Powering the Grid, Empowering the Narrative

Equipping oneself to counter misinformation and fake news empowers an individual; widening the reach of their social media handles does that too. But what if a service association of government employees, closely connected to the daily lives of ordinary people, is equipped to do the same? What if they exhibit immense enthusiasm despite their friction with the ever-changing technology of today?

The Kerala State Electricity Board Officers Association (KSEBOA) took upon themselves such a challenge, and OBC collaborated with them in their efforts. Some found the tools useful, others found the politics surrounding the world of social media interesting, and most of them were introduced to the myriad ways in which algorithms work.

To impart something, there must be awareness of where we stand at the moment. The day began with a quiz to assess the participants’ awareness of social media, in which a majority performed exceedingly well.

The first session on Social Media Engagement was led by P.G. Prabodh, a communication strategist and media professional. It was exclusively tailored to boosting the social media presence of KSEBOA. Though the Facebook page of KSEBOA has a follower base exceeding 20,000, it had not been able to tap into its full potential, and posts often did not reach even their own members. The resource person explained how algorithms work and how consistent, creative content-making methods could push the page favourably into the feeds of their target audience.

It touched upon all the major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn. “Creating one post and sharing it across all platforms is not at all desirable in today’s environment. Each platform has its own purpose and features, and the content should focus on that particular angle,” Prabodh told the eager participants. “Instagram doesn’t work the way Facebook does, where captions carry more prominence. On Instagram, visuals do the magic. Reels, especially, can hook audiences on social media, and the first five seconds are crucial—those moments determine whether viewers decide to engage with it fully or not,” he added.

The second session on ‘Content Planning and Tools’ was led by Shafeeq Thamarassery, Digital Head of Reporter TV. He spoke about the finer technical and psychological nuances of posting on social media. Shafeeq also reiterated the importance of maximising the use of visuals. Comparisons were made between social media cards of the same news item posted by Asianet News and Reporter TV, and he explained why the latter gained more traction. He also introduced the audience to a localised design tool called Burfy.

The participants engaged actively in the lively question–answer session, where debates extended to the “clickbait” characteristics of social media posts that often overlook presenting both sides of a news story.

Another live quiz, about determining whether the pictures shown were real or AI-generated, created the momentum for the afternoon session on ‘Fact-checking & Verification’ by Sujith A, OSINT Researcher and Fact-checker with OBC. It included discussions on recent fake information propagated across the country. The resource person explained the routes our team took to reach the truth. He also outlined the ways to spot such fallacies.

The session also opened the gates of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to the officers, most of whom were unfamiliar with that space. The ferocity of hate and deliberate misinformation spread through the medium alarmed many, but they were also introduced to strategies to combat them. They were given basic hands-on training on tools such as AI detectors like HIVE, design tools like Canva, and methods for fact-checking including Google Geolocation and reverse image search.

The day ended with a concluding session by Shahina K. K., Senior journalist and Co Founder of OBC, who spoke about the politics of META and the strategies and legal frameworks they follow across the world. The session aligned with the broader objectives of KSEBOA, i.e. to diversify and strengthen their political activities and reach the common man more effectively.

The participants’ detailed feedback made it clear that the one-day workshop gave them the clarity and confidence to take their first decisive step toward their goals. They unanimously echoed a powerful realisation: that heightened awareness and a sharp, observant eye—paired with the very tools that drive the flow of unfiltered information—can truly make a transformative difference.