In a twist of digital fortune, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has set social media abuzz by announcing another virtual jalsa scheduled for tomorrow. The last time PTI organized a virtual rally, it turned heads as well as keyboards.
Reminiscent of December 17, when PTI held its last virtual jalsa – billed as a ‘fundraising telethon’. What caught the nation’s attention, however, was not the political spectacle itself, but the unpredictable consequences that unfolded in its wake.
On that day, major cities across Pakistan faced social media blackout coupled with erratic internet connectivity. Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube have become elusive digital landscapes, leaving users in the dark, both figuratively and literally.
Social media users immediately turned to VPNs – now a popular reality for a nation that often struggles with censorship and social media blackouts. The whole ordeal ended up making the virtual jalsa much more popular and well-known than it probably would have been on its own.
Now, with the announcement of yet another virtual jalsa, online banter among social media users suggests that the prospect of him facing another internet hiccup during PTI’s virtual meeting. The digital landscape has been flooded with memes and witty remarks about preparing for a “digital detox” or betting on which platform will be the first to succumb to the impending cybersage.
