Abstract
The world in the 21st century is the world full of virtual reality and social media. India is the second-largest country as per the population. Here every third person using the smartphone, which means they are active on social media’s several platforms. They share the content on it daily for showing their appearance in the virtual world and try to influence others with their views. Still, at the same time, they also get affected by the content available on it where the problem arises for the govt to safeguard national security. Social media is the cheapest way to access and has a tremendous reach in very little time with the unaccountability of anyone, which puts India’s national security into the danger zone. Almost everyone indeed accesses social media easily. Still, they are not aware of what kind of information is accurate and false, so Indian security forces facing a massive problem in this context. So, it completely changes the nature of national security because any incident that took place in the physical world has some linkage with social media. So, the Government must deal with this problem in a very detailed manner, but the Government, instead of making a full plan to deal with the problem, just shut down the Internet at the time problem. We have the total number of the shutdown of the Internet in India is 349 out of which 180 times in Jammu and Kashmir itself, which is not the solution to the problem. Instead of solving the problem, it acts as ghee in the fire, which makes it worse. Indian Government released the report, which cites that 80% of crimes nowadays happing because the social media and not having a proper solution to deal with it. Google also find out that in India, more than 72% of youth believe that whatever is placed in social media is real and played an essential role in making their daily basis decision regarding any issue. Data from the National Crime Record Bureau and Ministry of Home Affairs shows that after 2012, the crime rate increase due to social media platforms. It thoroughly brainwashed the youth’s mind and radicalized them towards any issue. So, the Government must have to deal with the problem properly; otherwise, we will face a massive problem due to the meme culture of social media and content and post and stories. Youth, most of the time, spend on it through games and sharing the content of funny jokes meme, but it has some more impact.
Keywords: – Social Media, youth, national security, Internet Shutdown, security agency, online radicalization
Introduction
“Youth being enthusiastic valuable, vibrant, innovative, and dynamic is the most important section of the population. Youth shows strong passion, motivation, and willpower, which also make them the most human resource for fostering the economic, cultural, and political development of a nation. The size of its youth population determines a country’s ability and potential for growth. Their role in building the defence capability of a nation is unquestionably prima una. The energy and passion of the youth, if utilized properly, can bring huge positive change to society and progress to the nation. Youth is the creative digital innovators in their communities and participate as active citizens, eager to positively contribute to sustainable development. “This section of the population needs to be harnessed, motivated, skilled, and streamlined properly to bring rapid progress for a country.”
But at the same time, this particular section of society is more volatile, victim, and preparative towards violence in which society they live. If this section doesn’t get proper care and attention, then they can become a threat to national integrity and union. So, the Government has to engage youth in an appropriate direction, save them from catching to the anti-establishment, terrorist organization.
Traditionally, whoever comes under the range of adolescence to middle age is known as young or part of the youth population. There is no universal definition of youth. Every single nation and global body try to define the youth according to society. According to the UN who come between the range age group 15 to 24 is youth. In India. The National Youth Policy of the 2003 term that from the age of 13-35 will be youth. Then, National Youth Policy, which came into 2014 again, modified the time ‘youth’ as persons in the age-group of 15-29 years. In the report’ youth in India’, the Government of INDIA again altered the age group and adopted a new age group, which includes people from the age of 15-34 years as a youth.
India shares more than 17% share of the world population. India is the second-largest country in terms of people after China. As per India’s Census 2011, Out of the total population, India has a 19.1 % youth population, which is expected to rise at the level of 34.51% population of the entire world population.
India’s internet users expected to register double-digit growth to reach 627 million in 2019, driven by rapid internet growth in rural areas, market research agency Kantar IMRB Wednesday said.
Social media and social networking sites differ from each other, but people use both the term interchangeably and misunderstand in their meanings.
Social media denotes the platform based on the Internet, which is the product of the Web 2.0 Revolution. They allow people to create and share information and ideas with virtual world friends. Social media is mainly an application-based service in which people have to download that application on their mobile phone and use it.
Social networking sites are an online platform that allows the user to create their profile and connect with people. Social networking sites also show suggestions to connect with people who all have their profiles on websites.
With the ease of access to the Internet, social media also get so many active users in India, and the number is getting high every single day as the data shown of Investopedia.com Facebook has 241 million active users in India. WhatsApp has crossed more than 400 million monthly active users in India. NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant revealed the stats at an event in New Delhi. Google-owned YouTube on Tuesday announced that India was its most significant and fastest-growing audience in the world, with more than 265 million monthly active users. “India is now both our biggest audience and one of our fastest-growing audiences in the world. YouTube today has become the first stop for users to consume content, whether they’re looking for entertainment or information,” said Susan Wojcicki, YouTube’s CEO, at the company’s annual flagship event “Brandcast.” India has 71 million active users of Instagram.
