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by gooddelta 2842 days ago
The platform is what spread those lies – without the platform, those lies wouldn't have had the reach they did.
2 comments

As mentioned in the article "Mob lynching isn’t a new phenomenon in India. According to some reports, there were more than 2,000 lynchings in India between 2000 and 2012 — well before WhatsApp was around."

I agree that WhatsApp has the potential to exacerbate such issues.

Because rumor mongering came about only with whatsapp, and gossiping with your neighbours is a phenomenon born straight from instant messaging.

People spread lies. Not platforms or machines. People. Via whatsapp, other IM services, email, printed leaflets, handwritten notes or voice. People do that.