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There is a world of difference between conventional media like the press, television and radio and the new social media such as Facebook and Twitter. One such difference is that virtually anyone can upload  virtually any image, text or any other material onto internet sites like Facebook. So, the social media looks like the epitome of free expression in comparison to more conventional types which are controlled, managed and often overseen by many people, besides legal restrictions and widely accepted standards that prevent some material from appearing in the press or television.

 On several occasions in recent months, some graphic video clips of utterly inhuman killings of people captured by the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria were posted on Facebook. This sort of material naturally stirs emotions among most people, often making them incredibly angry, frustrated and agitated. While these killings are no doubt motivated by irrational but powerful human emotions, the images generate equally powerful emotions in people who see them.
 

"The social media looks like the epitome of free expression in comparison  to more conventional types which are controlled, managed and often  overseen by many people, besides legal restrictions and widely accepted  standards that prevent some material from appearing in the press or  television."

 It is only about a week ago, another video clip showing the repeated stabbing of a girl by a young man in a clothing store in the suburbs of Colombo  flashed through the Facebook. While the stabbing itself was a display of heightened emotions of a young man; perhaps caused by frustration, disappointment etc., arising out of a failed relationship, the emotional impact of the video on most people who watched it is no doubt highly significant. Many people could not believe their eyes when this youth strapped the girl in the midst of many people before cutting his own throat using the same knife.

 The two examples given above are not exceptions but have become the normal run of things in the social media. While they generate powerful emotions in people who are exposed to them, including many small children who are constantly exposed to such material these days, we can only speculate on their long-term social and psychological impact on different social groups, in particular those who are in their formative years such as young children and adolescents. This is particularly important at a time when traditional agents of socialization such as family and stable and durable networks of social interaction have come under enormous pressure due to mass migration, itinerant work, constant commuting for education, increasing economic pressure etc., entirely consumption-driven modern capitalist economies fuelled by an ever-expanding advertising industry but with little social regulation have given rise to unrealistic aspirations in the young and old not only with respect to consumer goods such as electronic gadgets, clothes and food, but also other forms of gratification such as ideal relationships. Often uprooted from more durable and stable social bonds and networks; many people are left to their own devices in charting their life trajectories in an utterly unreliable, transitory social milieu. While closely-knit  neighbourhoods are virtually dead, chaotic public places like restaurants, pubs and clubs have often taken their place in most urban areas.

 It is reasonable to expect many issues of public order and interpersonal conflict in such an environment. So, the stabbing incident mentioned above is symptomatic of the conditions that are pervasive in many parts of the world, including our own country. While widespread corruption is indicative of the strong urge to earn money at any cost to engage in all forms of consumption, frequent incidents of suicide, murder, theft, sexual abuse, domestic violence and drug and alcohol abuse material are even for conventional media outlets such as the press and TV, let alone social media. Frequent circulation of such graphic material through easily accessible social media does not make people more rational and reasonable but angry, disillusioned and intolerant. These issues do not get sorted out simply by reporting them in the media. If at all, they can become even more pervasive, when more and more people begin to consider them as an inevitable part of social, economic and political life in modern times. On the other hand, many people are disturbed about these developments and do not want to ignore them. Yet, in mostly market-dominated societies, collective action at a State level has become not only more difficult and ineffective but also driven by vested interests and lobbies. Liberals and neo-liberal ideologues want less and less State interference and more and more market intervention.

 It is clear that many politicians in this country today are driven by their own self-interest, and public interest is the last thing they want to even talk about. Since they live off politics, politics is the only source of power and privilege they have. They want people to do whatever they could to make a living and satisfy their diverse needs. Young men and women can run away from the country and do menial work to earn and remit money so that political leaders have foreign exchange to pay for everything, including the luxury vehicles the political leaders use at public expense. Let pavement hawkers occupy pavements driving hapless pedestrians into congested streets. Let school leavers drive three-wheelers that they  can acquire these days with a small deposit, thanks to proliferating financial institutions, so that they do not ask for more desirable jobs. Why bother to clear up the big mess, a task that demands critical thinking and coordinated long-term State interventions, both of which are outside the purview of myopic and often  cynical politicians.

 It is interesting that most Opposition politicians today do not talk about the serious issues and challenges facing the country. For them, it is personalities that matter,  and they want people to invest their future in them. It does not matter whether they have any plans to address problems that people  face on a day-to-day basis, be it healthcare, transport, education, environmental pollution or employment. Yet, it is obvious that people in this country cannot go on with this kind of politics. It is this realization that led many intellectuals, professionals, public servants and civil society groups to launch a campaign for sound national policies to address critical issues in the country. It is hoped that this campaign that was initiated a week or so ago would help change the way the politicians perceive and play their role in public life. This campaign insists that the government should not take ad hoc decisions, but embark upon a programme to develop and implement evidence-based national policies with the help of professionals, State institutions and civil society organizations. People in this country can watch how political parties and politicians respond to this demand in the run-up to the upcoming general elections. Socially responsible media institutions can play a significant role in drawing the attention of politicians to the need to change the way they conduct public affairs in this country. It is encouraging that the President of the country has asked the politicians to do just that.