Perils of Social Media: Why fake accounts in Sushant Singh Rajput's case should be treated as a red flag

Apart from demanding justice for SSR, netizens also seemed to echo similar sentiments for Rhea Chakraborty, Mumbai Police and the state government but was it authentic?

Written By Pinkvilla Desk 981353 reads Mumbai Updated: October 12, 2020 03:19 am

Perils of Social Media: Why fake accounts in Sushant Singh Rajput's case should be treated as a red flag

It will soon be four months since the demise of Sushant Singh Rajput and the last few months have seen a roller coaster coverage of the tragic demise that took place on 14 June, 2020. The topic of discussions have been varied and have revolved from the dark side of Bollywood to nepotism to mental health. However, apart from these discussions, conspiracy theories around the actor's demise has flooded the Internet and social media incessantly.

These conspiracy theories have resulted in ugly war of words, distasteful comments and character assassination of the late actor as well. Netizens and self-proclaimed fans of Sushant Singh Rajput have whole-heartedly even participated in discussions around these theories. From trying to establish links between Sushant and his former manager Disha Salian who passed away a few days ago to dragging various other Bollywood celebrity names, the conspiracy theories got murkier.

Amidst this, there was a growing resentment against the industry as voice for 'Justice For SSR' grew louder and louder. The campaign even gained international traction and something related to the late actor invariably used to trend on Twitter for weeks. Apart from demanding justice, netizens also seemed to echo similar sentiments for Rhea Chakraborty, Mumbai Police and the state government.

It is only in the last few days that the Mumbai Police revealed that the SSR campaign included over 80,000 fake accounts that were created on various social media platforms to ‘discredit’ the city police and the Maharashtra government.

Should we be worried?

The answer should definitely be yes. Social media is no longer a place where one only puts out their opinion. It is in fact become quite the opposite where opinions are used to influence thousands and millions of people and rake up a storm. Like fake news, fake accounts operating and spreading these conspiracy theories or rumours is not just dangerous but can largely lead to public outrage without facts in place and hamper mental health of those being targeted. Hate messages, threats and vilification of an individual are another facet of fake accounts.

These fake accounts and the traction they receive also hold up a mirror to the amount of ignorance present on social media. It is now more important than ever to take conscious efforts to vet social media accounts before following or re-tweeting. As active users, the recent episode should serve as a reminder that social media must be used responsibly if not anything else.

ALSO READ: After Rhea Chakraborty's bail, Mumbai Police warns media of stern action if found 'chasing' vehicles of celebs

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Anonymous 3 months ago

I fully believe he was murdered. That is not a ligature mark from a Kurta. Disgusting and disgraceful Rhea buck teeth destroyed his life.

Anonymous 3 months ago

u guys got conned by rajput lies lol lol

Anonymous 3 months ago

I am not a bot or a troll, my account is not fake. I believe SSR was murdered. I have every right to stand up for what I believe. Remember 3 top investigating agencies have not given verdict.

Anonymous 3 months ago

Ok Beijing

Anonymous 3 months ago

The first four comments prove how fake bullywood PR is, everyone can see right through the same old rhetoric. NOBODY we know in real life has ANY respect for criminal Rhea! PV post it.