mid day editorial: Think twice before you press forward button

The Nipah virus is naturally creating anxiety in the country with deaths being reported in Kerala. There is a frisson of panic creeping through the city as social media is rife with claims and counter claims about the virus.
It is inevitable that news about Nipah will travel faster than light in this day and age. It is also perhaps an unfortunate byproduct of our times that a lot of this news will fall in the 'not verified' category. There will be rumours and there will be conjecture swirling like fierce winds. The oxygen for this will no doubt be social media and word of mouth.

While social media is a double pronged weapon, useful for information, but also a deadly tool to spread misinformation, we must warn people to not believe everything they read or hear on social media about the virus.Instead, while reading, ask yourself whether it sounds true or fake. Most of all, weigh all this before you press that forward button to all your WhatsApp groups. Do think about the ramifications of a mindless forward. While you may think that it was just a harmless forward, think about what ten such forwards could do and the panic they could build.

When things appear on social media, they get magnified because there are discussions, reactions and opinions. Instead of this, seek out educated, enlightened reports on reputed medical websites. Read about the cause, carrier and care from credible sources, which are also aplenty. It is important to be aware, but make that distinction between educated and alarmist. What we can do is to be alert, informed, wise and practice restraint. Responsible reaction, and caution before impulsive action is within the power of an individual. Help the doctors with this antidote to anxiety that can spiral into hysteria.

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