A report has exposed social media platform Instagram accusing it of fuelling cow vigilantism violence in India.
The report titled, Streaming Violence: How Instagram Fuels Cow Vigilantism in India, by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) on Tuesday, November 19, covered an alarming rise in mob lynchings targeting Muslims across the country, often justified by perpetrators under the guise of “cow protection” laws.
The CSOH analysed 1,023 Instagram accounts associated with cow vigilante activities and violence over six months. It found that 30 percent of these accounts shared videos featuring cow vigilantes physically assaulting people who were transporting cows, the victims mostly being from the Muslim community. This alarming trend underscores how Instagram encourages and amplifies such violence.
Additionally, reels that unambiguously depict these violent acts, including high-speed chases and assault garnered approximately three times more views, on average, compared to other non-violent video content posted by the same users.
The study highlights that some of the accounts that were requesting donations had also shared some form of violence, hence the link between calling for funds and displaying violence.