M’aider

The French expression, i.e., the title of this article, is more popularly read and known as May Day, the distress signal call. For the last 2 weeks, at least, this has been the call all across Social Media platforms where users are either posting their urgent pleas for help or assisting someone to deal with their dire situation.

We are currently in the eye of the storm as the COVID 2nd wave ravages India. This write-up is not to ascertain what may have caused it. Instead, this is a short piece to acknowledge the role of Social Media users in coalescing resources for those in need and continuously attempting to provide for the needy. At this stage, it is also vital to highlight the platform responsibilities.

In this write-up, I make suggestions to streamline this ongoing user effort, which can be considered by the Social Media platforms now in India and under such circumstances anywhere in the world appearing in the future.

Of the People, by the People, for the People: Since the beginning of this ongoing situation in India, Twitter and WhatsApp have turned into the new SOS centers, providing access to information and providing contacts to people in need. In this collapse of traditional systems, Social Media users had inadvertently (at least initially) taken it upon themselves to help people crying for help. Once this coming together on Social Media had some success, people started to methodically use the platforms for posting their urgent requests, and those able to assist began ‘closing the cases.’

There have been several just-in-time assistance that has been provided, thereby saving lives across India. This may also be the very first time that the positive potential and possibility which Social Media brought to us has been put to use at such a scale and effect. It’s a glorious example for demonstrating assistance of the People, by the People, for the People! Users are doing their bit and are highly dependent on these platforms; therefore, it is contingent on the Social Media platforms to also play their role in assisting the people and the government.

Amplification Cascade: Many influencers have been using their access and their legions of followers to amplify the needs of others. In many cases, these are total strangers, and in many others, such assistance has transcended political divisions. This speaks highly of the cultural ethos of the Indian community culture, and this must be highlighted.

As influencers have been this elite club (the blue tick club), they inadvertently are also followed by several other influencers. So as soon as a tweet is posted, other influencers pick them up, thereby magnifying or amplifying the request even further. This ‘positive herding’ has helped substantially and must continue.

However, it does highlight one particular disadvantage of Social Media. In the ‘conformist echo chambers’ of Social Media, users end up following other like-minded users (more so in the case of influencers who command authority over their followers). This automatically excludes many others (non-followers) who may either need help but didn’t get it or those who may have been able to help but couldn’t as they didn’t come to know of the urgency timely enough.

To mitigate this blindsiding of potentially needy or helpers, one suggestion for the Social Media platforms could be to immediately create Pandemic War Rooms/Dashboards using their substantial data gathering and analyzing capabilities targeting specifically at the impacted areas.

Release common messages on Twitter and WhatsApp to all the users, clearly marking the impact area. Disseminate specifically to everyone searching for an impact area and issues therein, say on Twitter. Artificial intelligence capabilities used to market products can also be used effectively to deal with such a crisis. Such open access may allow many more users to come forward and assist.

This is the kind of message which can use the Goebbels Propaganda theory to good effect. Repetition doesn’t just turn half lies into truth. Remember that repetition of truth can also turn the same into the Gospel truth and highlight the need! In a crisis, this can reverberate across society and save lives.

For example, use this capability for all users to see such information on their timelines while learning instantly on the ‘how’ to amplify. Make sure such messaging is culturally appropriate and in those languages. Share this information on a War scale and widely so that users (including influencers) can quickly adapt and streamline their efforts.

This may save a lot of time and optimize the ongoing effort of Social Media users today and in the future in similar crisis anywhere in the world. There have been some efforts to streamline all information available, but has been done by random groups or individuals. However, this may best be run top-down as all data access and analysis is available with the platforms on a real-time basis.

Continuously analyzing the trend of influencers and their impact in real-time also opens the possibilities for some of these most active influencers to amplify such messages to all users thereby requesting help that reaches far and wide. This will allow the stress calls to reach every nook and corner within the impact zone, and assistance may arrive sooner.

Dominance and Speed: Twitter has become the platform of choice in making urgent requests and attempting to amplify for finding solutions. Twitter is presenting the urgent requests and the assistance at extraordinary speeds. With each assistance, a lot more information and hope are being witnessed by users, which feeds further tweet amplifications and also brings WhatsApp sharing into the picture.

WhatsApp has been the platform where information is being shared widely across groups. The new details originating from WhatsApp then feeds Twitter in real-time, thereby completing the information loop. Twitter utilizes its influencer dominance and speed, while WhatsApp uses sheer speed and a much higher interconnected userbase.

Both these platforms are on the frontlines primarily because the rate at which information is shared is phenomenal. However, with this comes the problem related to misinformation and disinformation, which I discuss below.

Contagion: We are acutely aware of the misinformation and disinformation which can spread widely on Social Media. Even though on regular days, the impact may not be significant primarily due to ongoing awareness campaigns against fake news. But in a real-time life and death situation, such dissemination can result in distractions wasting valuable time. The problem of Infodemic aggravates the pandemic’s impact, so to contain this is an absolute need of the hour.

