Social media has quickly become the first place to lodge an ‘unofficial’ FIR.
Harassed, abused or pinched, here’s what you need to have in the form of evidence – a photograph, a video recording or a screenshot of the ‘abusive’ chat. Post them on all of your social media platforms, twiddle your thumbs a second or two – and voila! You have a trial.
What follows is a series of shares, retweets and comments – all of which lead to the public naming and shaming of the alleged harasser. At the end of the Great Social Media Trial, the verdict is announced.
But let’s leave aside arguing the necessity of such action for a second. The bigger question is this – how fair are these trials?
Jasleen-Sarvjeet Incident
20-year-old Jasleen Kaur posted a picture of one Sarvjeet Singh on social media which immediately went viral. Kaur alleged that he had verbally abused her and threatened her with dire consequences if she went to the police.
But within 24 hours of this act, the alleged abuser’s mother came out to say that Jasleen Kaur’s post on social media had been merely a publicity stunt and that her son was ‘innocent’.
The case has taken a most intriguing direction, with abuses flying on social media in defence of each. Which side are you on – seems to be the loaded question of the day.
Prerna Pratham Singh Gives it Back to her Facebook Harasser
Several women can vouch for such disgusting behaviour.
Prerna Pratham Singh’s ‘Others’ folder on Facebook was bombarded with obscene messages from a guy she did not know. Prerna took the road less travelled – she decided to take a screenshot of the conversation and post it on Facebook.
Prerna was an immediate celebrity and the case was discussed wildly on social media for weeks after.
Woman Shames a Passenger who Harassed Her on A Flight
The elderly man in the video above was at the centre of a social media trial recently.
Caught eve-teasing a woman on an Indigo flight, the former confronted him and recorded the entire altercation. She later chose to upload it on YouTube and within no time at all, the video went viral.
“Shame the Creep” Says Girl Who Shamed Her Online Abuser
Prerna Pratham Singh seemed to have inspired a line of crusaders with her action against her harasser.
Jasleen Kaur took a similar route when she gave it back to a creep who wrote an offensive message to her on Facebook.
Actress Vishakha Singh Lashes Back at a Sexist Comment on Facebook
Fukrey actress Vishakha Singh shamed a Facebook user who posted a comment on her picture that was perverse and sexist.
The actress later removed the post saying, “Deleted the post that went viral. Not afraid of anyone but simply tired of unwanted negativity. A big thanks to all those who supported.”
Man Masturbates at Woman in Mumbai, She Turns to Twitter for Help
An American woman, Maryanna Abdo was molested in broad daylight in Colaba, Mumbai.
She chose to post the picture of the man on Twitter – which was (surprise surprise!) pounced upon by netizens immediately. Later, when asked why she hadn’t reported him to the police, she said he had “slipped” from her hands.
Her tweet was re-tweeted over 1100 times.
Kerala Cop Unzips Fly to Intimidate Journalist
Although this case was first reported on Mathrubhumi TV, the matter soon escalated when social media picked it up.
The police officer (in the picture above) had unzipped his fly to make an obscene gesture at a journalist. The case was dissected and hotly debated on Facebook and Twitter for a long time after.
Thanks to Nipun Malhotra, Zomato Will Now List ‘Disabled-friendly’ Restaurants
Nipun Malhotra had gone out with eight of his friends, when he was denied entry into Keya, located in DLF Promenade Mall in Vasant Kunj. While his friends were allowed in, he was reportedly told by the restaurant manager that Keya, “as a ‘policy’, did not allow entry to disabled persons”.
Nipun’s single tweet got 1,169 retweets and garnered a lot of attention. It sparked widespread protests among disability-rights groups. Later, the Delhi Government ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter.
Do you really need further proof of how powerful the 21st century social media network is? Potent and quick to act, it nabs many an attacker, unleashes immediate justice. We ask once again, though – is this always fair?
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