They choose to remain faceless. True names are not given.

Their food for survival is razing down people for their faith, or actions or comments or failures or successes.

They are largely insecure. Without coming into the open, they fuel negativity, ridicule, and at times, even revolutions or attacks or unrest.

They may innocently troll. Or, mercilessly kill the dignity and esteem of others. They run their courts and brutally (virtually) assassinate those whom they choose to… But they themselves choose to remain faceless and nameless.

Who are they?

The NETIZENS!!!

(Disclaimer: reference is to those netizens who derive pleasure in generating a hurtful and hateful aura all around)

A netizen is a person who uses the internet, especially as a forum, for the expression of views and participation—particularly in the world of glamour or sports or politics or even in society, in general.

These days, however, they just don’t express views or participate in a discussion. They REACT! And, their reactions are either bitter and nasty or are supportive of those who have said something bitter or nasty. Their reactions and comments incite; and provoke people. Hence, increasingly, one feels that our present; our future is in the hands of dangerous mobs lurking everywhere.

In one instance, two foreign women tourists recently posted a video of they touring a few cities of India. In the video, one of them was heard saying that how our national capital city is unsafe, dangerous and polluted. Further, the slums of another city were highlighted and other uncharitable comments made about the places and people of India.

Tons of reactions followed on the internet.

Either the netizens were supporting what the women had chosen to write about our cities or the netizens were reacting furiously to the nasty things written, in a nastier way.

This is a dangerous trend.

One half of the society (not literally) is writing provocatively or offensively and the other half either gets on the bandwagon and supports it or becomes reactionary and brutally trolls what has been written

What a parochial, insensitive and ugly a society have we become!!!

Recently, actress Neena Gupta was seen wearing an apparently decent western outfit, but netizens brutally trolled her for wearing a t-shirt and shorts at the age of 64 years. Nasty, cruel and ugly age-shaming trolls were hurled at her by those hideously hiding behind screens.

To what levels are we going to stoop further? Why this urge to scar, and humiliate others for one’s pleasures? I had thought several years ago that modernity will allow individuality to bloom. Instead, we are becoming smug weirdos, arrogantly crushing others’ individual choices.

Ironically, the same day as Neena Gupta was being abused online for wearing t-shirt and shorts, there was another very disturbing news that search trends on Google witnessed a surge for photos and videos of the doctor-trainee victim who was raped, tortured and murdered in Kolkata recently. What could be more sickening than the fact that in our society, some people took pictures of the abused body and circulated before the police reached the scene. And now people are searching for those pictures and videos to quench their desires.

And, they are body shaming a veteran female artist for wearing t-shirt and shorts at the age of 64!!!

Such perverted minds hide behind screens and are pushing the society towards total despair.

Former Miss World and Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai has had an illustrious string of achievements to her credit. Yet, faceless and nameless people flooded Twitter and Instagram with brutal comments on the gowns she wore at Cannes 2024, calling her appearance ‘too disappointing’ and ‘flamboyant’ and much more.

With no experience or quality of being in the fashion or beauty business, from where does this arrogance come?

It is a disease; a disorder—to feel good after belittling others or disparaging those who are at the peak in their chosen field. It shows that we are getting increasingly dissatisfied and unhappy within.

For instance, after all the brouhaha over India winning the T-20 World Cup and the victory march that followed—Rohit Sharma was recently trolled over fitness after Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification at the Paris Olympics. People went on a spree, making nasty comments over his weight.

We have begun to feel better, running down others, instead of thinking and introspecting as to how can we make our kids decent human beings, and this speaks volumes about our mental health.

And, it is not just about throwing verbal trash at the celebrities. Anybody anytime becomes the target of reactions of netizens.

Just the other day, there was a report: a boy forced his mother, who is a flower-seller outside a temple, to buy for him an iPhone. He went on a hunger strike for 3 days and his mother yielded to his demand and got him the phone. And the netizens’ outrage went viral, calling him ‘shameless’ and a ‘worthless’ son and much more.

Who are these people who make reports go viral and blast others? Who gave these faceless people of the virtual world, the right to humiliate those they don’t know or about whose lives they have no clue of?

These netizens sit in judgement over who is right and who is wrong; who has to be paraded (virtually) on the streets brutally and who has to be given God-like status; who has worn what and where; or who is doing what and when; or who has said what and what not; or who is safe & who is unsafe; who is an asset to the nation and who are the dangerous folks and who deserves what punishment or what accolades. They sit in judgement over everyone and everything; over matters they do not fathom; issues they cannot comprehend and the real pictures or contexts they don’t really know at all...

A large number of youtubers, and influencers are igniting fires where no such reason exists and then adding fuel to the fires, --commenting and talking without sufficient knowledge, facts, or any kind of mature understanding of the context or all sides of an occurrence. A British YouTuber recently made insensitive racist remarks towards Indians on social media platforms by joking about launching nuclear bombs at India “just for the sake of it”, and then a slugfest followed.

We are communicating disrespectfully.

We are commenting dangerously.

It is dangerous; much much more dangerous than we can possibly imagine, for it encourages mob mentality; it encourages thousands and million others to join in the attack so it becomes a pile on. Once someone has tasted the sweet sensation of attacking others; making fun of others and mercilessly too ---he or she gets emboldened and then it becomes an addiction.

Yes, there are those too who generate a positive buzz and encourage those who need a voice or support. They see to it that the positive narratives multiply in the society. However, they are the exceptions and easily sidelined.

If we enjoy reading such trolls/reports and reactions of netizens, we are on the same path. And if we too form opinions or pronounce judgments and let venom or bias build inside us, we are equally guilty of adding our bit to this mentality of being spiteful & negative towards all and one.

This habit of jumping on bandwagons for pulling down others, has begun to allure our kids too. It looks like an easy way to fame, if one’s brutal post on a celebrity goes viral. Our kids are being brainwashed; being encouraged to not think rationally but become one of insane mobs. To be nasty towards others, can seem attractive to kids; can embolden them.

Moreover, the identities remain hidden.

The struggles in life are getting difficult. Aggression and frustration are naturally building in us all, by the minute.

Will our level-headedness triumph?

Or, will mob mentality unleashed by these nameless and faceless threats overpower us and our future completely?