The information blitzkrieg reflects the prevailing anxiety, yet an uncontrolled deluge of information ends up mixing useful information with not so valuable data, rendering it unusable. This is dangerous, especially in the ongoing pandemic surge.

The Platforms have the responsibility in this regard too. Round-the-clock fact check should generally be running concerning reporting on COVID 19 and more specifically targeted at the impact area and the associated information/news sharing. Such fact check needs to be bolstered in an emergency situation.

The platforms must collaborate with agencies operating on a real-time basis and assist in governance processes without torpedoing them. The fact check teams must remain activated 24x7, assisting medical authorities and other necessary institutions essential in maintaining the health and safety of the population impacted. These proactive checks may also allow ‘which’ kinds of messages to amplify or not.

Another problem being observed today is the unfiltered and unverified information flows. The idea of anonymity, which has been the hallmark of Social Media, has been a significant casualty as the contagion of the pandemic rages. Telephone numbers, patient information are flying thick and fast, being shared unfiltered, liberally, and openly. Of course, in a crisis, protecting anonymity or privacy is the least of the concerns.

Still this sudden loss of anonymity during this period may have implications, especially in the hands of mischievous people. Add to it the problem of verification. As the urgencies and solutions appeared speedily, several shared information datasets started turning stale quickly. This meant that the proposed solution wasn’t available within hours, if not minutes.

This led to users marking the solutions verified with a date and time stamp to comfort the potential receivers on the validity of such information. This only demonstrates the need for the platforms to pitch in and clean after filtering and verification. For example, all messages can also be date stamped by the platforms in the same manner as has been done by Twitter marking fake news and by WhatsApp marking ‘forwarded message’. This date stamping will allow users to focus on recent information rather than waste time sifting through old information.

In such emergency situations, streamlining of information metrics be made active by using the right hashtags and influencers. This has inadvertently happened in some past emergencies (#ouverteporte after the Paris attacks in 2015, for example), contributing to calm the affected population’s anxiety. Even though short-duration emergencies can be run by users, platform responsibility becomes critical in a more prolonged crisis.

Platforms must actively assist the government and the people under stress to help them in optimizing the usage of their medium in their hour of need. Government systems realize the power of Social Media and can surely assist the platforms in building such collaborative and privacy-protecting fact-check system infrastructure quickly. Connectivity is saving lives right now, and platforms must help streamline the information flow to be more effective for the benefit of the society, whose media they claim to represent.

Even though Twitter is leading the effort, WhatsApp groups are also attempting to assist by sharing information non-stop. Yet, the closed nature of most of such family/friend groups, with no particular check and balance, allows the misinformation to be shared unhindered.

This, again, instead of assisting someone in need, results in amplifying wrong information wasting precious moments. As I wrote above, WhatsApp and Twitter seem to be feeding each other (with clearly more information flows from Twitter because of its global connectivity than closed WhatsApp groups).

Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, and Twitter must come together to institute a mechanism where the common information being shared on those platforms interchangeably can be continually fact-checked while being shared unhindered to assist people in crisis.

Triage- Since the Napoleonic age, militaries have been practicing sorting out their casualties between those who may need immediate assistance and those who may not require close attention at the time.

As individuals looking for guarantees of the lives of their loved ones on Social media, any sliver of hope is enough to pursue. Users are also looking for the amplification of their needs on this medium. The anxiety is to secure the best for our loved ones, which is indeed logical.

Platforms can also assist by providing regular and specific information to all in the impacted area. For example, information dissemination such as ‘when’ a hospital admission is required should be vetted by the government’s medical systems and frequently shared by the platforms with all users related to the impact area.

With the government’s help, platforms must collate all the hospital data including on bed, oxygen availability etc.. This information should then be shared with all and be available on a real-time basis. The platforms must take this responsibility, rather than only some good samaritan handles or groups. This will not only consolidate the issues but will also significantly assist the government. The same could be organized for all pharmacies, oxygen producers and distributors, etc., and the platforms should take the responsibility to help the government in collating real-time information.

Civilized connected society- The society is currently using every tool at its command to fight this scourge. Yes, politicking is on, but we must also know that complaining can be done once we see this through. Left-wing and right-wing are all helping each other out. People realize that political rhetoric from any side can’t save lives; only oxygen can!

Thus, let’s give trolls from all sides a break. There is really no time or resource to waste on this. Besides, there is no civility in celebrating any death. None! Whether it’s a political leader’s son or a news anchor. This Virus spares no one! Our response must also be the same, protect all or else we will all lose!

Even though Social Media users have been assisting their brethren substantially, and this effort must continue, let’s spare a thought for those who may not have the know-how or access to such informal digital mechanisms in operation.

It is now pretty clear that access to such mediums have increased survival chances for many, which several others in the country don’t have the luxury or tools to access. The digital and connectivity divide during this catastrophe has become a factor in who lives or perishes! But even though the going is tough, with all-around pooling of resources and collaboration, we shall prevail!