Sagar Basisth (Sharma)
Sagar Basisth Sharma is a known face in the Comedy industry. He is a writer and is presently working as research and data analyst at a Siliguri based portal The Cord.
- Sagar Basisth (Sharma)#molongui-disabled-link
- Sagar Basisth (Sharma)#molongui-disabled-link
Journalism is considered the fourth pillar of democracy. The citizens of democratic countries deserve to know the truth, and this right is provided to all citizens by the constitution of a democratic country. It becomes important that journalism provides information that is true and does not serve anything without proper verification. But in modern times, journalism has lost its course, with TRP being the major reason, and this is a matter of concern.
The present generation is dominated by the internet, where social media significantly impacts the lives of the common public. Social media fame is not uncommon in modern days, where one becomes a popular face overnight. Social media, no doubt, provides a good platform for those who are talented, but it has several disadvantages as well. In modern days, the challenges before a media channel are not just competing against other channels but also with the social media journalism that has gained popularity over the years. In the race for views and TRP, many journalists have left journalism behind, which is not a great sign.
Social media and journalism can be dangerous enough to have a negative impact on someone’s life. If the victim of trolls is underage, it has the potential to kill their innocence. During the lockdown period in 2020, a ten-year-old girl named Prensa Regmi gained fame for her social work during hard times at a tender age. Prensa is a student in class 5, but her quest to be a helping hand so that she can serve humanity was extraordinary, which gained her respect and fame at the same time.
We all know how important masks became when the pandemic engulfed the entire planet. Prensa came forward, distributing masks to those who needed them the most and, along with it, managing food for the ones who couldn’t afford it as there was no work and daily wage workers were in great difficulty. Prensa shined as a ray of hope for the people in Nepal, as many started following her footsteps after seeing her come forward when people were mostly locked in their houses due to fear of getting infected. It took no time for Prensa to become a popular face not only in Nepal but also in other countries.
Apart from mask distribution and the Food Bank, Prensa also started a clothes bank where people could leave their old clothes so that they could be donated to those in need. She was involved with “Baaghmati Safaai Abhiyaan” and taught the entire world what a responsible citizen can and should do, regardless of age. Though she has never gone through menstruation pain herself, she talks about menstrual health, the importance of sanitary pads, and the evil practises associated with menstruation in our society so that we, as a society, can change for the better. It is rare for a 9-year-old to be so aware and mature in her thoughts but Prensa is indeed a little different.
Prensa is 10 years old now, and unfortunately, she has become a victim of social media trolls in recent days. People are making fun of her, abusing her in the comments section of her videos, and making memes out of her interviews, and this culture of trolls and roasts is showing no signs of stopping. The negative impact that these trolls and abusers can have on the social life of a ten-year-old is something that no one is talking about, and this needs due attention.
The main question, however, is: how did this situation arise?
It is getting more and more common for mainstream and social media to cross the limits of sensibility in order to get more TRP, views, and engagements. When she was giving interviews on various channels, it was critical that someone come forward and not let her innocence die, but all of the channels did not hesitate to use her face and popularity for their own gain. Inviting her as a guest proved beneficial for their channel as it gained more views and post engagement on social media, and nobody showed any concern, including her family members. It appeared as if everyone wanted to gain something from her fame.
Making a 9-year-old motivational speaker’s face may be tricky because to understand life better, one needs to experience a lot, which is never possible at a tender age. It gets hard for people to accept words spoken by a soul that has not faced many hardships, and that leads to trolls, abuse, and memes, which have become a curse to society in part because people tend to find them funny and share them with their friends in larger numbers than they find them problematic or report them.
This is just one example of what is wrong with society. There are numerous other cases where trolls and abuse have had a significant impact on people’s lives. The cricketers, the actors, and most importantly, those who speak their minds, have often been at the receiving end of social media trolls and abuses that have hampered their privacy and social lives. Whether it’s Ranu Mondal, Bhuban Badyakar of “Kacha Badam,” or Deepika Ghose, an RCB fan at Chinnaswamy Stadium, to name a few, many have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of an unnecessary mode of entertainment. Memes are fun, and they indeed spread happiness and provide an escape from the hectic and dull daily routine, but not at the expense of someone’s suffering.
