Can social media trolling affect celebrities’ mental well-being?

The 21st century has seen so many changes and one gigantic change has to be the advancement of technology. And the invention of smartphones has given everything to us on our fingertips. Bollywood celebrities are under intense media scrutiny from not only print and broadcast (traditional mediums) but also from social media.

Social media certainly has its positives and advantages, but it can boomerang on you and become counterproductive in no time. The celebs over the last 3-4 years directly want to communicate with their fans via Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. It is a brilliant tool for communication and stars can freely express themselves by sharing pictures, news, a video regarding their projects or personal life. But, in recent times some keyboard warriors hiding behind their computers anonymously go down to the dangerous route of abusing and trolling celebs over trivial issues.

Let’s look at the examples of Bollywood stars for a minute. Arjun Kapoor, Karan Johar, Malaika Arora, Disha Patani, Poonam Pandey, Taimur Ali Khan, these celebs have been mercilessly trolled and sometimes very filthy language have been used against them. There is nothing wrong in criticising or having a dissenting point of view, but it cannot and should not become personal. There is a line and we should not cross it ever.

Malaika Arora and Disha Patani have been often been trolled for their clothes (or lack of it) and whether they would like to admit or not, it can get to you. Many so-called ‘trollers’ forget that Malaika has a teenage son and just put yourself in his shoes and it’s a very disgusting feeling of everyday reading something ugly and nasty said about your loved one.

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Disha, on the other hand, gets advice by the moral police of our country on what to wear and what not to wear? If you want to criticise her then do it on her films or performance but trolling on the basis of clothes shows how certain people are demented and it reflects their appalling upbringing.

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Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor’s son Taimur Ali Khan is paparazzi’s favourite. But, both his parents have time and again reiterated that it is not healthy for a child and in the long term, it can cause some serious damage.

The ludicrous examples of trolling are when people are targeting actresses for wearing a bikini on a beach. So, are they suppose to wear hijab or a saree while relaxing on a beach? And why should it matter to anyone what anyone wears and eats? Because last time, I checked India is governed by the constitution and not by faceless creeps on social media.

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India is the world’s largest democracy and it has to be civilised one as well. Celebs are already living under extreme pressure because of their films, relationships and it can really affect someone’s psyche with abuse and filth on a daily basis. Also, the stars have to be careful about what they put or support on social media. We are living in the times of very hostile environment and you never know what can be taken out of context.

Social media is a tremendous medium and a superb way to communicate or raise opinion, but it has to be used judiciously. When you are attacking someone’s sexuality, religion, creed then it really messes up an individual no matter how big a star you are. The stars’ family members are not equipped to handle the barrage of abuse and its high time that people on social media think twice and read once before they put something out on the public domain for the entire world to see.

Also Read: Are Bollywood celebs becoming cheerleaders of political parties or following their heart?

Dhaval Mehta

I am crazy and obsessed with politics, sports and entertainment. A journalist, who is not afraid to give his opinion and believes in calling spade a spade. I like to think on my feet and come up with original, fresh and out of the box ideas.
Email: editor@bollywoodbubble.com Phone: +91 8355910465