We live in the age of technological advancements. One of the most prominent markers of development is choice. Higher the number of options available, the better the industry is. These are times when being a content creator is the most sought after job and essentially this has led to mass production of content on applications that range from Instagram, Facebook, YoutTube to discreetly famous applications like Musically. This drastic and dramatic change has given the audience the power to create content, a source for entertainment for fellow viewers which is revolutionary when compared to a time when Doordarshan had a monopoly over what people watched every day and especially on Sunday evenings.
This revolution has its fair share of good and bad days. The viewers now have the ultimate control, their one click, one view, and one share can make a person famous overnight, and at the same time, the very same audience can destroy a given person’s identity, that they had so lovingly built, in a minute.
The case of the infamous Dhinchak Pooja, whose cringy content was trending but not for the right reasons, is an example of how the internet can stain a person’s reputation. The sudden recognition that she was bestowed upon soon faded away as she couldn’t capture her audience with anything substantial. The content of such creators can be equated to the news channel’s clickbait headlines, as both of them create panic and are then followed by nonchalance.
The saddest truth reveals that people at times are completely okay with defaming themselves for getting a shot at the limelight. Divyanga Trivedi, a nobody till yesterday, became a sensation on Instagram and was viciously trolled for her baseless comments on feminism. The question remains is that isn’t giving importance to such utterly insensitive and incompetent attention seekers disgraceful towards those creators who churn out meaningful content with discipline on the same platform.
However, the beauty of the cycle is such that only the deserving have gone on to achieve the kind of success that comes with respect and honor. Many of the people we admire on the screen today, have reached there because the internet provided them a platform and they used it in the best way possible, to showcase their honed talent to the world and they reaped the benefits of it.
Numerous examples of the same can be cited. Justin Beiber rose to fame and went on to sign his first album because of the videos his mum had uploaded on YouTube. The Jonas Brothers and even the Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattison achieved their ride to fame through extremely naïve and innocent beginnings on the internet.
Back to our own home country, Lisa Mishra became a playback singer the moment Director and Producer Rhea Kapoor saw her singing her own song named Taareefan on YouTube. The song and the artist have become a staple name in Bollywood today. Mithila Palkar, the girl next door with her overflowing curly hair, was picked up by the Marathi Industry, Bollywood as well as the YouTube community because of her famous video where she hums the tunes of a Marathi classic ‘hi chaal turu turu’ along with a cup. Other good names who rose to fame due to quality content production are Prajakta Koli aka Mostly Sane, Aashish Chachlani, Shirley Setia, Bhuvan Bam, Lilly Singh, and Vidya Vox to name a few.
The fragility of this internet world, the transitory nature of fame and the need for channelling its advantages beneficially is a skill that needs to be cultivated by today’s youth.
