Earthquke in Delhi: WhatsApp viral picture and the truth behind the messages forwarded on social media
A message has gone viral on the popular messaging app WhatsApp that claims of NASA having predicted a high-magnitude earthquake in the Delhi-NCR area between 7th and 15th April. The message further tells more details and describes cybercity Gurugram as the epicentre of the earthquake. While all of us have received such messages at least once, there always looms a doubt around the authenticity of such forwarded messages.
The advent of social media has made a plethora of information available to us instantly. On a single click. Messages, and with them Information reaches us almost instantly from our friends and family. Often it happens that the source of the information is unknown to us. Ignoring this fundamental fact, many of us fall prey to the non-verified story and take the message as if it were true. Many of us even forward the same message to our contacts without realizing the repercussions of the sent message. The vicious cycle goes on and on, taking a story to thousands, sometimes even millions, that has no base to it.
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Of the innumerable apps we use for the exchange of feelings and information, WhatsApp has secured a very special place in our lives. Almost, all of the Indian smartphone users use the app for messaging as it has become quintessential to the messaging culture in India and world over.
Although there are many good things that can be attributed to the app, there are the bad ones as well. Each one of us, who has ever used the app has received or probably still receives forwarded messages that claim various sorts of truths, most of us have never heard before.
The problem needs to be addressed on an urgent basis for the issue of fake stories doing rounds in our society harms all of us as a society. There is a need to inculcate in common people the sense as to how the internet and social media work. As of now, the power of media is being exploited by the people who handle the media and the politicians equally. In a country as diverse as ours, often fringe elements of the society use the social media as a tool to get their hatred propagated and their agendas spread. However, taking cognizance of the matter, WhatsApp is coming with an update to put a check on the forwarded messages. The update will notify a receiver if a message has been forwarded to him.
First published: 21 March 2018, 18:44 IST
