In social media we trust (even for airstrikes)!

Raju Korti
Once upon a saner time, wars were confirmed by radar blips and intelligence briefings. Once in a while by the Red Cross activity and reports from war correspondents. Now, we seem to be living in an age where geopolitical victories are measured in likes, retweets, and forwarded WhatsApp messages.

Take the case of Khwaja Asif, a senior Pakistani politician, who recently declared -- with a straight face -- that Pakistan had shot down five Indian jets. When asked for proof, one might expect satellite imagery, radar logs, or at least a shaky video with breathless commentary. Instead, he offered the unimpeachable source of truth: “It’s all over the social media...on Indian social media.

”Yes, sir. Nothing says “military credibility” quite like a grainy meme with Comic Sans font and a watermark that says Indian_Army_Real_Factz_007.This isn’t an isolated incident. Social media has become the new courtroom of public opinion, where a viral video outweighs verified news, and a trending hashtag can practically trigger a United Nations debate. Politicians now check Twitter trends before drafting policy, and influencers can sometimes topple the credibility of journalists armed with facts. Even courtroom verdicts seem subject to what the internet "feels" about the accused.

Remember when a Bollywood celebrity's dog barked oddly and #HauntedPoodle was trending? There were conspiracy theories, fan wars, and even pet psychics weighing in -- all before anyone bothered to check if the dog was just hiccupping.

This is the era of the screenshot gospel. If it is on Instagram, it must be true. If it is not on TikTok, it didn’t happen. And if someone says they shot down five jets but can’t produce a single image or official statement -- well, surely a 13-year-old on Telegram will leak something soon enough.

So the next time you want to declare victory -- in war, love, or even a neighbourly cricket match -- don’t call a press conference. Just post a blurry image, add a crying-laughing emoji, and wait for the algorithm to do its job. After all, in the grand court of social media, viral beats verifiable. Every single time.

The social media validation is already making the mainstream media look like a disruptive technology!