by C.L.C.M.Patabendige
Published on 17th & 18th November 2022, 04th International Research Symposium on Social Sciences & Humanities - IRSSSHS 2022
Social media plays an indisputable role in the lives of individuals. It has become a platform of dialogue resulting public participation in politics. This was depicted during the "Aragalaya 2022" that happened during the economic crisis of Sri Lanka. This leads to the question of whether social media is always presenting the true motive of users. It is imperative to mention that social media is a platform for freedom of expression and publication, subject to restriction. Therefore, legal authorities should not arbitrarily curtail these rights unconstitutionally. The research problem is whether social media discipline is practised by the users. The paper attempts to reach objectives of ascertaining the purposes of social media, resultant effects, gaps, loopholes in social media usage and how to instil social media discipline. The research is qualitative and has used a mixed method. An online survey of 100 participants has contributed to the research findings. researcher has enabled anonymity. As per the findings in the research, respondents admitted that there is a clear doubt about the truthfulness of information circulated in social media; the respondents admitted that there is a challenge to determine a fact from what is fake. These issues have risen as users magnify the situation, falsify, and alter the content A considerable number of respondents, especially content creators said that they wanted more likes and views. Another set of respondents justified their act of magnifying the issue to make the public understand the gravity of the problem. It clear that social media, if used commendably and effectively can create healthy dialogue, resulting in effective communication. The steppingstone to achieve truth and debunk fake information is to instill media discipline by developing a sense of accountability in users of social media and showcasing them their undeniable role in engaging in constructive criticism.
Keywords: media discipline, public opinion, social media
* Ms. Charani Patabendige is a Research Assistant and Acting Research Analyst at the Institute of National Security Studies, the premier think tank for the Ministry of Defence Sri Lanka. She is presently reading for MPhil/ PhD in Law. She holds a Bachelor of Laws degree with a second-class and an Advanced Diploma in Transitional Justice from Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies with a Distinction Pass.