For many years now, celebrities have been using social media for engaging with their fans and followers – a reciprocal relationship, where in exchange for adoration, stars give their fans access to their personal lives. It is a two-way street that is often strewn with untoward opinions, judgments and comments.
Pakistan is no different and social media engagement is thriving here. It isn’t unusual at all for celebrities to post pictures of themselves and their families on Facebook and Instagram. In fact, if anything, it is almost expected of them, especially on occasions such as Eid. Model Nadia Hussain was no exception and this Eid, she posted some photographs of herself with her family on Instagram. What should have been a warm and fuzzy moment for everyone, turned sour quite quickly, when one of her ‘followers’ made a derogatory comment about her children, calling them ‘mailay’, which literally translates to dirty, but is often used to indicate that someone is unkempt and unsophisticated. And Hussain was having none of that.
She retaliated – but her choice of language and expression opened another Pandora’s Box on what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour. She launched a tirade that was laced with abuse, foul language and expletives – none any more acceptable than the verbal abuse she and her family had faced that started this story.
The journalist in me tried very hard to find the incendiary comment, but after wading through several hundred comments, my will broke, and I decided to accept the story as it was reported on popular blog posts and online magazines. Ultimately, I decided that it wasn’t important, in this case, to know the details. What was important was to try and understand online behaviour – of both ‘regular’ people and celebrities.
Like many other readers, I too, spend a lot of time perusing endless articles online, and have discovered that the comments section – regardless of what issue is being written about, and where in the world the story is originating – can be a vile and brutal place. The anonymity allows people to say things and express opinions that one would never do in real life. This phenomenon is so prevalent, there is even a term for these hatemongers – they are called internet trolls. And one thing we know is that it is pointless to engage these internet trolls in any meaningful discourse, because you don’t know who you are dealing with. They could be people doing this for the sake of entertainment, or to kill time, or just to be spiteful.
In Pakistan, much like elsewhere in the world, internet trolls have made it their business to dissect and tear apart celebrities and their families on social media for the most trivial things. Last year, actress Ayeza Khan was trolled twice. First when she posted a picture of her two-year-old daughter on Instagram, and a follower called the baby ‘ugly’, and second when several followers criticised Khan for putting up a picture of her daughter in a mermaid costume, because they thought she was “encouraging nudity” and felt it was their responsibility to police her.
Actress Syra Shehroz came under fire recently for wearing a knee-length dress on holiday with her husband. Model Aamina Shaikh has been ridiculed for her dusky skin tone. Sana’a Khan, actor and model Fawad Khan’s sister, whose engagement pictures were posted online, was called out for her weight… and the list goes on and on. Hussain is just one more name on the list – and certainly will not be the last.
The difference between her story and everyone else’s is that she reacted to the troll using language that was much worse. And she did not stop there – she then lashed out at the people who ‘dared’ to question or criticise her, attacked their families and children, and ultimately, weakened her own argument by doing exactly what she was trying to fight.
Hussain, and other celebrities, have every right to be angry at followers for crossing boundaries, they have a responsibility to call out cyberbullying and online trolling – but they have to do so constructively, and intelligently, otherwise, all we get is petty cat fights in the comments section and no real change in people’s mindsets. Hussain did something very brave, which is confronting her troll and taking on the issue of cyberbullying and bringing it to the forefront without caring about how this may impact her celebrity status. What is disappointing is how she chose to do this. What could have been the beginning of an awareness campaign on social media etiquettes and sensitivities, ended up being the topic of yet another blog post.
Sheherzad Kaleem is a documentary filmmaker based in Dubai. sheherzadk@gmail.com
Comments (8) Closed
Very good article Sheherzad! Glad you brought this to light. Let's not make it complicated. Internet is 'the world'. When you post something here, you're assuming responsibility for opening up to the world whether it's this comment, a picture on Instagram or an article in a magazine. One needs to realise that whatever you put in public will be seen, read and analysed by all sorts of people. Some will appreciate it, some may criticise it and other may even be rude about it. You just have to accept it on the chin and move on. You cannot control how anyone will react or what they will say once you've posted something.
So let's just be mature about sharing our lives and views on the internet. You're opening yourself up to scrutiny, either take it or leave it BUT you can't control it.
Yes she was justified in her actions. How can anyone tolerate ill talk against your children and the person who bashed her children is insensitive cruel human being.
One has to protect once own privacey.
If you make your private life public, then you should ready for all sorts of comments to be made - good and bad.
The fact that she launched into a foul mouthed tirade reveals more about her than the person who made a throw away comment that her children looked a bit unkempt.
NH should know that this kind of a behavior is a norm on social media. Reacting to this won't really help anyone.
Frankly this the first time I have heard about Nadia Hussain, Ayeza Khan and Syra Shehroz. I guess they are mere wannabes who have nothing better to do other than posting their pics on social media to stay in news. In that case, they have no right to complain if they are trolled.
Your article is so limited in a world of online/social media etiquette that you forget that beyond celebrities and models and actors these personalities are human! No one will stand for abuse towards another’s child! Her social media means she puts up what she wants for her followers! Those there for abuse purposes are following for the wrong reason! She has every right to react the way she did and others should follow pursuit! Just because someone is famous, at no point is it acceptable to slander or abuse them!
Once I was traveling from Islamabad to Karachi. While all of us were standing in queue for boarding passes, Nadia hussain came and broke the queue using her star power and demanded the boarding. I can expect anything from person of such manners
Comments (8) Closed
Very good article Sheherzad! Glad you brought this to light. Let's not make it complicated. Internet is 'the world'. When you post something here, you're assuming responsibility for opening up to the world whether it's this comment, a picture on Instagram or an article in a magazine. One needs to realise that whatever you put in public will be seen, read and analysed by all sorts of people. Some will appreciate it, some may criticise it and other may even be rude about it. You just have to accept it on the chin and move on. You cannot control how anyone will react or what they will say once you've posted something.
So let's just be mature about sharing our lives and views on the internet. You're opening yourself up to scrutiny, either take it or leave it BUT you can't control it.
Yes she was justified in her actions. How can anyone tolerate ill talk against your children and the person who bashed her children is insensitive cruel human being.
One has to protect once own privacey.
If you make your private life public, then you should ready for all sorts of comments to be made - good and bad.
The fact that she launched into a foul mouthed tirade reveals more about her than the person who made a throw away comment that her children looked a bit unkempt.
NH should know that this kind of a behavior is a norm on social media. Reacting to this won't really help anyone.
Frankly this the first time I have heard about Nadia Hussain, Ayeza Khan and Syra Shehroz. I guess they are mere wannabes who have nothing better to do other than posting their pics on social media to stay in news. In that case, they have no right to complain if they are trolled.
Your article is so limited in a world of online/social media etiquette that you forget that beyond celebrities and models and actors these personalities are human! No one will stand for abuse towards another’s child! Her social media means she puts up what she wants for her followers! Those there for abuse purposes are following for the wrong reason! She has every right to react the way she did and others should follow pursuit! Just because someone is famous, at no point is it acceptable to slander or abuse them!
Once I was traveling from Islamabad to Karachi. While all of us were standing in queue for boarding passes, Nadia hussain came and broke the queue using her star power and demanded the boarding. I can expect anything from person of such manners