Security agencies have revealed a new trend of using social media to glorify separatists and terrorists among some youth in the Kashmir Valley. The reason behind this is not an ideological commitment, but a well-planned strategy to increase followers and to earn money from advertisers. Let us tell you that Srinagar Police is making every effort to monitor the social media site to compete with fundamentalism. The Srinagar police came to know about this trend when he detained some youths joining such an account.
During interrogation, the youths admitted that the use of inflammatory photos- such as the banned Hizbul Mujahideen’s killed terrorist Burhan Wani- was a well-planned strategy to achieve a large basis of followers. The youths said that with this they could later be able to earn money from advertisers on their social media account and earning money from it. Officials said that after acquiring a large number of followers, especially the border and abroad, the account operators used to replace these photographs with photographs like mountains or chinar trees.
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Officials said that this emerging trend could be worrisome, as it can make it difficult to recognize the difference between political opposition, fierce elements and names and people wishing to earn money. While the police is committed to increase their surveillance and take strict action against those taking advantage of sensitive security situations for personal benefits, efforts are being made to the families to convince the families about what will affect the future of their children. Officials said that seven children detained by the police recently were released by consulting their parents.
Officials believe that the objective behind the social media influencer using inflammatory photographs in the Kashmir Valley is economic. In the digital world, while the earnings from content have become a new goal, likes, shares and earnings have brought things into a vague scope. Officials said that most of these influencers depend on the brand partnership on the social media platform, where they either promote products or include them in their content. According to the two major influencers working on three social platforms, the model of revenue-sharing remains unclear despite the blue-tick verification system.
An influencer, requesting to keep the name secret, described the process as “unclear” and said that factors that determine the frequency and amount of payment remain mystery. Understanding how social media mood works, the investigation of the use of separatist images by young Kashmiris to increase followers highlights a deeper and more complex story of the modern digital economy. If seen, the competition to become online celebrity is often associated with the purpose of mudification. A process that is sometimes easy or not necessarily guaranteed.
Monetization is a combination of direct advertising income, subscription, and brand deals on a large platform like Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, which have their own rules and obstacles. At the same time, it is necessary to have a professional account for another social media forum, in which 10,000 followers and materials should be seen for a thousand minutes within 60 days. Therefore, using inflammatory content to increase the number of followers in Kashmir seems to be a direct result of this unstable digital economy.