Take social media with a pinch of salt

Though social media has become a part of the modern-day life, it is a like a double-edged weapon. It can play havoc at times, particularly when unverified reports are as widely circulated as it happened in the case of Chinese President XI Jinping on Sunday. The rumours that Jinping being under house arrest and a possible military coup in the country spread like wildfire but neither the main media nor the official state media of Chinese Communist Party had confirmed it. Even the Government of India did not react to the postings on social media. This is but natural because any trouble in China could have serious repercussions on India.

All these updates were from anonymous users, who are neither verified nor credible; experts are confident these rumours are just false speculations. The last time the Chinese President was seen publicly was at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan's Samarkand. The summit was also attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Other unverified social media posts on Twitter claimed that no commercial flights were flying over Beijing on Sunday. Some even posted images of Delhi airport having heavy air traffic while Beijing airport was empty. Beijing Capital International Airport's website shows that some flights were cancelled, several others were scheduled, slightly delayed, or had already landed. There are also unverified reports that all trains and buses were cancelled in the last few days.

This isn't the first time that the Chinese President is the target of rumours. Amid rumours of military takeover, in 2012 when he was the Vice President, there were rumours regarding his health when he skipped meetings with visiting leaders and senior officials which included US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. There was a lot of confusion at that time as well as Chinese officials did not issue any official clarification about his health nor did they give any explanation for his absence. The social media was agog that he had a heart attack or some stroke. But 15 days later, he participated in National Science Popularisation Day programme.

There were political tensions in China in 2016 as the battle between the country's top two leaders President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang intensified. They refused to see eye to eye even when they were seated next to each other during the plenary sessions. A year later, Chinese President Xi Jinping foiled a coup attempt by former political heavy weights that were at the receiving end of his high-profile anti-graft campaign.

Why all this becomes important for India is because any political turmoil in China or any change in leadership now could have a negative impact on India. Jinping believes in inching forward politically towards India's borders while the military is in favour of occupying more of Indian territory. Jinping and Modi had met 18 times so far. Any change of guard in China would mean that the relations between the two countries could be under strain. What if the new dispensation wants direct confrontation?

If it proves to be wrong, then a serious look into the functioning of social media needs to be taken.