Election 2018: Smartphone a complete TV channel?

Web channels or social media pages have become more dynamic in recent elections. Look at any social media website or web channel, candidates are running their advertising campaigns well in their areas.

There are seventeen such local web TV channels in Swat that broadcast live on live shows as well as talk shows and report on regional issues.

In the bazaars or celebrations in Swat city where the cameras of traditional TV channels are installed, the youth also look active on social media mobile phones, and DSLR cameras.
A social media club with up to 34 members has also been set up in Swat.

Shamal News is also operating as a web channel. Muhammad Shiraz, in charge of the channel, said that these days people of newspapers and news channels are more dependent on social pages and web channels and this is the trend in Swat.

He said that a large number of people were affected when the military operation was launched in the Malakand division. “That trend has intensified.”
If two people on the side of the road are taking a picture or video from a mobile phone, it is not necessarily a personal photo or video, but often social media workers are seen reporting in the bazaars and densely populated areas of Swat.

This trend is not only found in Swat but also in other cities.

There are news channels in the Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Marwat TV channel in Lakki Marwat, and web channels and social media channels in Dera Ismail Khan.

Be it social media pages or web channels, it does not require any lengthy equipment but only a smartphone can do all the work. You can be a good journalist and earn a decent living, but only if you have a penchant for journalism.

This coverage can be easily viewed by the locals on their smartphones and computers through the internet, which is why the number of people who like the page of the channel called SwatNews.com in Swat has reached nine million.

Most of the candidates in these elections are now relying on social media. Full coverage of meetings and corner meetings is easily broadcast on social media and on the channels’ own websites.

Ghulam Farooq, editor-in-chief of the local newspaper Shamal, says it is the fastest and most effective method. He said that people are now aware and no matter what the accident or incident, newspapers or news channels are no longer waiting for the details, but pictures, news, and videos on social media come immediately. ۔

He said that there is no supervision from the government, no one asks for any broadcast from these channels and they do not need any permit or license for it.

There is no law on these social media channels that allow them to operate without permission. That is why nowadays many people have lodged complaints regarding the information broadcast on the channels.