‘Community building online comes with both opportunities, challenges'
Community building online offers unique opportunities for connecting with people, but it also has challenges. While digital spaces allow like-minded individuals to unite, they often foster echo chambers and polarised views. To build healthier online communities, it is essential to focus on shared goals, empathy, and constructive dialogue, said students of Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) during a panel discussion organised here as a part of The Hindu Huddle on Campus on Tuesday.
The students were in conversation with Narayan Lakshman, Curator, The Hindu Huddle, and Opinion Editor, The Hindu, on 'The Age of Politics and Polarisation: What does taking a balanced and nuanced stand mean today?' Sadhya Padmanabhan said that in the past, people could opt out of global discussions and remain neutral, informed only locally.
Today, widespread access to smartphones and social media exposes everyone — especially youth — to global happenings, often pressuring them to form opinions. She added that social media had made it difficult to grow or change opinions without being labelled a hypocrite. With past views publicly broadcast, individuals feel pressured to align with group beliefs. Identity is now closely tied to in-group stances, limiting open expression, learning, and the ability to evolve perspectives, she added.
According to Samyuktha Vijay, politics today extends beyond elections and policies, focusing on emotional appeal and identity. To gain support, parties tap into personal beliefs, leading to polarisation. Everyday choices are now political, reflecting how deeply politics has intertwined with individual identity and personal values. She also said the COVID-19 pandemic was a major turning point globally. and it reshaped geopolitics, accelerated China's rise, and altered India's regional role. Rather than uniting the world, the pandemic exposed deep polarisation.
Rohan Krishnan said social media enabled the formation of communities and amplified polarised views and political parties tapped into these divided crowds, especially engaging youth. According to him, COVID-19 got the entire world together for the first time and a lot of people developed sympathy for someone so far away. He also said though technology enabled community-building, many modern online communities lacked inclusivity and fostered echo chambers.
Shreenath Nair said the reach of politics had expanded and would keep expanding. He also highlighted the role of social media in geopolitics reaching a larger public. Building meaningful communities involved introspecting personal privileges, and empathising with the struggles of others. Acknowledging biases helps create more inclusive, solution-focused communities that foster understanding and positive change, he added.
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