Numerous recent studies highlight technology as a significant contributor to human anxiety, frustration, and anger in contemporary society. Several important concerns are outlined below:
Internet connection and speed: Studies indicate a substantial increase in screen time among users, from five to six hours a couple of years ago to ten to twelve hours a day. Today, many individuals cannot fathom living without internet access. They become frustrated, angry, and emotionally disturbed when faced with power outages or, internet connection disruptions or speed disruptions. The relationship between individuals and their virtual avatars on social media platforms significantly influences their emotional well-being. The expectation is for power connections, internet connections, speed, and virtual avatars to conform to individual convenience obediently.
Social media echo chambers: Algorithms on social media sites and OTT platforms are intentionally designed to create echo chambers, where users are exposed to content that aligns with their preferences. Spending extensive time in these echo chambers leads individuals to believe that their socio-political and cultural realities are dominant, overshadowing alternative viewpoints. This belief fosters a sense of success, victory, and jubilation over others, resulting in the suppression and attack of dissenting voices with maximum ferocity. Many of us have witnessed or participated in such acts in various online groups, where alternate viewpoints are silenced and biases or beliefs are perpetuated relentlessly. Recent media studies reveal that these groups often operate on the principle of exclusion rather than inclusion, with "sanity" equating with silencing alternate voices. Even so-called liberal groups display this extreme authoritarian trait, further perpetuating the master-slave relationship within these echo chambers.
Cultural productions and representations: The algorithms driving these echo chambers have normalized cultural exclusionary output, resulting in widespread "othering" based on race, religion, language, caste, class, or profession. This normalization has led to the emergence of fascist traits, where individuals easily find like-minded companions or groups online. In this power dynamic, propaganda becomes essential to sustain arguments or associations, often at the expense of logical reasoning and sanity. Consequently, echo chambers have generated an abundance of lies and fake narratives on socio-cultural and political realities in the past two decades, surpassing the historical output of human civilization. At an individual level, the production of fake narratives may be limited, but politicians engage in industrial-scale dissemination of such narratives. Today, the data within these echo chambers is more polluted than nuclear test sites.
In the early stages of the echo chamber-building process, individuals may have associated with others exhibiting a fascist exclusionary trait. However, today, many people doubt these arguments, fearing that some among their group may share their opinions or posts with other groups or rivals outside of their virual echo chambers. Furthermore, unlike WhatsApp groups, where genuine virtual avatars outnumber fake ones, the ratio is reversed in the other social media echo chambers. This shift in dynamics has led to a rupture in the master-slave relationship with technology, resulting in widespread fear and scepticism toward it.
Despite this apprehension, a significant segment still eagerly awaits validation for their beliefs and justification for actions that contradict their perceived faith and belief within these echo chambers. Rajneesh initiated this trend in India, advocating for capitalist and materialistic pursuits as justifiable spiritual aspects of living. Many affluent individuals grappling with guilt in a Gandhian or anti-materialistic religious society found solace in Rajneesh's commune (or echo chamber), which provided arguments to rationalize their deeds. Today, figures such as Baba Ramdev, Sri Sri, and Isha continue Rajneesh's legacy, promoting spiritually justified pursuits of material pleasures within an anti-materialist religious/spiritual society.
Unlike Rajneesh, who targeted a specific audience disillusioned with questioning religious systems, these contemporary gurus leverage social media to reach millions seeking reassurance that their religious cultures support their pursuit of material pleasure. Learning from Rajneesh's downfall, these gurus employ strategic associations—yoga for Baba Ramdev, breathing techniques for Sri Sri, and inner engineering for Isha—eschewing moral or ethical discussions fundamental to anti-materialist religious spirituality.
Isha, the latest addition to this group, goes a step further by introducing a new deity, Adi Yogi, artificially linked to Shiva, asserting that Adi Yogi predates even the first Vedic goddess Aditi. This narrative aims to solidify followers' beliefs that the "avoiding moral and ethical religious spirituality" system of his aligns with Hinduism, contrary to the stringent moral and ethical norms prescribed by the anti-materialistic yogic spirituality of sage Patanjali. Interestingly, millions were seeking justification for their deeds/misdeeds, ready to reject Patanjali's strictures, gravitating toward the Isha group, both in India and globally, finding resonance with justifications Isha was giving devoid of moral and ethical obligations for the spiritual path .
These contemporary lifestyle gurus adeptly blend and market nationalism, cultural dogmas (racism), majoritarianism, casteism, misogyny (patriarchy), politics, power, and all forms of fascist supremacist cultural arguments without acknowledging the moral and ethical obligations intrinsic to religion and religious spirituality, as spiritual path.
This is also the era of the "RSS-led BJP," which promotes a parallel artificial narrative of Hinduism, advocating cultural majoritarianism as a political force.
