions created by social media has left people with too many questions and too little answers. This has also lead to an overall gap in the major Hindu and Muslim populations of the country by creating controversial impressions of one religion to another.
Via this example, one can clearly observe how social media plays an immense role in not just shifting and changing opinions and perspectives but also creating them. We are prey to whatever we see on social media and knowing that everyone has access to the same information you do, forces you to have an opinion of your own, while often, it may be an uninformed one. While having an opinion on pressing social issues and current affairs is a good thing, one must learn to truly make the best and most appropriate use of social media. The influx of information on social media is so vast that it is impossible to get the complete picture of an issue from just two or three trending posts by extreme perspective holders. One must quite literally learn to ‘read in between the lines’ of what they see on social media and must go the extra mile to check out the facts, opinions and perspectives they see online, and get a holistic perspective on things, if they wish to have an opinion on it. This will not only help people have a fair and balanced view on these social issues but also encourage tolerance and understanding of differing opinions and help you inform others better and with more surety. Secondly, verifying and sharing verified information only on social media will help eliminate fake news and information. This is important because once people form certain paradigms, stereotypes and biases due to the heavy influence of social media, it is often very hard to change them.
Improving the content quality and reliability of social media, and a better understanding of how to individually perceive such information can bridge massive gaps of communication and understanding between people, communities, religions, and even nations. By attempting to be good social media samaritans, we can promote peace, non-toxicity, equality, social and religious tolerance, and prevent offense to any races, religions or communities. The key to using social media isn’t staying informed and opinionated, it is to be able to stay aware and open minded.
References:
https://www.scobserver.in/cases/hijab-ban-karnataka-educational-institutions/
https://www.marubeni.com/en/research/potomac/backnumber/19.html
Date: 25th October, 2022.
About the Author:
Co-head of Psychology Creative Column,
Psychology Committee of SDSOS, NMIMS.
Anushkaa Prabhu is a student in her second year pursuing B.Sc. Applied Psychology. Her main interests lie in artistic fields like dance, music, painting/sketching, etc., where she has won major accolades for Indian classical and folk dance, internationally. Undoubtedly, these interests include the pleasures of writing short essays and poetry. The author found her passion for writing at the very beginning of the infamous Covid-19 pandemic and continues to enjoy the freedom of expression and the depth to emotions that literature and language can provide.
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