Flex boards depicting wise monkeys that have appeared in several parts of the state have caught the public's attention for their message and their anonymity. No one knows who put up the boards.
Published Dec 30, 2024 | 8:08 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 30, 2024 | 8:08 PM
Flex boards advocating responsible social; media use have come up in several parts of the state.
The ‘three wise monkeys’ have suddenly and silently popped up in Andhra Pradesh, advocating responsible use of social media.
The monkeys, made popular by Mahatma Gandhi, have now brought a fourth companion, exhorting social media users to “post no evil.”
Flex boards depicting wise monkeys that have appeared in several parts of the state have caught the public’s attention for their message and their anonymity. No one knows who put up the boards.
However, the timing is appropriate. Social media content in Andhra Pradesh has descended to deplorable depths over the past five years.
The anonymous agency might have felt the three monkeys could connect with the people immediately as they were popular in the Mahatma’s crusade for upholding the truth.
The fourth monkey exhorts against posting evil.
The campaign wants only truth to be conveyed to the people and nip fake news — detrimental to society — in the bud.
The huge flex posters and banners at vantage positions along highways are attracting the attention of the people who have of late come to loathe social media as it has content that crosses all limits of decency and delves deep into the realms of obscenity and vulgarity.
Ahead of the recent Assembly elections in the state, social media had an overload of content that was not only derogatory but also outright objectionable and reprehensible. The victims of the content on social media included even the family members of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, and Deputy Chief Minister and actor Pawan Kalyan.
According to Home Minister V Anita, the posts about her were so indecent and obscene that she had flinched at the thought of sending them to the police to take action against the culprits.
To cleanse the social media space, the anonymous agency has undertaken a campaign to sanitise the medium which has immense power in influencing people. While people are curious about who is behind this campaign aimed at ushering in a salubrious social media the agency continues to remain behind the curtains.
According to indications, the agency that is spearheading the campaign wants to rope in celebrities to add more star power to make social media more responsible. It is not clear which celebrities they are planning to rope in, but they are going to appear on flex posters in the state, appealing to people to cleanse the system that has become so sullied warranting drastic action.
Those who are behind this initiative want to remain in the shadows until the campaign catches on and kicks off the transformation. The effort to clean up social media slush seems to be striking a chord with people who want genuine news to be presented to them on social media.
(Edited by Majnu Babu)
