What are we laughing at?

Have we ever considered that the people who are featured in the photos or videos that we often laugh do not appreciate being mocked over the internet? Anything that is shared on the internet spreads like wildfire, leaving no room to go back. Nowadays, almost everything goes viral on social media. Recently a video was uploaded on various social networking sites. The video showed a boy singing the incorrect lyrics to a popular song which was in a foreign language. As expected, the mainstream media responded by numerous memes. Hundreds of people made fun of the boy. This is not the first time that this has happened. In the past, video clips of a college-going girl also went viral. In the video, the girl had problem while communicating in English.

All hell broke loose and people on social media started making fun of her. Have we ever thought about how our actions inflict pain on others? Victims of these social media onslaughts often go into depression. They isolate themselves from the outer world because they cannot handle the ridicule that they are subjected. For fake likes and temporary laughs, we break the confidence of these people. Such emotional pressure can have an adverse effect on a person. We need to stop creating memes at the expense of someone else. Let kids be kids. Let them make mistakes. But don’t turn them into a joke. When we are on social media, we should avoid sharing posts that are making fun of people. Such acts need to be stopped once and for all.

Syed Arqam

Karachi