JAY JOSHI
There is no dearth of creative people out there, and social media such as blogs, Facebook, YouTube etc have provided good platforms for talented content creators. A number of people also use the social media to talk about their experiences and emotions. In many cases, people tend to share details of their personal life on social media, and thus, their followers, who have never met the creators face to face end up knowing everything about the lives of social media personalities they follow. How good or bad is this? What to do about this phenomenon? There are some of the key questions faced by the content creators and their followers on social media.
“I have seen people empty their minds on social media after going through bad patches in life. They seek to garner sympathy from the netizens by doing this,” says blogger and columnist Mrunal Desai from Paikul, Sattari. “I feel that one needs to draw a line as to how much and what to share on social media. At the end of the day, you are influencing your followers, so you have to be responsible while sharing.”
Bharati Paranjpe, a writer and blogger from Khandepar also believes that regulation, and not prevention of sharing is the right step to be taken in such cases. “We live in a globalised world where technology and social media are an integral part of our lives. I don’t think I should limit my own freedom of expression fearing that someone will take undue advantage of it,” says the writer, but she does acknowledge that there is some degree of danger in doing so. Paranjpe, however, hints that the society at large developing respect for privacy as well as openness is just as important as a content creator being aware of what they are sharing on social media.
Comedian Warren Viegas from Dona Paul has a different take on the issue. “I believe it depends on person to person as to what you should and should not share. There are some who will find success in sharing personal stuff and creating controversy, while there are also people who do not reveal much about themselves, but are still successful,” says Warren. “But if you are putting up something deeply personal now thinking that it would be fun, it could haunt you in the long term,” he elaborates, adding that a creator has to be prepared to face the consequences if they are sharing something that is bound to make others uncomfortable, or is deeply personal.
Mukund Narvekar, an assistant professor in Sanquelim, feels that it all comes down to the goal of the content creator. “If the content creator is market oriented, they will certainly put out content that will increase their audience. We live in a world where Youtubers themselves are becoming big brands. When you have large number of followers, it is not always possible for you to have a personal life,” says Narvekar. “Sometimes people who work as full-time YouTubers and have lots of followers run out of good ideas for content. Then they sort of force themselves to post something, and end up posting details of personal life. This could be a disaster,” says Narvekar.
Some people feel that they share a good bond with their followers on social media, and thus, share their innermost feelings online. The followers too offer some good advice and consolation, but what if there are some among the followers who might secretly enjoy the show as the life of the content creator unfolds before them like a biopic? Perhaps that is a small cost to pay for one’s social media stardom.
