Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday called social media a “very powerful medium,” adding that how to hold it accountable is a “very valid question” and that an ecosystem is being built around the world, and also in India. According to the Union Minister of Railways, Communication, and Electronics and Information Technology, self-regulation is the first step toward holding social media accountable, followed by industry regulation and then government regulations.
“Social media is a very powerful medium. Social media has a big influence on our lives. How to make it accountable has become a very valid question across the globe. All across the globe, countries, and societies are moving in the direction of making social media accountable,” he said while interacting with media persons on the sideline of a program. Queried on ways to make social media accountable, the minister said the first step is self-regulation. “Any such content that creates a harmful impact on society should be removed. Next comes industry regulation, and thereafter the government regulation,” he added. “Everywhere across the globe and even in our country, an ecosystem, a thought process, is being created to make social media accountable,” Vaishnaw said after interacting with the startups and students at Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII).
He also emphasized the need for a “fair system” in which the content creator receives his dues when social media platforms such as Facebook profit from sharing it. A person who works hard to create content should benefit and share in the revenue if social media platforms such as Facebook benefit, he believes. “Such a way of thinking is also gaining traction,” the minister added.
