Over seven decades ago, freedom fighters gained independence from the British Raj and a new nation arose: India. Today, the whole world has been wrapped into a digital dictatorship. Editor-in-Chief, Amar D. Gupta, delves into the parallels between modern-day social media pervasion and historical oppression by the East India Company and the British Raj.

There was a similar chant uttered by our freedom fighters over seven decades ago and the result was a rising nation, India. Not the “social media” part, of course.

On a scale of haves and have-nots, India, whose heritage was repeatedly looted by foreign invaders, was transformed from a flourishing nation to a country where a majority of the population was in poverty and lacked basic amenities.

Taking affairs into their own hands, some from the same population rose to end this misery. The result is history.

In more recent times, there is another form of proverbial dictatorship that most of us, including people in India, are facing. The irony is that we voluntarily accept this on a daily basis.

Consider this: what is your daily routine?

Wake up, pick up your smartphone, and jump on the mega information highway, the internet, using various models of social media. Yes, the likes of Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, X, … to start our daily ritual of swiping through news about our next-door neighbors, the whole neighborhood, and eventually around the world.

And, why not? It’s all free and makes for the perfect social currency of on-demand information at a party or the office, right? Wrong. 

By interacting with social media for free, we pay a never-ending tab in other ways. From the time you so much as utter a word, type a request, or view information on someone else, you are providing the insatiable tech giants with data they can analyze and eventually predict your life. At times, even your next move before you have even thought of it.

When you decide to get a social media app, or any app for that matter, a user agreement pops up and you cannot move forward without accepting it to its entirety. 

This is the new digital currency – that’s you, me, and everyone who lives on and uses the connected world. We do it without guilt and for free in most cases. A strong internet connection is a pseudo-fundamental right at this point. But the question arises: Who is paying the bills to keep the lights on for our ‘digital freedom?’ It’s the tech industry. How do they make money? It’s us — the users!

You are the currency providing the revenue that builds the stock value of the not-so-free tech and social media moguls. Remember The East India Company?

British Raj and The East India Company used similar methods in the last century to lure the upper strata of Indian society towards the modern comforts of English life … English language, studies, cars, western clothes, food and etiquette, industrial development, the list is endless. Lured by the comforts, the upper strata started surrendering their wealth, giving up their culture and heritage willingly. Yet, they were still treated as pawns in the hands of the EIC and the Englishmen.

Then came the oppression of the British Raj – forcing the lower strata to give in or give up. They were made to serve every whim of anyone associated with the British. They were forced to join the British Army and use ammunition which was forbidden by their religion. There are many such instances where the British were controlling the lives of Indians against their will.

Today the same can be said about the internet and social media technology.

The value of a company is based on how many active users it holds, defining how much data and influence the company can provide to respective parties.

The conversations between friends, relatives, and businesses, that are supposedly private, are passing through someone’s infrastructure and those things don’t come cheap. Think about it. Why would these tech juggernauts offer such infrastructure for free to you?

These so-called proponents of freedom of speech and expression are the biggest invasive proverbial ‘dictators’ that “Aam Janta” should be vary of.

You are free to share updates at will… images, videos, locations, even emotions and thoughts. That is then converted into big data keeping tabs on every move you make – buying patterns, travel, thought processes, movies you watch, news you follow, health conditions, financial conditions, relationships, or breakups… the list is never-ending. The resulting data is digital gold. Companies, politicians, governments, and your next-door neighbor, all want a share of it. The best part? “Aam Janta” has already agreed to this before they even get started with their digital exploration.

Don’t get me wrong. There are always two sides to a coin. Social media is a great tool to express and impress, reach out to people far and near, and archive your life. But think about how much is too much. It’s your life and you have a right to be in control.

Revisiting the Indian pre-independence era, social media follows a similar model. Give someone so much to play with, they fall for it without a second thought. Then start taking away from them while they stay awed by all that’s out there to explore. It’s the evolved form of a Trojan Horse strategy, if you will.

In today’s world, independence is a rare commodity that people fail to save. Not understanding the consequences of sharing too much of your life is a peril that could easily land you in the dark era of virtual slavery. Let’s take this one instance: Uploading a video with a message? Someone with ulterior motives can easily repurpose that same video with very different messaging, completely contradictory to your original talk. Yes, it’s possible. Thank you, deepfakes.

It’s never too late to be vigilant. There are options to protect what’s yours. After seven decades, it seems like it’s time to rise again and take control. It’s time to protect your peace and independence.

Happy Independence Day, India!

 

Images from Adobe Stock and Vansh A. Gupta/Siliconeer.