‘Reel Culture Has Spread Like A Virus, Infected Young Minds’

Himanshu Kumar, a student of BR Ambedkar School of Specialized Excellence, Delhi, feels pained when he sees youth stooping lower and lower in their craze for making reels. His views

I would like to share my views about the morbid craze of making reels, or shorts, which has currently gripped the entire nation. These reels are basically short-duration video clips, showcasing any activity with just one goal – draw more and more viewers. Some reels depict dangerous stunts, others third-rate, bawdy humour or an absurd activity that can catch eyeballs. This disease has now taken the form of an epidemic – infecting every nook and corner of the country.

As far as I can recall, this craze began in 2016, when a Chinese app called Tik Tok emerged on Indian social media scene. By 2018, it became the most downloaded app in the US. By 2022, it was the most downloaded app in the entire world.

Tik Tok took over India’s ‘youth mind-set’ in 2017. Many people get attracted by the so-called ‘creative’ videos on it. But it did not take long for some highly disturbing videos to emerge on the app too. These videos could range from vulgar acts, to a degrading depiction of reality. The dark irony is that people started liking these clips!

Earlier, it was meant only for entertainment purposes. Soon, crass nudity, perverse shows, masochistic, sexist and mindless violence etc, took over the reels, attracting those who are hooked on the most perverse dimensions of life. This crude content then spread into people’s mobile phones like forest fire!

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Amid India-China tensions, Tik Tok was banned in the country. However, plenty of new apps arrived like Moj, Mx takatak, Josh etc to fill in the shoes. Popular social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram also hosted and encouraged these reels to increase their userbase.

There can be many reasons why certain people like these videos, especially youngsters. A curious teenager can be attracted by the ‘bold’ content created by the opposite gender. Some may get cheap thrills by stunts while others may find these acts humorous. There are instances where these videos could be downright perverse porn clips, mostly objectifying women. The creators only seem to be chasing the frivolous pleasure of ‘likes’ and ‘followers’.

Of course, there are others, talented and sensitive creators, who are making educational and informative videos. Some of these accounts are deeply committed to the idea of making the world a better place. They are also interested in the creative dimensions of our social and aesthetic reality. They often share quotes from books, clips from meaningful cinema etc. However, such content is more often gets trolled by the non-serious viewers. If this is not the first step towards the destruction of the mind, then, what is?

The point is that all this adds to an aggressive, sexist and macho mindset. Unfortunately, this can lead to anything! We often read reports how an influencer lost his or her life to this craze for making reels. It is this degeneration of mind that leads to rising criminal incidents, including rape and murders, in our society.

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As told to Amit Sengupta