There is no doubt that Facebook is the most popular and powerful of all social media platforms. It has surpassed print media like newspapers and electronic media like television. Facebook’s power is immense. It presents new interpretations of significant news to us, and the information spreads worldwide through a simple phone. While it has many positive outcomes, it also has many negative aspects, much like human nature.
Such an easily accessible medium can sometimes make people very narrow-minded and small. In recent mass uprisings, this social media has played the most crucial role. This medium is also operated by a network. When the network is shut down, its power increases further. Breaking free from machine-to-machine connections, it transforms into a human form and comes out into the open. Its anger and pain then unite with others on the streets. This phone is equipped with a very powerful camera. Unlike older cameras, it can capture photos and videos in any place, in any light, even in minimal light. So, not only words or expressions of thought, but a single image or video can give birth to a vast idea or rebellion.
In the world’s major revolutions and mass uprisings, there is an exciting moment. That moment is sometimes prolonged, sometimes short. The outward manifestation of that moment occurs through an old power. During this time, power shifts to the people. Law and order situations become unstable and invisible. This is what happened in the recent student-led mass uprising. Some people have severely undermined the grandeur of such a chaotic uprising. This immediate excitement is natural. But if it spreads and establishes a new dominance, then one must pause. When authoritarianism becomes preoccupied with earning money or violating the rights of others, people remember the previous regime and become fearful. The eternal protest of people is against the authoritarianism that gives birth to corruption, seizure, and human rights violations.
It is with great sorrow that we observe a new kind of trauma being inflicted upon the very places in society where our values and respect have been firmly established for a long time. This is most visible in the realm of education. Students have forced teachers to resign. While it cannot be denied that some teachers are indeed not student-friendly, there are appropriate ways to protest. But resorting to physical force and humiliation is hardly considered acceptable. Despite repeated assurances from those in charge of governing the state, the reality is far from it; a place where no one’s authority holds sway.
The freedom of expression on Facebook, which is guided by human thought and conscience, is also becoming an outlet for hatred towards others, escalating to human rights violations. It seems to have become a platform for anyone to write anything without considering the harm caused to others, the damage to their dignity, or the potential for widespread societal harm. This harmful freedom has given rise to other harmful tendencies, such as filing frivolous lawsuits with hundreds of defendants. While such lawsuits might be a way to express anger, the accused often get acquitted with ease.
Should we not remember that a mass uprising is not an opportunity to express our personal grievances? Yet, this is exactly what is happening on Facebook and in the courts. A terrifying manifestation of this can be seen in social behavior. Old customs, such as extortion, have resurfaced, but with new faces. Post-revolution, we witnessed a decrease in the prices of essential commodities, street vendors breathed a sigh of relief, and everyone from rickshaw pullers to bus and truck drivers rejoiced at the end of extortion. However, with the passage of time, these tendencies have resurfaced in a very ugly manner. It’s as if history is repeating itself.
Extortion, a common practice in our subcontinent, operates under the guise of political patronage. Countless individuals are involved in this illicit activity, extorting vast sums of money from hardworking people to enrich themselves and their parties. They maintain control through various coercive measures. With every change in power, a new party takes over and repeats the same cycle. This extorted money is often linked to the cost of goods and transportation, ultimately burdening the common people. When factions arise within the ruling party or leadership crises occur, internal conflicts escalate to violence and even murder.
Beyond extortion, there is a more serious issue: the control over state resources. Political powers seize control of government-owned land, forests, hills, and rivers. Deforestation, once initiated under political patronage, continues to this day. Rivers have been encroached upon, and their banks are now lined with buildings, residences, and shops, destroying navigability and permanently altering the landscape. Mountain cutting has become a common practice. While there may be temporary pauses after changes in government, these activities resume once a new administration takes office.
When natural resources like rivers, hills, and forests come under state ownership, political parties consider them their personal property. This has led to the loss of numerous state assets. Over time, those who have seized these resources are perceived as their rightful owners. To protect these natural resources, particularly forests and hills, there are indigenous communities who have lived in harmony with the land for centuries. They consider the earth their mother and the rivers their sisters. The areas where they reside are their sacred spaces. However, corrupt officials from the forest department have been working to displace these people for a long time. By filing numerous cases, these indigenous people have been harassed and forced not only to leave their homes but also their country. Many indigenous people from Haluaghat in Mymensingh to Sherpur have been compelled to migrate to Meghalaya in India.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts was once entirely their homeland. They protected the mountains, forests, and rivers. But during the construction of the Kaptai Dam in the 1960s, they were displaced. Their homes, livestock, schools, and even the Chacma king’s palace were submerged under the dam’s waters. These displaced people received little to no compensation. Many lived miserable lives, while others were forced to flee their homeland. At the root of all this is political authoritarianism.
Any mass uprising seeks to completely destroy political authoritarianism. But negative human tendencies become an obstacle. The ideals of the French Revolution were liberty, equality, and fraternity. In other words, it also spoke of equality. When the monarchy fell in 1789 with these objectives, chaos could not be prevented. Various personal grievances were expressed, many major incidents occurred, and this chaos persisted for a long time, leading to the rise of Napoleon. The same happened in our country after the Liberation War. After the country gained independence, on one hand, there was the joy of freedom and the pain of losing loved ones, and on the other, the looting by intolerant and criminal elements. This trend could not be stopped later either. On the one hand, patriotic and honest citizens led difficult lives, while on the other, criminals flourished overnight.
During various regimes, new types of nouveau riche emerged. New opportunities for looting arose. And people have also learned about the smuggling of this looted money abroad. These incidents are rarely found on Facebook; rather, personal grievances become the main focus. The use of social media is essential in any social movement. But we must ensure that it remains social, not personal.
