Taking problem of social puppeteering by the horns

Remember the tale from Panchatantra where a Brahmin receives a goat as a gift after performing a religious ritual at a rich man’s house. He carries the goat on his shoulders and on his way home, he is tricked by three thugs who convince him that what he is carrying is not a goat but a dog. The Brahmin, thus, gives up his prized possession. This is exactly what’s known as the art of social puppeteering.

Psychologists believe social puppeteering to be an extreme form of mental harassment of an individual by people who deliberately distort the perception of reality of their victim for their personal amusement. They can be equated to social bullies with the basic difference that instead of using physical or verbal coercive methods, social puppeteers tend to mislead their victim into believing twisted facts and thereby seek pleasure out of it.

You would come across social puppeteers at every rung of the social ladder and possibly at every stage of life. They come in all shapes and sizes. They can either be individuals or groups; male or female; white or coloured; friend or foe. However, the constant denominator among them is the basic fact that they hegemonize the victim’s mind, into believing something that is non-existent, to the extent that the person is ushered into a state of self-doubt that ultimately leads to low self-esteem and inferiority complex. This can be life-damaging for the victim.

What is more shocking is that sometimes the social puppeteer can be a close relative of the person being manipulated. An elder or younger sibling; girlfriend or boyfriend; spouse or partner; parents or children; anyone can play the hideous role of a social puppeteer, initially for some fun and later on out of habit.

Stepping out into the big bad world, you can again come across people who may be your friends but may intentionally or unintentionally try to hold sway over your mind and opinions. Apart from friends, class fellows, colleagues and even your boss can be a manipulator who may convince you into believing some unrealistic facet of your personality by constantly nagging or poking fun. Observations such as: She has poor judgement skills; he is a good-for-nothing fellow; he is argumentative; when repeated in front of others for pleasure, leaves the target traumatised, mentally and emotionally.

Unfortunately, with the advancement of technology, the problem of social puppeteering has escalated manifold as the spin masters can now easily make or break someone emotionally by using social media. Public figures are special targets of such vitriolic whiplashes from particular groups on social media platforms. What remains to be seen is, whether such social manouvering be allowed to engulf society or should it be checked by spreading awareness about it. Chances are that the victim of social puppeteering may hardly be aware of his condition or may be tolerating it with a smile. What needs to be done is to raise concern over such social nuisance and not endure it by lying low. Encourage the victims to identify the perpetrators and to take the bull by its horns before it turns into a Minotaur for not every age can afford to have a Daedalus who will be able to put it behind a gilded cage.

WITH THE ADVANCEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL PUPPETEERING HAS ESCALATED AS SPIN MASTERS CAN EASILY MAKE OR BREAK SOMEONE EMOTIONALLY BY USING SOCIAL MEDIA