The power of the Taliban and social media

 If we look closely, social media has played a very important role in this victory of the Taliban.  My analysis may be wrong but you read and decide if I am wrong?

 There was no social media trend when 9/11 happened.  At that time the internet was very slow.  DSL did not even exist for the public.  Mobile phones were in T-9 format.  Our biggest fun was playing the little games in it and that time was good in that people were attached to the book and we didn't enter the "Age of Information".

At that time, it was easy to control the narrative.  There was counting media.  Radio, TV and newspapers, it didn't take long to control them.  All this was very easy in Pakistan.  Read General Shahid Aziz's book in which he mentions Musharraf's takeover and explains how his teams controlled the Pakistani media.  This was the situation all over the world.  Controlling the media, making statements and brainstorming was not so difficult.

Those who think that social media started from Facebook are also wrong.  Facebook has certainly introduced innovation in social media, but before Facebook, the popular Google platform was Orkut, then there was a website called MySpace, there were chat rooms for different messengers.  However, after the advent of Facebook, everything was blurred and then soon lost in the dust of time.  Now, seven or eight years after 9/11, the United States is advancing rapidly, a "democratic government" has been established in Afghanistan, and the United States is buzzing around the world.  The Taliban are the worst terrorist creatures in the world.  War on Terror is on its way and naming the Taliban is a crime, speaking for them is an unforgivable crime.

 This is the beginning of the second era of social media, in which everyone has access to DSL.  It is the era of 2G and 3G and Pakistan and the world is moving towards Android and iPhone in mobile phones.

 According to reports, the Taliban had understood the weapon of social media from here and first they used to spread their news under anonymous names and then they started spreading their news with names.  This was unbearable for the traditional media, but they may not have understood it long ago and as a result the Afghan Taliban have established a strong network in Russia, Qatar and even Europe and Canada.  This is supported by the few arrests that took place in 2015 and then, although they were released due to lack of evidence, they were monitored.

 The Taliban then used Twitter, Facebook and even Instagram.  Not only that, but they used social media around the world, including social media apps from Russia and China.  It is clear that these apps have played a key role in exposing the Taliban's rhetoric and in dispelling the anti-Taliban atmosphere that was created by the Western media.  From here, he and his supporters responded to every blow from the traditional media.  The traditional media used to sell statements by making lies, making villains, the Taliban network in response not only issued denials but also released evidence that the news was false.  Then things started to get worse when negotiations started in Qatar.  Before the US sold its statement in the market, the Taliban kept presenting their position and statement and now the Taliban understood that the US was defeated, they would accept it and therefore despite repeated requests from the US, the Taliban  The Taliban continued to advance rapidly after the US military in Afghanistan suffocated and fled due to the ineffective use of social media.

 The Taliban made it clear from their internet network that we are the winners.  This wind was spreading all over Afghanistan and it was affecting the Afghan people as well.  At the same time, the media around the world, the people knew what was happening in Afghanistan and the traditional media was no longer a source of information but a social media source.  As soon as their footsteps were fixed on him, first peace and then immediate justice and then the news of it spread like wildfire through his network all over the world.  Therefore, when they made the final march towards Kabul, the morale of the Afghan forces was completely depleted and the results are astonishing.

 Even today, as soon as the Western media leaves Darfatni, the Taliban denies it.  The Western media is still showing its traditional duplicity.  They have shown their hypocrisy.  But with the Taliban's network and goodwill, the Taliban themselves have now come to the fore, so it is not only immediately refuted, but also told where the news actually came from and whether or not it was edited.  Has happened  The Taliban have made announcements in their recent press conference that the media has freedom of action, but it must show the truth.  What's wrong with that?  What is the job of the press?  Reporting based on facts, presenting your point of view with the facts, which is called analysis, conveying the facts to the people, but it is not the job of the media to advance one's statement and dance like a puppet.  ۔  That is why the reputation of the media has declined and the popularity of social media has increased.  How much lies are sold on social media, this is a separate article.

 It is also important to write a very important point here.  The Taliban must now understand the global world and its requirements.  They have to differentiate between Sharia and Afghan traditions.  It now seems that the Taliban have "improved", but the other side of the coin is that the Taliban are doing all this "perhaps" because the world is accepting them and there is fear.  That after acceptance they will go back to their way.  Therefore, the Taliban will have to take a fine line.  It has been proven that they cannot stay away from the world for long and the social media which has played a key role in their victory can also be a threat to them.  No matter how many bans the Taliban impose, a fact-based tweet, a Facebook post can destroy their entire reputation.  If Russia and China are not able to stop the flood of social media with all their technology and the news comes out from there and then becomes a topic of discussion all over the world, then the Taliban will not be able to stop.  So the promises they are making, the reconstruction hopes they are giving, they must keep their word.

 I personally think that if it weren't for social media today, the Taliban might still be villains today.  If it weren't for the villains, they probably wouldn't be heroes.  The US president does not have to explain his withdrawal in a defeated tone, and the world believes that the US, by upholding democracy in Afghanistan, has saved Afghans from ancient barbarism and established peace there.  The Taliban understood the power of social media in a timely manner, worked on it effectively and then overwhelmed.