Need to curb social media debated

SHILLONG, AUG 3: Meghalaya labour minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said that the virtual world of the online media has an important role to play in terms of modern communication but it also has a flipside to it as lots of negative and unfounded information can be circulated through this medium.

Lyngdoh who was speaking as the chief guest at a panel discussion on the theme: “Emergence of online media: Its impact on society & governance” organized to mark the completion of one year of the www.ohmeghalaya.com website at Asian Confluence on Saturday however said that the theme is a pertinent topic to be discussed and everyone is aware of the pros and cons of virtual platforms which has both the positive as well as the negative sides.

Lyngdoh said she was sure that a panel discussion of this nature can lend valuable learning experiences and valuable suggestions to the government in particular on how to go about tackling problems that emerges from virtual network.

The panelists consisted of former home minister and now the Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU) vice chancellor RG Lyngdoh as the moderator, Meghalaya IT Commissioner & Secretary DP Wahlang, Indian Express special correspondent Samudra Gupta Kashyap, The North East Today (TNT) Editor-in-Chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya  Deb Barma and former Planning Commission member and World Development Forum CEO Harsh  Shrivastava.

Earlier the news, information and tourism website’s editor Tilak Rai explained as to how the www.ohmeghalaya.com website was born as a convergence of professional journalists and IT skills of educated but unemployed youths. He said the educated, unemployed youths who had IT skills are now gainfully employed.

The five member panelists discussed and debated the pros and cons of the virtual world, its advantages and disadvantages and influence of social media like the Facebook and Twitter.

Some of the panelists felt that there was a need to regulate the social media while others said that the governments all over the world have failed to curbed social media.

Students, government officials, businessmen and IT professionals were among the crowd were part of the audience who had come to listen to the experts speaking about the emergence of online media. – By Our Reporter