‘WhatsApp University’ and reel culture influencing decisions: Maha FDA

Gandhinagar, Sep 26 (IANS) Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe on Saturday urged students to question information they see on social media, warning that reels, forwarded messages, and algorithms could shape their thinking if they stopped verifying what they consume online.

Speaking during a nearly two-and-a-half-hour interaction with students at Karnavati University, Mundhe said India needed a mindset shift, starting with individuals questioning themselves and the information presented to them.

“We have become too shallow. We are not living deeply, we are not thinking, we are not questioning,” he said.

Mundhe said questioning did not mean simply challenging others but first examining one’s own actions. “You have to start questioning yourself first. Who am I? Am I responsible or irresponsible? And if I cannot, who else can?” he said.

He then turned to what he described as the growing influence of social media and “WhatsApp University”. “One of the major challenges we have is social media influence or WhatsApp University,” Mundhe said.

He said users often accepted reels and forwarded messages without checking whether the information was authentic, factual, or part of a particular narrative.

“We take decisions on that basis, but we never try to understand whatever has come to you: is it really correct, is it authentic, is it real, or is it fake, or is it a narrative?” he said.

Mundhe explained that social media algorithms learn from users’ behaviour, including what they watch, skip, or engage with, and then show them more similar material.

“In one week, you will start getting what you like. Because it captures your mind, it captures your imagination,” he said.

According to him, repeated exposure can create an environment where people increasingly encounter information that reinforces their existing preferences. “What it means is that you have stopped thinking. You are being taught by somebody else,” he said.

Mundhe described this as a form of “new colonialism” in which algorithms and reels could shape behaviour and opinions, and asked the students: “Do you want to be ruled by a reel, or do you want to create a reel?”

He urged students to become creators rather than passive consumers of online content. “The moment you start, stop for a, give it a pause, give it a moment and ask, collaborate with some other evidence, look into it, and then you will realise, oh, this is where it is going wrong, stop it, discard it,” he said.

Mundhe linked the issue to his broader message about ethical decision-making.

He said individuals should assess information and decisions rather than simply following the direction others were moving in.

“Are you making a decision, or are your decisions being taken by somebody else, is the question,” he said.

He said this “thought process needs a reboot” and that it should begin in the mind.

“I believe that reboot has to begin in your mind, not just in reels,” Mundhe said, adding that such an approach would help bring originality, legality and ethical thinking into everyday decisions.

--IANS

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