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Socialising online opens new vistas

If you still doubt the power of online social networking, check out these stories. A simple — but colourful, tongue-in-cheek and provocative — campaign on the Net got worldwide attention recently. Outraged by the attack on women in a Mangalore pub, Nisha Susan, a 20-something journo decided to hit back, choosing a Facebook campaign as her weapon. Under the banner Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women, she appealed to women to send pink chaddis as a gift for Valentine’s Day to the outfit allegedly responsible for the attack.

“Mail your information to freelancehabba@gmail.com or to our Facebook address,” she wrote, adding, those who didn’t want to mail the chaddis themselves could gather information on collection points at http://thepinkchaddicampaign.blogspot.com/.

She also asked women to go out and fill pubs on V-day. “Let us raise a toast (it can be a juice) to Indian women. Take a photo or video. We will send this as well to them (organisation).”

She could not have imagined the response she got. Taipei Times picked up the story. So did AFP, Feministe, BBC and Times Online. “It triggered a national debate about the rights of women in a fast-changing society where traditions still run deep,” wrote National Public Radio’s Philip Reeves.

The ‘pink slips’ flew in thick and fast (8,000) from all over the country. Nearly 40,000 women — and men — from Kabul, Chennai, Guwahati to Singapore, Los Angeles joined the campaign.

Around 6,000 wall posts came up on the site. Political parties sat up, State governments stirred into action. Preventive arrests followed, and the outfit withdrew its proposed actions.

A Loyola College study proves the point all over again. Antony Varghese, faculty, PG Department of Sociology, says their study showed Internet connectivity helped women scientists to ‘circumvent’ the male-dominated social structure that impedes career development.

Female scientists have disadvantages in participating in government committees and editorial boards, publishing in international journals and contacts outside of the local research system, the study noted. They never could get in touch with professionals in developed countries. Unlike their male counterparts, Indian women scientists had few social networks.

Not anymore. The Internet helps them cultivate international ties. They submit papers to international journals or conferences after getting information about them online. In a few cases, e-mail exchanges eventually led to visits abroad and international collaboration — opportunities they hadn’t got before. “Women must develop the habit of connecting on the net,” says R. Ramamurthy, chairman, Cyber Society of India. “As graduates, they’re looking for jobs. As moms, they need information on schools, tuitions, co-curricular activities, transport etc. They may have health problems they want to discuss. Imagine what blogs, social networking sites and message boards can do for issues such as domestic violence!”

Educated women must get together online to voice their opinion, he says.

A group of lawyers can gather support for a bill or oppose a law. Home-based jobs, ideas for entrepreneurship, buying tips, product reviews — there is so much information women need to share. “Campaigning online is an absolute necessity,” he says.

Women’s movement got shunted because of lack of Net-working, he feels. “Women need a place for shouting. Online campaigns are non-violent protests. The anonymity alone should be a big draw. It’s an ideal platform to express opinions freely. Why can’t women discuss local issues online? Decide who they should vote for? Won’t that mean participation as individuals?” he says.

Sure, it is ironical that we learn to be a community online, instead of being good neighbours, active members of residents’ associations and people with common commitments. But online campaigning is convenient. It becomes a responsibility, and has no hierarchy; there is a sense of selflessness.

Let’s meet online. To expose “radicals” and “vigilantes” who call themselves “custodians of Indian culture”, who, for some reason think it is their job to prevent women “from going astray”.

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