Draw the line, not flak

It has been three decades since the World Wide Web launched and were still rolling with punches for the vagaries of the virtual world never cease to surprise One moment youre an Internet star and the next a trolled malefactor Look at what happened with Mumbaibased actor and social media influencer Rytasha Rathore who went from being a boss lady to a dumb woman in a matter of hoursIt happened such that Rathore mdash who has 618K followers and was lauded earlier this year for breaking stereotypes and flaunting her curves in a bikini mdash set out for a class from Versova on a humid afternoon Having spotted a cute stray pup she invited her into the auto Then after she was done uploading pictures and videos with the dog she left her in Khar 89 km away from her natural habitat When Rathore emerged six hours later ironically from a selfawareness class hell had broken lose onlineRathore and the misplaced dogPerhaps the actor was hoping for likes but the plan backfired and people were angry with her for relocating the dog Rathore made it worse by responding to the reprimands irresponsibly and saying Khar was an upgrade from Versova Eventually she had to apologiseFollowing the post Rathore faced backlash from all cornersBut the one question that everyone asked animal lovers and crestfallen followers alike was to what extent should you go for the sake of your feed Infuriating as the incident is it takes a lot of compassion to consider the fact that Rathores actions were in fact not intentional So what was it that made her act so callously Is it okay to rely on the marketability of emotions in this case those attached to animals for the sake of a few postsBe social be responsibleNahid DaveConsultant psychiatrist at Insight Clinic Nahid Dave says it is important to recognise why people post on social media and there are many aspects to it To begin with the virtual world provides a platform to express yourself but has over the years also become the space for validation When you see a hundred likes for your post it gives you a dopamine kick and so you keep engaging in it over and over again Social media also gives you the opportunity to project your life in the way you want others to see it Dave elaborates adding that sometimes people rely on the happygolucky nature of the virtual world to fill the void in their real lives From the consumer angle she explains it works such that following someone with a relatively more exciting life helps open up a window to places foods and experiences missing in your own Its not just the words the pictures too have a radial and olfactory impact on your sensesIts this allure that often keeps us uncontrollably hooked as users and consumers This impacts our psyche in a strange way often leading to unnecessary introspection Sometimes people lose touch with their reality because theyre so engrossed with their phones and in observing the lives of others For example when you see a couple on their honeymoon it creates the impression that theyre happy with no ups and downs And then you question your own happiness she adds These thoughts of selfdoubt disappear when you receive admiration online too It is then that you start treating every instance as a photo opportunity whether youre travelling or out for a family meal This further leads to dampening personal relationships Dave warns pointing to the vicious and cyclic nature of Internet obsessionDamage controlIt follows then that much of who we are online is not even real and being addicted to it could lead to a blurring of lines Its almost like an alternate personality Dave shares adding that it is possible that Rathore who is otherwise loved online is inherently a fatuous person So in the spur of the moment she perhaps didnt account for the backlash or the way things would play out as she was more fixated on getting the post outAanam Chashmawala But there are ways to ensure that such a mishap doesnt occur Popular blogger Aanam Chashmawala suggests that the key lies in finding the balance between what works statistically and what works organically Intuition here plays a huge role and mindfulness as Dave proposed helps with that Elaborating on ways in which you can be more responsible as an influencer and on social media in general she says As someone whos constantly saying no to stereotypes I try to do my bit by extending that principle to my work frame as well The main filters I keep on my content is by asking myself if I would be talking about this organically and if it is relevant to my audience So youll never find me endorsing a skin lightening cream for instanceSpeaking about the addictive nature of her work and the impact social media has on your health Chashmawala recommends practices that can help I went through a fairly low phase at one point when I wasnt sure if I could keep up but I decided to focus on the positive I started making sure that I didnt scroll at the start of my day That helped me stay productive I also began keeping track of my screen time she tells usAmi SavlaBut what does one do when things have already gone awry Is there a way to salvage your reputation One must realise that each person is entitled to hisher opinion Hence it is important to ensure that there are no loopholes Voice your opinion after a couple of hours of reflection not at the spur of the moment check your language twice and ensure nothing you post is contradictory to your personal philosophy This way you can be more careful but accept the fact that at the end of the day you do not have any control over the way people perceive you The only thing we can do is keep our intentions clear and be smart with what we put out shares Ami Savla Hemani founder of Socialize Store that helps brands leverage their social media handles Hemani cautions that it is important to not let one post ruin your online experience and wait it out till the waters are calmerPerhaps thats what Rathore is now trying to do by turning her account into a private one after sharing a public apology However in the larger picture it is not just her actions that matter but also the finer details where one is congnisant of how and when to draw the line despite the heady pull of the InternetDont displace dogsNirali Rohit KoradiaEven when a pet owner takes their dog for a walk its obvious that new dogs do not allow them into their territory This facet of a dogs nature is known even to those who are not necessarily compassionate towards animals So by relocating a dog youre putting them in danger Not only that it also disturbs the balance of their population in both the areas and leaves a deep psychological impact on the animalNirali Rohit Koradia animal welfare workerCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates