THE inter-party transfers of Firdous Ashiq Awan and Naz Baloch of PPP and PTI are classic examples of the impact that social media has had on the way that the public engages with politics.

Switching political allegiances has always been a global phenomenon. However, with the advent of and access to technology, doing so has become more difficult — largely owing to the massive reach of social media, which has made it possible to retrieve and disseminate almost any statement made by a politician in the past.

All the vitriol the aforementioned politicians spouted at the parties and the leaders they have recently joined, for example, now has the benefit of being recorded, circulated and discussed across social media platforms. Politicians rarely got brownie points for loyalty in the past. But now, such blows to their image are hastening the decay of any credibility they might have once enjoyed.

Politicians are advised not to take extreme positions on any issues, parties or personalities for pleasing their masters. Sooner or later they might have to make a u-turn, which will make them look like opportunists and ambassadors of misplaced loyalties.

Muhammad Faizan Ibrahim

Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2017