Why Misinformation in the Indian American Community is so Dangerous Right Now

Some people in the Indian American community seem to be highly apolitical, while others are not. Nonetheless, millions of people get misinformation about daily activities to political conspiracies every year. These are the diaspora of the Indian community, first generation Indian Americans, or just Indians in India. Misinformation has been linked to not just the forthcoming 2020 November Presidential Elections, but also the Indian Elections of 2019.

So what’s so scary about misinformation? Well, misinformation can change the opinions of many, and feed them incorrect information. We’ve seen this throughout the 2020 elections, but I’d like to zoom in on the Indian community and these upcoming elections since I am part of the diaspora. I’d like to address specific concerns I have with misinformation I personally have seen being spread, as well as the plethora I haven’t observed. 

I’m sure if you’re Indian American, or just Indian you know exactly what Whatsapp chain messages are. Chains of incorrect pictures, or incorrect long chains of messages are quite common. In fact, a study done on Whatsapp picture misinformation in India showed about 13% of pictures surveyed contained misinformation. This is a lot, and this is scary. We already hear about how everything on press or broadcast/cable is “fake news”, but social media often can target millions of people quickly. We’ve seen this through Facebook’s targeted ads.

 But what’s the purpose of misinformation in the 2020 elections? From what I’ve noticed, to promote a certain Donald Trump over Joe Biden. Various chain messages use an Islamaphobic tone, language, or pictures. I am aware the relationship between Hindus and Muslims in India and Pakistan is complex at best. Tensions are high. Nonetheless, this is not a reason to believe muslims in this country are “terrorists” etc. or that biden is “pro muslim”. Biden is at most pro- “non discrimination against muslims” , and this is OK. 

Being a one issue voter is also a big issue. Are you willing to vote for Trump because he’s tough on Muslims (cute way of saying Islamophobia), even if you don’t support his view on multitudes of issues? That’s never a smart idea, and you’re really not even voicing your opinion. These messages, keep in mind, also use fake quotes, outrageous pictures, and even more incredulous data. But there’s one main point I also haven’t addressed as to this large amount of misinformation.

Donald Trump is linked to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Make no mistake: they are not ‘good friends’. Rather they met a few times, and have occasionally praised each other. This article is not about my issues with India’s frontrunning party the BJP, although they may exist. Trump and Modi are not good friends. Just because you support Modi, you definitely shouldn’t blindly support Trump. Think about what you read. Look up the fact, do you find it? Nowhere on the first couple pages? You’re probably reading a hunk of misinformation. 

Indian Americans consistently have voted Democratic. In fact, the highest numbers recorded voted in 2016, with almost 80% of voters voting for Hillary Clinton. However according to a recent survey, this percentage has diminished probably due to misinformation, xenophobia or both. So my main urge to people reading this is to please fact check what you’re told and what you read. Vote for your beliefs, and make room to change beliefs if they restrict rights of another minority. Vote with your conscience, and most importantly: VOTE!

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