The shocking death of famed journalist Gauri Lankesh has sparked many questions, speculations and debates on social media. Speculations ran amok — could it be her ‘no holds barred’ online demeanour that triggered the brutal demise? From her blatant sarcasm at political parties to tongue in cheek communal (yet intelligent) humour, did those seemingly ‘harmless posts’ irk a bunch of closet assailants? In a seemingly ‘free’ virtual world, is it too soon to say that the #righttofreedomofspeech is a reality? We take a deeper look at the ‘To do’s, when online’...

How much is too much:
Saddened over how the instance brings to light the fatality of keeping mum when danger is lurking, 29-year-old Anil Shetty, national president, Nav Bharat Democratic Party, believes one ought to take responsibility of their safety, whether online or offline. 

“If you are online, and expressing your views, be prepared to draw irk or even seething responses. I’ve had many in my circle get hate mails and do nothing about it. When you are a free-thinker and a common man, it is not easy. One needs to watch their back and most importantly, not rely on the privacy settings as a shield. Don’t shy away from seeking expert help and security. Access is a lot easier than you’ve imagined.” 

Madhavi Jadhav

Asserting how when an allegation is made, the individual in question needs to find evidence to justify it, filmmaker Chaitanya KM adds, “The law of the land is simple. What you write on social media is publication. Whatever defamation law applies to a newspaper also applies to a WhatsApp group or Facebook and Twitter. Users need to be made conscious of this. It is important to be cautious and most importantly, responsible enough to be aware that anything online is never wholly personal.”
Simmer but never step back: 

Entrepreneur Madhavi Jadhav believes the news has not just spread shock waves across the country, but is a cue that one needs to simmer down, when online, but never digress from their views. “Nobody can be killed for having an ideological stand. This instance brings to light a rather harrowing truth- about how the ‘shut up or get shot’ way of functioning prevails in the modern society too. If feelings of fear are instilled in people when it comes to expressing their views, the very intent of being active on social media becomes null. I believe there are ‘serial online miscreants’ out there and awareness of the same is needed. At the same time, one must also be careful when it comes to playing around with words,” she adds.