Social Media (like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc.) was initially created to spread positivity, love, and smile. Facebook, as Mr Zuckerberg himself, explains, serves as a platform to pitch your idea in front of the world, to grab the opportunity, to speak up for the right or to share your experience, to collect your memories, and so on. Like Facebook, every other social media platform also has a purpose.
The founders of different social media platforms had never expected that their innovation would be misused unimaginably as people now have begun spreading rumours on WhatsApp, fake news on Facebook, using Instagram for show-off, and criticizing through Twitter. The users have begun using these platforms for wrong intentions, the opposite of what they were supposed to be used as. Well, we need some examples to convulse the seriousness of this matter.
On June 14, when Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide (or probably murdered), the whole internet was flooded with the game of blame, mainly to Bollywood mafia; while local people and fans were holding Karan Johar and star kids responsible for the actor’s death, big actor’s and actresses like Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Kriti Sanon, Deepika Padukone, etc., expressed their grief on their respective social media platforms.
Many persons from Bollywood were criticized and badly trolled. One among them was Nupur Sanon, Kriti Sanon’s sister, who has appeared in the song Filhall alongside Akshay Kumar. When Sushant died, she posted nothing regarding his death while everyone was following this ritual. Most of the users afterwards questioned her silence on the matter. The next day she came up with a post, in which she wrote, “Let me grieve in peace”. Yet, the trolling continued.
Seeing this, Kriti Sanon stood in her defence and attached a post on her Twitter handle and Instagram account about the obsession with social media platforms. In her note, she wisely stated that if one person is in shock but is not coming on social media to advertise it, it is said to be trickling fake tears of a crocodile. One who is indeed showing fake grief but comes on social media with a post regarding how bad they are feeling in the event of someone’s death is considered to be in real distress.
This is how hypocrisy on social media works. Kriti was undoubtedly a 110% right. Mr Rajput’s sudden death developed such formidable fire that it is still burning with the same ferocity. Hence, users are even criticizing many. Consequently, they have already started ensuring Sadak 2 will flop by disliking its trailer, creating another history of the most disliked trailer; and the next film they are planning to flop is Khaali Peeli, in which Ishaan Khattar and Ananya Pandey are starring, both of whom are considered the products of nepotism.
In another instance, we observed hatred spreading through just one post. While some may not be aware of the man, Hindustani Bhau is a former contestant in Bigg Boss and now a public figure who is known to show his ‘patriotism’ by exposing ‘traitors’ (who are renowned persons) by abusing them sitting in his car. One such day, he abused Shahrukh Khan and asked his fans and those whoever listening to him, to get Mr Khan’s upcoming film flopped, only because he didn’t speak up for Sushant Singh.
Hindustani Bhau also claimed him to be a traitor. Now, let’s calculate his patriotism. The fight of Sushant Singh Rajput has caused protection for outsiders and bridged appreciation for them. Shahrukh Khan is the world’s biggest outsider who is ruling the entire Bollywood without any godfather. As people talked about insiders having eaten outsiders’ jobs, how did they forget that SRK is also an outsider who paved his way into Bollywood with a lot of struggle and hard work?
Mr Bhau was clearly in the wrong here and abused him. The SRKians (a term used to show fanbase of Shahrukh Khan) reported Hindustani Bhai’s Instagram account in big numbers, after which his account got suspended. It was a tight slap. Shahrukh Khan did not stand in SSR’s support because he knew how filthy the society, that he lives in, is. That’s the main reason why Sushant himself decided to keep it secret. Here, those people who assure you to help in your hard time become the main reason for your problem themselves.
I can’t remember the date; however, some days ago, Aamir Khan was spotted with the first lady of Turkey (yes, it is the same country that has always opposed India) as he went in her country to shoot his next film. After some images of him with the first lady went viral, people unthinkably tagged Aamir an anti-national. This incident shook me all over. I mean, what’s wrong if Aamir is having a meeting with the first lady of Turkey?
It does not matter even if they never loved India. Aamir was there for his purpose, not there with any political purpose, then why so much hatred against him? He can’t go there to fund terrorism that “I invite you Turkey to implant a bomb in the overpopulated region of Mumbai and make it Syria!” Could you imagine him planning so? No, you can’t, neither can anyone else. He is a decent man who went there because he was invited. That’s it. There’s no problem with it. But how our social media users reacted on this matter exposed that there is a lot more to focus on our mindset.
In recent days, a post on In recent days, a post on Facebook containing fake propaganda was circulated all through, which caused immense damage in the city of Bengaluru. Just a single post, and that too illogical. containing fake propaganda was circulated all through, which caused immense damage in the city of Bengaluru. Just a single post, and that too illogical.
By all these examples, I am just trying to clarify that social media is a virtual world. It can be a good platform if you use it for a good purpose. But exploiting it to spread hatred, negativity, and badness is not an appropriate thing.