We live in an online era where nothing is private anymore. The story of our life is conveniently spread over a variety of social media profiles.
Sadly, the liberation that comes from being able to talk about anybody and anything that you want to, without being ousted, has given birth to a toxic culture of stalking and hounding people online.
While some may have benefited from this overnight fame–case in point Priya Prakash Varrier, the wink girl from the Tollywood industry–there are others who are not as comfortable with the sudden spotlight and eyes that gauge their every move.
The roots of this dangerous phenomenon have been sowed by the digitally connected world we live in, where all it takes is one click and one share.
The meme-culture
The latest victim in this all-consuming trend is the ‘RCB girl’, who has been trending ever since she was caught in the camera for mere 5 seconds, during an IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad match on May 4.
Soon enough, ‘the girl in the red top’ aka ‘the RCB girl’ had paved her way into millions of Indian hearts as she went viral on the social media.
It is safe to say that social media went into a complete frenzy over the ‘girl in the red top’ as the screenshots of her face had started circulating all over the internet. A hunt had already begun for the girl who was given the moniker #TheRCBgirl.
Here is an example of the way this young woman was stalked on various social media platforms:
Indian Twitter right now : “Kudi da pata karo kede pind di aa, kede sheher di aa” #RCBvSRH https://t.co/cf0eX0sAgi
— Sagar (@sagarcasm) 1556995685000
The aftermath
Deepika Ghose, the girl who rose to fame during the IPL match on May 4th, has now taken to social media to share the mental torture that came after her 15 minutes of fame. After the panning of the camera on her for a few seconds, Deepika gained tons of followers, got a verified Instagram account and her bio reads as “#theRCBgirl.” But there is a dark side to being an overnight sensation that not a lot of us are wary of.
In a tell-all Instagram post, the young woman spoke at length about the moment she was spotted in IPL match to how her life has changed 180 degrees since then. Here is what she said:
“My name is Deepika Ghose & that is probably the only thing that is being said about me which is 100% TRUE.”
Ghose, who is an ardent Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fan, had been going to watch RCB matches for years now with her family. She obviously did not see this incredible fame coming her way.
She further added, “It all started on the Saturday of the RCBxSRH IPL match. I have been attending RCB matches for many years. It has become a family tradition to watch, cheer and support our Bengaluru team. When we went for the match on May 4th, I did not expect it to be different. I did not want any recognition or realise the number of times that I was on camera. I am no celebrity, just an ordinary girl who was enjoying the match. I did nothing to warrant the kind of attention that ensued after the TV images appeared & I certainly did not seek it.
I have much to be proud of – I am a kind, artistic & hardworking woman. I am well educated, well-travelled and well loved by my friends and family. I have many talents and have excelled at my work as a stylist and as a dancer/teacher/entrepreneur. I do NOT consider being seen on TV at an IPL match an achievement. Many people ask me how my life has changed. It has NOT! The only thing that has changed is the number of my Instagram followers. I am as much in shock as all of you.
Even more shocking is the hate I have received from women. How quick & cruel you have been to say mean things to & about me without even knowing me. I AM ONE OF YOU!”
View this post on Instagram
My name is Deepika Ghose & that is probably the only thing that is being said about me which is 100% TRUE. It all started on the Saturday of the RCBxSRH IPL match. I have been attending RCB matches for many years. It has become a family tradition to watch, cheer and support our Bengaluru team. When we went for the match on May 4th, I did not expect it to be different. I did not want any recognition or realise the number of times that I was on camera. I am no celebrity, just an ordinary girl who was enjoying the match. I did nothing to warrant the kind of attention that ensued after the TV images appeared & I certainly did not seek it. I have much to be proud of – I am a kind, artistic & hardworking woman. I am well educated, well-travelled and well loved by my friends and family. I have many talents and have excelled at my work as a stylist and as a dancer/teacher/entrepreneur. I do NOT consider being seen on TV at an IPL match an achievement. Many people ask me how my life has changed. It has NOT! The only thing that has changed is the number of my Instagram followers. I am as much in shock as all of you. While I am grateful for the love, I am disturbed by the unnecessary negativity. It has been an extreme case of abuse, trauma and mental torture. I am confused as to how people found my name/profile. My identity, privacy & life have been hacked in an instant. A lot of the overnight followers are men who have used this platform to be crude, vulgar, vicious & entirely disrespectful. Even more shocking is the hate I have received from women. How quick & cruel you have been to say mean things to & about me without even knowing me. I AM ONE OF YOU! The world desperately needs more women supporting & uplifting each other. I am appalled by how I have been judged & condemned instead of being given a compassionate hearing. Stop & think about how it is as a girl to have been subjected to this unwanted attention. So many people have asked me why they should follow me – and you are right to question this. Now that this has happened, I am going to turn this into something genuine, meaningful & fabulous. Yes, I am #theRCBgirl but I am SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.
A post shared by So many people have asked me why they should follow me – and you are right to question this. Now that this has happened, I am going to turn this into something genuine, meaningful & fabulous. Yes, I am #theRCBgirl but I am SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT!”
Surprisingly Deepika isn’t the only one facing the wrath of the unsolicited attention in the last week. Vandana Sufia Katoch, who is the mother of a 15-year-old boy, went viral on social media due to her refreshingly different take on the results of board examinations.
For the uninitiated, here is her post:
While her message evoked several heartwarming responses and reactions from parents all over India, the ‘sudden spotlight’ was surely unnerving for her son, whose picture was splashed all over the internet. This is why Sofia again took to Facebook and Instagram requesting people to be a little kind and take down the pictures and name of his son from their articles.
The bottom line
To quote Ben Parker of the Spiderman movie, “With great power comes great responsibility.” We hope that people realise that living in the digital world, we need to be more mindful of our actions. The repercussions of this instant fame can go beyond our imaginations and the least we can do is not make it harder for people with crude and unsolicited remarks.
read the full story about Viral RCB girl shares the trauma of being an overnight sensation!
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