The twitter‘s quarterly monthly active user (MAU) count rose 9 million to reach 330 million from the previous quarter, while analysts on average had expected 318.8 million, a loss of 2.2 million users, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.
Social media and Internal Security
People use all social media and social networking sites for entertainment purposes, along with the recreational method. The first social media platform which comes into existence is the SIX DEGREE platform, which was on the theory of “six degree of separation” given by Kevin Bacon. It is created on the belief that every human being has six sides of personality, so he communicates with others in six different ways.
In 2004, Web 2.0 came across a revolution when Facebook is introduced and in the real sense in 2006 when Facebook remove some basics terms and conditions for being a member of the Facebook community.
People use such a platform for sharing information and ideas in pictorial, videos, animations, and text methods. People try to influence others with their thought and views by putting their ideas, beliefs, and opinion about events, objects, etc.… At the same time, people also see other opinions and advice on social media and maybe or may not get influenced by the content of social media.
People in their first prima believe in the things and content which they find on social media, and along with it, they share it with friends without checking the source and truthiness of the story.
In India, we have so many examples and cases that took place just due to social media. The first example I will discuss Nirbhya case. In 2012 a medical student was going back to her home from her college in the late night. She faced the brutal gang rape on a moving bus and died. This horrific incident filled the people with anger, but social media played a significant role in bringing them together and organized a protest against this heinous system. People use the social media platform to coordinate and circulate information about the incident.
People get mobilized and come together in a vast number on the streets of Delhi about Delhi Police. The Government didn’t have any idea so wholly unprepared to deal with the situation. Thus, the Delhi government faces a massive problem in dealing with the situation.
In Bangalore, an unclad situation took place in July-August 2012 in which more than 5 thousand North-East people start leaving the city after the circulation of the message with false information and pictures. This situation came after the incident of ASSAM in which Bodo Indigenous people burned the house of Muslims and compelled to move from the region. Some wrong elements of society took the benefit of this situation and sent more than 20,000 false messages to people.
In response to dealing with situation Government fix the limit of sending messages in a single day. A person cannot send more than 300 messages in a single day. But the Government is not ready to deal with the situation in the first instance.
In 2013 also one more video came on social media, which is posted from Muzaffar, Uttar Pradesh, by a right-wing person. In the video, two Muslim boys were brutally tortured by the people due to his religion. This video adds the fuel to Muzaffar riot and starts some communal tension all over the country. It is an old video that is picturized in Pakistan and doesn’t have any connection with the land.
People start condemning the Government and police system for not dealing with the situation and question the capability and capacity of operation.
On the date of the 5th august 2019 Parliament of India revoke article 370 and article 35A, which shows a considerable polarisation and disturbance of law and order situation in the society. The Government for controlling the situation shut down the Internet in Jammu & Kashmir but real problem seen in the mainland. People start criticizing the people of J&K for not supporting the Government and begin using the abusing term against the people and calling them a terrorist.
Such a move and action of people work as push factors and help the neighbor state to use for personal interest and mobilize the particular group against the nation.
Another example we have is the Pulwama attack, which took place on February 14, 2019, in Sri Nagar. A group of CRPF personnel shifted from Kashmir to Jammu by Bus via National Highway. Near the Pulwama, a van came, which is full of RDX, and a blast took place. More than 40 CRPF personnel died in a single incident. It is a highly brutal attack that took place against the security forces.
This attack completely changed the scenario of the country. This event divided the whole nation into two groups one “We are Burhan Wani” (some Kashmiri Youth) and “they are terrorists” (Remain people of the country). It feeds both sides against each other.
People start blaming each other without understanding the problem and show their anger against each other. Some incidents took place in the country where people attacked Kashmiri Youth by calling them Terrorists and relatives of the terrorist.
Social media and National Security
Social media influenced not only the internal security of the county but also national security in a very more extensive domain. Social media changed or influenced national security through radicalization and spreading the rumors regarding the decisions of the state.
