In May 2023, ethnic violence erupted in Manipur, India, leading to a profound humanitarian crisis characterized by loss of life, mass displacement, and deep-seated communal trauma. While the conflict was rooted in long-standing socio-political tensions, its rapid escalation was fueled by a modern catalyst: the digital landscape.
Fabricated Reality: The role of Social Media during the Manipur violence in 2023 is a comprehensive report by South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR) and Factum that investigates the dual role of technology in this conflict. It explores how social media platforms were transformed into tools for psychological warfare through the spread of weaponized disinformation and dehumanizing hate speech.
As global conflicts increasingly migrate to digital spaces, the events in Manipur serve as a critical case study for the international community. This report provides the essential data and analysis needed to understand how “fabricated realities” on screen translate into devastating consequences on the ground, offering a blueprint for preventing similar digital escalations in the future.
