बहकिएको बहस

कुरो सामाजिक सञ्जालकै हो। गत साता एउटा कुरामा सामाजिक सञ्जाल अझ भनौं ट्विटरमा अप्रिय बहस, अनावश्यक ध्रुवीकरण र कित्ताकाट भयो। विवाद २ जनाबाट शुरू भयो जसलाई म चिन्छु र सम्मान गर्छु ।

विनु सुवेदीले काठमाडौंको कुनै स्कुलले छोरीको भर्ना फारममा बाबुको फोटो टाँस्नै पर्ने र बाबुकै आम्दानीको स्रोत खुलेको कागज हुनुपर्ने बाध्यात्मक व्यवस्थाको विरोध गरेकी थिइन् ।

त्यसलाई डाक्टर र लेखक रामेश कोइरालाले बकम्फुसे कुरा भनिदिनुभयो र रंग हेरेर नुहाउन दिएनन् वा वर्ण हेरेर चिया ख्वाएनन् भने झैं सार्वजनिक खपतको लागि मात्र भनिएको झैँ अर्थ लाग्ने गरी ट्विट गर्नुभयो।

त्यसपछि पक्ष र विपक्षमा बहसले तीव्र रफ्तार समात्यो। शायद ट्विटरमा भिडेरमात्र पार नलाग्ने ठानेर होला, रामेशले एउटा ब्लग  नै लेख्नुभयो।

त्यसको प्रतिउत्तरमा फेरि विनु सुवेदीको लेख बाह्रखरीमा छापियो।

यो बहसमा मलाई उदेक लागेको कुरा के हो भने तथ्यमा धेरैजना गएकै थिएनन्। विनुको पक्षमा बोल्नेहरूले रामेशलाई पितृसत्तावादी, महिलाबिरोधी, महिला अधिकार विरोधी आदि भनिरहे भने विनुलाई त डलरवादी, अधिकारवादी, ह्यानत्यान, अपाच्य गाली नै पनि ‌ओकल्न भ्याए।

तर प्रश्नको चुरो कुरो के थियो भने १ कक्षामा भर्ना गर्दा नै बाबुको फोटो टाँस्नुपर्ने बाध्यता गराउने विद्यालय कुन हो? त्यत्तिकैमा डिएभी स्कुलको फारम आयो जहाँ आमाबाबु दुवैको फोटो टाँस्नुपर्ने बाध्यात्मक छ। तर यसलाई डाक्टर रामेशले पनि एउटा भारतीय विद्यालय भनेर नजरअन्दाज गरिदिनुभयो। तर त्यो भारतीय विद्यालय त यहीँ जावलाखेलमा रहेको, नेपाली विद्यार्थीलाई नेपाली पाठ्यक्रम नै पढाउने विद्यालय पो हो त।

म सधैँ भन्ने गर्छु व्यक्तिको लागि लोकतन्त्र वा प्रजातन्त्र भनेको समान छनोटको अवसर पनि हो। यस्तोमा त्यो विद्यालयमा यस्तो व्यवस्था छ भने ‘अर्कोमा पढाउ न त, किन निहुँ खोज्नु’ भन्न मिल्दैन। त्यसैले समस्या एउटा मात्रै विद्यालयमा छ भने पनि त्यसलाई सुधार्न लाग्नुपर्छ जुन दिशातर्फ यो बहस जान सकेन।

यो किन भयो? यसका लागि सामाजिक मिडियाको विशेषतामा जानुपर्छ। यसका धेरै फाइदा छँदाछँदै नकारात्मक पक्ष के देखिएको छ भने जब मानिस सामाजिक सञ्जालको बहसमा उत्रिन्छ उसले आफ्नो अडान छोड्दैन। आफ्नो अडान उपयुक्त छैन भन्ने लाग्यो भने पनि उसले सच्याउँदैन, बरू प्रतिरक्षाको लागि अडान झन्झन् कसिलो बनाउँदै जान्छ। यसले गर्दा बहस झन् ध्रुविकृत हुन्छ र व्यक्तिगत अहम् (इगो) को लडाइँको तहमा पुग्छ। ‍

यस्तोमा सत्यतथ्य पत्ता लगाउने सहज बाटो पनि बिर्सिइन्छ। जस्तै माथिकै उदाहरणमा बिनुले पनि विद्यालयहरुको नाम भनेर वहसलाई सही गति दिनसक्थिन्। त्यसो भएको भए यो अनावश्यक र अनुचित प्रावधान सच्याउन विद्यालयहरुलाई बाध्य पार्न सकिन्थ्यो।

अथवा रामेशले पनि सिधै मेन्शन गरेर सोधेर सत्यतथ्य पत्ता लगाउन सक्नुहुन्थ्यो। यसरी एउटा महत्वपूर्ण बहस व्यक्तिगत आरोपप्रत्यारोपमा गएर टुङ्गियो, र एउटा महत्वपूर्ण विषय ओझेल पर्‍यो।

यसका लागि कम्तीमा हामी सबैले सत्यतथ्य पत्ता लगाउने बाटो छँदाछँदै आफ्नो तर्क राखिहाल्ने हतार नगर्दा राम्रो हुन्छ। मैले पढाउँदा वा पत्रकारिताका तालिमहरूमा बर्ट्रान्ड रसेलको एउटा भनाइको सधैँ प्रयोग गर्छु जुन यहाँ पनि सान्दर्भिक देख्छु। उनले भनेका छन् ‘एरिस्टोटलले भने कि पुरुषको भन्दा महिलाका दाँत कम हुन्छन् जबकि उनी २ पटक विवाहित हुन् र आफ्नै श्रीमतीको मुख खोलेर हेरेर यो भनाइलाई पुष्टि गर्ने लेठो गरेनन्।’

