MoeMaKa June 29 2022
Cruel killing and the impact of the social media era
A video of killing a woman from Magway has been spreading across the social media. It is assumed as murder motivated by political grudge. At the moment, it is not clear to ascertain which side had committed this murder and who would be the responsible person or group as there is insufficient data and evidence knowing this case.
It is seen in the posts of people using social media expressing that it could be distressing and terrifying to the viewers because the video was closely recorded about a woman being cruelly beheaded and the voices were clearly heard.
In armed conflicts, there are casualties on both sides during the battle almost every day. It is estimated that the number will be around 30-50 daily in the current condition of Myanmar. It may be more than that on some days and it is estimated that at least 20 to 30 people were killed in armed conflict on normal days. This is the numbers of armed people on both sides and there are also unarmed civilians killed. Some of them are killed for allegedly supporting the military or the opposition without proper justification.
Baseless allegations and lawless murder of unarmed people who are not involved in the conflict are happening and committed from both side. It is called something like “operation-annihilation” and justified as getting rid of enemy’s informants and spies.
It is true that there have been records from the past of previous military’s army committing cruel murders in civil wars lasting for decades. During the Myanmar Socialist Party Regime called “Masala dictatorship”, when ethnic armed groups and the Masala army fought during the civil war, there were stories of soldiers eating fried internal organs after cutting the chests of arrested enemies with feelings of hatred and death of their comrades.
This was the dark side and cruelty of war. At that time, there were difficulties recording videos and sound and it was not easy to distribute them to the public like today’s internet age. Although cruelty truly occurred during the past armed civil war, there was no mobile phone in the hands of everybody as in this social media era so there was no recording and distribution.
It is becoming habitual to spread recordings of cruelties of war and assassination to a specific person or in private groups or in public on social media. In accessing the purpose of spreading such recordings of cruelties, murders and assassinations by the perpetrator, it may be to stimulate or spread intimedation with political purpose. It might have intention to organize their supporters, to frighten supporters of the other side and to get help and support from by-standers and so on. There may be copy-cat actions by the viewers as a consequence of spreading across social media, or it may cause encouragement to continue committing similar offenses when the viewers give comments or support.
As for social media platforms, although there are policies like community standards, they can’t properly monitor photos, voices and words of the most viewed posts daily and in some cases, the owners of platform companies may also keep double standards on such posting which we cannot know.
In conclusion of these facts, cruelty exists in every era of armed conflict. But in the social media era, the recordings of those cruelties, enjoining and supporting such cruelties and stimulating them to commit again may be thought as the dark side effects of the social media era.
It is important to be aware of incidents like the one in that video may occur weekly or monthly in one place or another in Myanmar. Everyone in our society has a responsibility to stop the causes of such killings.