By Dr. Rehan Rasheed Tanoli
In today’s Pakistan, a pixel is no longer just a dot on a screen. It is a weapon, a witness, and a whisper in the ever-expanding chorus of digital narratives. From political memes to viral TikTok videos, the country’s online landscape has turned into a restless arena of competing stories — crafted, distorted, amplified, and often suppressed.
This reflection explores how narratives are built and spread in Pakistan’s digital ecosystem — and how a structured media and information literacy program, integrated into education, could offer an evidence-based solution to this growing challenge.
The rise of visual storytelling
Narratives today are not spun through lengthy manifestos but constructed frame by frame. A single protest snapshot from Gwadar, a blurred video of a political aide’s detention, or a meme comparing one leader to a lion and another to a tiger can shape perceptions instantly.
Platforms like X, TikTok, and YouTube have become dynamic canvases for these visual micro-stories. Scholars such as Hassan Khali note that these spaces allow political actors “to disseminate their narratives, mobilize supporters, and cultivate fear and self-censorship.”
Political engineering and digital manipulation
Narrative construction in Pakistan is not accidental. It is often strategically engineered. Political parties deploy coordinated digital squads — sometimes powered by bots or fake accounts — to promote their own messaging or discredit rivals.
The PTI’s rise owed much to curated memes, viral hashtags, and influencer-driven campaigns. The PML-N, in turn, built counter-narratives centered on legitimacy and stability, shared widely across Facebook and YouTube channels.
This digital arms race carries social costs. As researchers Babar Farooq, Nazia Malik, and Saira Siddiqui have documented, the use of bots to amplify narratives and suppress dissent has fueled polarization and undermined public trust.
The algorithmic echo chamber
Platform algorithms amplify emotional and provocative content because outrage fuels engagement. Researcher Muhammad Yaseen Moroojo observes that these systems “amplify certain political narratives while suppressing others,” reinforcing echo chambers where traction often triumphs over truth.
During Pakistan’s 2022 political transition, viral content frequently blurred fact and fiction. Images and captions, emotionally charged but often inaccurate, shaped public opinion faster than any official statement.
The culture of digital provocation
What was once confined to late-night satire or editorial cartoons has now evolved into real-time provocation. Satirical accounts and humorous edits critique the powerful, but misinformation thrives when doctored videos or AI-generated audio clips are shared without verification.
One such viral recording, allegedly between a senior politician and a judge, later raised authenticity concerns. The temporary confusion it caused revealed just how fragile trust has become in Pakistan’s media ecosystem.
Brigadier (R) Dr. Zeeshan Faisal Khan calls this “the hidden cost of digital propaganda” — the quiet erosion of social cohesion through manufactured provocation.
Censorship and the politics of silence
The struggle over narratives extends beyond amplification to suppression. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has periodically blocked platforms like TikTok, X, and YouTube on moral or security grounds.
Such restrictions, however, often silence marginalized voices. Baloch activists, for example, have reported content removals that hinder awareness of human rights issues, as documented by Muhammad Salman Ijaz. When dissenting stories are muted, curated narratives dominate public discourse, reshaping reality itself.
Information warfare and policy gaps
Digital manipulation is no longer limited to individuals. Organized networks, fake news farms, and paid influencers are now key players in Pakistan’s information warfare. Muhammad Noaman Yousaf, in his policy study Combating Fake News and Propaganda, argues that safeguarding media integrity and rebuilding public trust are essential steps toward national stability.
Cross-border influence campaigns, as documented by Saudi and Kazim, have further blurred boundaries, creating cycles of mutual digital escalation between domestic and foreign actors.
Media Mind: A path toward digital resilience
Amid this complex environment, the Mediatiz Foundation’s Media Mind program offers a constructive and timely intervention. Designed as Pakistan’s first online media literacy and civic learning curriculum, it aims to equip youth with the skills to critically engage with digital content.
The program aligns with UNESCO’s media literacy framework while incorporating local realities. It spans modules for students from middle school to university, covering digital literacy, misinformation detection, and ethical media engagement.
Its layered approach achieves several goals:
• It strengthens critical thinking, helping students question headlines, detect manipulation, and identify doctored visuals.
• It promotes digital citizenship and respectful online dialogue.
• It builds resilience against misinformation by encouraging users to pause and verify before sharing.
• It empowers young people to become ethical contributors, not passive amplifiers, in the digital space.
Randomized educational trials in Pakistan have already shown that such targeted media literacy programs improve the ability to spot fake news. Media Mind aligns with these findings, offering a scalable, curriculum-based solution.
Building discernment in the digital age
While no program can erase propaganda or algorithmic bias overnight, media literacy builds essential safeguards. It gives citizens the tools to question narratives rather than absorb them.
As pixels increasingly shape perception, control over imagery often translates into control over truth. Initiatives like Media Mind cannot rewrite every narrative, but they can teach citizens to read between the pixels — to engage thoughtfully, not reactively.
In the end, every scroll and every share contributes to the digital story we tell ourselves. The question is no longer just what we see, but what we choose to amplify — and why.