तसर्थ सम्भव भएसम्म तथ्यमा प्रवेश गरेर बहस गर्दा सबैलाई राम्रो र बहस पनि उपयोगी हुनसक्छ। अझ पत्रकार वा विचार निर्माताहरुले त यो तर्फ झन् ध्यान दिनुपर्छ।

Scopes of Agenda-setting research in the age of social media

Abstract:

Photo Source: Pixaby

Agenda-setting research has mostly concentrated on Television and touched upon the role of newspapers too. However, after the rise of social media, there is competition between social media and traditional media to influence the public perception. Many times, social media and new media complement each other and other times, they contradict with each other. This article proposes four models for studying agenda-setting research in relation to social media and discusses whether it has really claimed the uncontested scope of television for agenda-setting. The first model invites researches on whether social media, as completely different to traditional media in terms of content generation and audience engagement, can be studied to measure the agenda-setting role of media. This is to say whether public opinion polls, the typical agenda setting research to measure public perception, can be replaced by studying people's expressions in social media. The second model proposes researches on whether Social media are replacing the role of traditional media as agenda-setter to the public. The third is about agenda-building; how social media and traditional media complement or contradict in terms of setting agenda for each other. The Fourth one invites researches on whether the social media are replacing the role of traditional media in terms of influencing public perceptions.

Key Words: Agenda-setting, framing, Social media, television

Download full article from here. 

The article was published in Television Journal of Nepal. Reference to original article:

Kshetri, I. D. 2016. Scopes of agenda-setting research in the age of TV and social media. In Television Journal of Nepal, 1 (2016),  pp. 50-65.

Year of billions for social media

Genre: Music

Origin: South Korea

Medium: Youtube

Viewership: Staggering 1 billion in five months

This is an example of how internet is providing avenues, means and medium for the movement of cultural and media products. Overnight, a little known Korean rapper is a celebrity and his Gangnam style is new sensation in popular culture across the world. More striking is that his relatively unknown culture challenged the dominant English language and pushed teenage heart throb Justien Bieber's music video to second position by a very large margin.

Welcome to Twitter, Mr. Prime Minister

Let me start with a bluntly conclusive argument: Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai's entry into twitter is a welcome move. 

Now, I revisit an event of the past: few days ago, a twitter handle, @BaburamB came into light overnight. This was opened more than a year ago, had a reference to BRB's personal website, had some tweets identical with what he had posted in the website. So, it somehow looked credible. A tweet from the handle asked whether the Prime Minister should step down. In this depressing time of political stalemate, bickering and mudslinging, people in social media started interacting with this handle, expecting that it was genuine account of the Prime Minister Bhattarai. As the interaction went up, himalkhabar.com carried out a news story based on that. 

However, Prime Minister's personal aide Bishwadeep Pandey (@BishwadeepP) came to say that the account is not genuine and Bhattarai is neither in facebook nor in twitter. Not having a presence in social media for the Prime Minister Bhattarai who is (or was) thought to be the bridge between educated middle class and the Maoist party must have been the embarrassing moment. Eventually, we have him on twitter and his account is genuine now.

Gangnam Style Infographic

Interesting infographic on how Gangnam video went viral:

यसरी खोजियो नेपालको पहिलो फेसबुक प्रयोगकर्ता

स्वान्तिनासित अन्तर्वार्ता लिँदै म

ट्वीटरमा एकजनाले राखेको सामान्य प्रश्नले असामान्य खोजतर्फ हामीलाई डोर्यायो ।  प्रश्न थियो नेपालको पहिलो फेसबुक प्रयोगकर्ता को हो?

शुरुमा प्रश्न त्यति महत्वपुर्ण लागेन । तर ट्वीटरमा केही साथीहरुबिच थप बहश हुँदा यो खोज आफैँमा रोचक हुने ठानेपछि अनुसन्धान गर्ने निर्णयमा पुग्यौँ । खासमा हामीले नेपालमै रहेर फेसबुक अकाउन्ट खोलेको व्यक्ति खोजेका थियौँ र यो गार्हो थियो । तर अनुसन्धान विधीमा स्नोबल विधीबाट पनि नमुना छनौट गरी अनुसन्धान गर्न सकिन्छ भन्ने कुरा क्लिक गर्यो । अनि मैले यो विधी अपनाएर कोशिस गर्ने निर्णय गरेँ ।

Unnecessary tags create nuisance to your friends

There are thousands of ways people are using social media like Facebook or Twitter. Certainly, they have good aspects and sadly all are not that good at all! For example, manipulating others’ pictures, using other’s pictures or status without proper credit and unnecessary tags, to name only a few.

In this short write-up, I am talking about tags, which have embarrassed many people and find a reason to hate or not love facebook as much as they could.

Tagging pictures in Facebook

People want their beautiful pictures to be seen by as many people as they can reach. Therefore, even if your friend was in the other side of the Atlantic or was probably sleeping when you were taking pictures, you are tagging him/her in the pictures.

Technologies of Freedom: Social Media

In Nepal or even India and many other developing countries, debates about social media are more focused about their negative impacts i.e. defamation, obscenity, hatred and violence. Rather than discussing about how to make best use of these technologies, people are more worried about how to better control them. In my personal experience, even in some sessions that are designed to make people literate about social media, the debate shifts towards how to restrict them. I have found many people worried about controlling mechanisms even before they start using them!