It works from both sides like push and pulls factors of the event. As we discussed, Kashmir Situation earlier is come into the national security domain also. Like Burhan Wani, who is Commander of Hizbul Mujahidin Terrorist organization working in Jammu & Kashmir with the Support of Pakistan. This Terrorist group is active in J&K from a very more extended period. They get all the necessary support from Pakistan. So, it comes under cross border terrorism also as they are getting help from the neighbor state.
Burhan Wani is known as the Social media commander and Poster Hero of Jammu & Kashmir. He is so famous among the youth of the state. He becomes the hero and Ideal for the people of Jammu & Kashmir. Everyone wants to become like him and wear the dress of militant organization and share the picture with weapons.
Pakistan uses him as an attractive tool or weapon for radicalizing the youth of Jammu & Kashmir. They also soot some video in which how the Government of India is trying to suppress the Muslim.
When Indian forces killed the Burhan Wani 2016, it brings solidarity in youth, and the massive number of people come on the streets for supporting the Burhan Wani’s martyrdom and declared him as a freedom fighter of the Jammu and Kashmir.
This whole incident sees a large number of people who start supporting Pakistan due to the narrative available on social media created by Pakistan.
Kerala also becomes the victim of social media. Form Kerala more than 100 people who went to join ISIS in the middle east are radicalized due to social media itself.
Kerala slowing becomes an entry gate for ISIS in India and which poses a more significant challenge to National Security. It becomes possible for ISIS to get a place in a state which is wholly educated, and people have a reasonable employment rate just because of social media. As NIA reported that more than 300 videos and clipped, which were shared on WhatsApp and telegram, are related to the ISIS propaganda video in Kerala. People use to share such information on social media for influencing others.
Director-General of Police Jammu & Kashmir Dalbir Singh tells in his public speech that Pakistan is using the social media for radicalizing the youth and recruitment process. Data of the Indian army show that as many as 191 Kashmiri youths joined the militancy in the year of 2018 alone, which is higher than the number of 2017.
Social media and Government Response
The Government of India to deal with the problem of social media focused on one thing mostly. Government of India, whenever feel there is any problem or situation which can get worse, they shut down the Internet.
According to Internet Shutdown, In India, as many as 357 times, the Internet is shut down. Out of which 134 times in the year of 2018 itself. So, the Government thinks that once they shut down the Internet, the problem will get over. It is not true because social media doesn’t create a challenge itself. It is just a tool or means of communication for scaling high the problem in different parts of the country.
In Kashmir, 180 times the Internet is shut down by the authority to control the situation, but it makes the problem much more laborious and difficult to understand. People understand that the Internet shut down means something is going to happen, so they come on the street and start procession and movement against security forces.
In the North East region, this system is getting felled because once the Indian side’s Internet gets shutdown. People have two connections or sim. So, they start using the context or sim of a neighbouring country. So, they just put that sim in their phone and start using it. It demands cooperation in both countries so action can comprehensively take place.
In the year of 2015 Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India announced that they would create a multi-task agency which will work for 24/7 to check the all social media platform for stopping online recruitments. As the Singapore Model, the Indian Government also created a group of 150 maulanas for spreading the positive side of the Government of India along with providing the right image of the system. This group is mainly deal with stopping rumours regarding the danger zone of Islam and preventing the youth from getting radicalized.
Law enforcement agencies across the globe are using a superior form of ‘Open source Intelligence’ to engage, collate analysis, predict scenarios i.e., Social media intelligence (SOCMINT) social networks online and offline and establish relationships and predict incidents.
Nowadays, all over the world law enforcement agencies are using a superior form of ‘Open source Intelligence’ to engage, collate, analyse, and predict scenarios, i.e., Social media intelligence (SOCMINT). Social network analysis includes the study of organization in online and offline mode so you can create a comprehensive understanding of the problem.
Conclusion
Social media take an essential place in individual life, and it influences day to day life everyone. People use social media as a reliable source. More than 90% of the youth of India use social media in their day to day life. Pakistan uses social media as a tool to create fear among Muslims about their existence in India. Pakistan Provide moral support, logistic, and financial support to the terrorist organization with the help of Social media. The Government of India is still behind in the task of using social media in a full-fledged manner for promoting the integrity and unity of the country.
References
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• Pandalai, Shruti. (2016). The Social media Challenge to National Security: Impact and Opportunity. Delhi: IDSA
• Jayakumar, Shashi (Ed.). (2019). Terrorism, Radicalisation & Countering Violent Extremism Practical Considerations & Concerns. Palgrave Pivot
• Behr, Ines V., Reding, A., … (2013). Radicalisation in the Digital Era. Europe: RAND Publication
