‘Forward’ as received – here’s a habit in which India has no peer

  • | Sunday | 10th February, 2019

In the days to come, political parties will likely share messages imbued with nationalism, thus increasing their forwardabilty factor. You probably received it from someone who was not in Noida but via a WhatsApp forward, or, more likely, in a group you are a part of. Then, the messaging app had noted that people in India forward "more messages, photos, and videos than any other country in the world".The invention of the forward button has to be the single-biggest reason for the explosion in the flow of information, in India in the 21st century. In an internet universe where everyone has access to knowledge, ‘before’ trumps ‘more’ – the urge to forward the hailstorm pictures emanates from this. This measure was first introduced in India in July 2018, to curb the spread of fake news.

Gurgaon: If you’re an NCR resident, you almost certainly would have received one if not multiple pictures of the Noida hailstorm on your WhatsApp, before you saw it on the news . You probably received it from someone who was not in Noida but via a WhatsApp forward, or, more likely, in a group you are a part of. And many of us would have done the same after receiving it – forwarded it to another WhatsApp group.Incidentally, a few days back, WhatsApp announced it was globally extending its policy of limiting the number of people (five) you can forward a message to. This measure was first introduced in India in July 2018, to curb the spread of fake news. Then, the messaging app had noted that people in India forward "more messages, photos, and videos than any other country in the world".The invention of the forward button has to be the single-biggest reason for the explosion in the flow of information, in India in the 21st century. From news, views and fake news to jokes and good-morning messages, we excel at it like no-one else. But what makes us a nation of forwarders? Well, it’s not just because mobile and internet data here is the cheapest in the world.First, it’s the easiest way to become the co-author of knowledge which you didn’t create or discover yourself. Something that reaches you first, or lands in another group from your ID, becomes almost a representation of your intelligence. And comments on or appreciation of what has been forwarded are not, by and large, unwittingly received by you on behalf of the writer/creator.Second, change in knowledge has moved from ‘I know more than you’ to ‘I know it before you’. In an internet universe where everyone has access to knowledge, ‘before’ trumps ‘more’ – the urge to forward the hailstorm pictures emanates from this. It has become a game of fastest-finger-first. And if you lose out in the race to post it first in one group, there is always another group, of family or friends, where you can publish it first.Our forwarding behaviour also reveals a lot about us. It isn’t that we are forwarding the same stuff everywhere. According to the late American psychologist William Schutz, one of three stimuli driving our inclination to share is ‘inclusion’ – the need to be part of a group, to attract personal attention. So, for the most part, we’ll forward only to those who validate what we send. ‘Thou shalt be judged by what you forward’, in other words. You might never have been known as a funny guy in college but now, suddenly, you are the guy who forwards the funniest jokes in the group (besides, one-to-one forwards are often to forge connections over common tastes, or to impress others).Sometimes, the content we receive makes us reach for the forward button. According to BBC research, Indians feel dutybound to share nationalistic messages (it makes them feel as if they’re contributing to nation-building). In the days to come, political parties will likely share messages imbued with nationalism, thus increasing their forwardabilty factor. And an open letter on ‘nation’s pride’ by an ex-army officer always stands a higher chance of being forwarded.Another of Schutz’s motivations is ‘affection’, or showing appreciation of and concern for others. This is big in India, for under it comes the category of forwards that are of the nature of news/information about emergencies, home-remedies for dengue, or useful information like linking Aadhaar, which we want to dispense to everyone around us. There’s also the innocent urge to be seen as different and creative, which pushes us to forward those creatively-drafted New Year or Diwali messages.At times, it’s just a simple urge to participate in an active family/friends group that gets the better of us. Whatever be the underlying impulse, the lazy habit of forwarding everything has made humans into nothing more than relay transmitters who communicate good, bad and ugly tidings every second.And as India heads into election season, brace yourself to be subjected to a flood of forwards more overwhelming than those images of the recent hailstorm.

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