Rapper Raftaar has come out with a new single, Mask on, with an aim to combat the increasing spread of misinformation about Covid-19. The song is inspired by United Nation campaign, Pause, Take Care Before You Share. The motive for the initiative is to generate awareness around the snowballing surge of misinformation in the wake of the global pandemic.
"The world is in a state of chaos. A lot of people want to lament on a lot of things due to the built-up anguish, anxiety and annoyance, and it is understandable. Unfortunately, over the years the human race hasn't given importance to mastery of emotions and thoughts, and now we face serious trials when there is a multitude of emotions being generated due to the unprecedented crisis," Raftaar said.
"However, this doesn't give anyone the right to spread misinformation, which is a virus and exploits our biases and prejudices. We are in a moment of global unrest with growing Covid-19 cases, economic volatility, climate emergency, worldwide protests for racial justice. Misinformation, hate speech and fake news is empowering and distorting all of these issues. Often, we share on impulse, before checking the authenticity of the content but I urge everyone to contain this impulse," he added.
The song also features Rashmeet Kaur, KARMA and Yunan. The anthem encourages listeners to support the crusade against misinformation by verifying the authenticity of information before they share it.
Talking about the song, Rashmeet Kaur said: "Misinformation and fake news on Covid-19 across social media and other communication channels can be deadly, disrupt crucial health services and endanger life. Taking a brief pause before sharing information will help to break the chain and significantly lessen the inclination to share shocking or emotive material and slow the spread of misinformation."
