Some time ago, I watched a video on Tik Tok in which a young man walks into a milk shop walking (in slow motion), grasps a milk drum and pours litres of milk on his head. “What non-sense!”, I thought. Then, one after the other there were similar kind of videos from different vloggers.
I couldn’t help but express my bafflement over this stupid act of wasting food deliberately. Not simply wasting but disgracing it. It was then my husband told me that the kind of video was viral those days. A vlogger got fame from his video and then every other mindless sheep was following the trend.
I come from a culture where we are not only taught to avoid waste food but also to show deep respect for it. In our values wasting food is regarded as almost sinful. Additionally, any act that disrespects food, such as bringing it to near one’s feet, is strongly reprimanded.
As a habitant of a tradition holding such values for gracing food, it was shocking for me to watch an insane act going viral, being followed and above all being liked. The scenario brings numerous questions to the surface about the shattering values in the society.
An individual creating such a video might have little regard for the values, but the video becoming viral is an indication of a collective dismissal of the value. One contributing factor is desensitisation- where repeated exposure to an unacceptable gradually makes it acceptable and normal.
I believe social media monetisation is an important contributor towards the spread of such weird behaviours. Something that initially might go viral because of absurdity and strangeness ultimately becomes a trend as more people come to follow it, considering it a jackpot for earning money.
Instead of evaluating the foolishness, the followers merely evaluate the money it is likely to bring. With the sole purpose of earning money and attaining fame, the so-called content creators follow nothing but what seems to be in demand. Thus dropping themselves deeper in the void of meaninglessness.
I acknowledge the fact that the aforementioned kind of content deserves a little resentment in comparison to the ocean of immorality and ethically compromised content being uploaded on social media. People don’t mind crushing their own or others dignity just for the sake of getting monetary rewards. They don’t consider it unethical to spread false information only to fill up their chests.
Had social media not being monetised, I am sure there wouldn’t be this much flood of unethical and meaninglessness content. Nevertheless, I don’t consider monetisation as the culprit; rather it has brought opportunities for people to present their talents and knowledge to the world while earning livelihood from it.
The real culprits are people’s greed and fragile self worth. When self-worth is not grounded on solid foundations, there is a constant need of validation from outer sources. In an attempt to become desirable and seek validation in the form of likes and shares, individuals mindlessly adopt unpleasant attitudes. The greed adds another layer to this downfall, fuelling a relentless chase for profit at the expense of integrity.
In the end, the real challenge does not lie in taming technology or silencing platforms but nurturing a society that values dignity over display, truth over trend and substance over spectacle. Social media will keep on evolving, but whether it becomes a source of meaningful expression or a stage for senseless presentation depends on the intentions of its users. The positive use of social media is possible only by reclaiming our values and grounding our self-worth on something deeper than fleeting validation from likes and shares.
This post is my participation for Hl-featured contest week 160, edition 1.
Image created by me using Bing AI