Twitter trends in Pakistan

Social media is now a force to be reckoned with in Pakistan. After Facebook, now the micro blogging website Twitter is going great guns. Socialbakers-a global social media and digital analytics company-estimates there are nearly 7 million Pakistani users on Facebook. Roughly three million Pakistanis are said to be on Twitter. As broadband penetration increases, more Pakistanis are expected to sign up for social media platforms. With its colorful layout and catchy user interface, Facebook is very likely to maintain its lead over Twitter in Pakistan, in keeping with the global trend. It is Twitter, however, which has proven more powerful of the two in shaping discussions and forming opinions. The Twitterati-a term for so-called Twitter elite whose tweets (short posts) are followed by thousands of other users-is discussing everything under the sun, courtesy the unprecedented freedom of expression in recent years. A large majority of the opinion-makers of the country are found on Twitter, including politicians, journalists, anchors, celebrities, rights activists, defence analysts, columnists and critics. Activities on Twitter usually centre upon sharing articles, reports and discussing important or unusual events occurring in society, politics, foreign relations, etc. The civil society is mostly discussing social issues, championing constitutional and human rights. The journalists are seen tweeting their own stories, while anchorpersons are found announcing agendas for their evening talk shows. Days of national and religious importance are befittingly commemorated. The feelings of extreme delight and disappointment are mostly associated with Pakistans Cricket matches. There are days when the Pakistani Twitter space is filled with outrage and indignation in response to deplorable events occurring in the social or political domain. The discourse on Twitter cannot be ignored any longer. Traditional media has been forced to follow Twitter space. Political parties have ensured their presence on this digital battleground. The government also feels the heat. Even a rumour of banning Twitter is faced with ferocious criticism from the civil society which equates such moves with scuttling the freedom of expression. Yet, there are some weaknesses in the discourse happening on Twitter. For one, there is very little debate on economic agenda and reforms. Very few economists or policymakers can be found on Twitter, and they are usually inactive due to the audiences lack of interest. What also seems to be missing is the realisation that broader macro-economic policies are a major factor in fuelling poverty and inequality. Secondly, the Twitterati seems to have converged in their opinions, which could be a healthy sign because not all of them may be sharing the same world view. But the desire to be politically correct often leads to absence of differing narratives and perspective. Thirdly, the attention span on Twitter is inherently limited, as new sets of issues crop up every day, leaving ongoing debate on the wayside. In addition, the emergence of roll phenomenon, in which users post incendiary or profane remarks, has kept many eminent and famous professionals from interacting on Twitter. But the scale and quality of discourse can improve over time. What is important is that this unique platform continues to grow uninhibited and unfettered.