I am scared of WhatsApp University.

The university that my parents believe more than me. The one with no fees, no faculty, no accountability but millions of students forwarding, reacting, obeying.

I studied physics. I work in marketing. I read papers, not forwards. But all it takes is one blurry image with bold text and my mother will send it to the entire family group like it's gospel.

I’ll say, “Mummy this is fake.”
She’ll say, “Accha? Par ismein likha toh hai…”

That “likha toh hai” carries more weight than any logic I offer.
Because in WhatsApp University, truth gets verified because it is repeated.

Recently, one of my own posts started circulating on WhatsApp. No credit. No context. Just forwarded from one group to another with a line added for drama.

That’s the thing about fake news - it lies, steals & distorts. It multiplies faster than truth can catch up.

Older people are the softest targets. They didn’t grow up with clickbait. They don’t instinctively question a screenshot. They see a doctor’s photo and assume expertise. A flag emoji and assume patriotism. A long paragraph and assume importance.

And slowly, it builds. Post by post. They start doubting science. They start forwarding fear. They start trusting strangers more than their own children.

You tell them climate change is real & they send you a video of a guy in a kurta saying it's a Western hoax.
You talk about mental health & they send you a reel saying depression is just “weak willpower.”
You ask them to stop forwarding political propaganda & they tell you, “Sabko apni opinion rakhne ka haq hai.”

But this opinion is manipulation.

WhatsApp University doesn’t just spread lies. It fractures families. It replaces curiosity with conspiracy. Empathy with aggression.

And the worst part is that there’s no exam. No consequence. No “Are you sure you want to forward this?” Just one button. Send.

By the time you fact-check it, the damage is done. Trust is eroded. Bias is cemented.

We laugh at it now. “Uncle ne kuch ulta seedha bhej diya hoga.”
But this is not a joke. This is how democracies collapse. How science is denied. How people die because someone believed eating mango cures cancer.

I’m not angry. I’m scared. Because I know how easily intelligence is hijacked when fear is well-designed.

So if you’re reading this, please, talk to your parents. Not with condescension but with care. Ask where the post came from. Ask what they felt reading it. Show them how easy it is to create fake news.

And if they trust you even a little more than they trust that forward - you've won.

Because in the age of misinformation, truth doesn’t go viral. Love does. Conversation does.
And maybe, slowly, so will clarity.