Over the past decade, the rise of social media has dramatically transformed how we engage with public figures. While we all enjoy being connected via the internet, it has its own drawbacks, one of the biggest being - cyberbullying. While trolling and online hate have become common buzzwords, the emotional and psychological impact on celebrities and public personalities is often overlooked or dismissed as 'part of the job.'
Recently social media influencer Apoorva Makhija, popularly known as Rebel Kid, opened up about receiving death threats, rape threats, and even acid attack threats online. She shared a bunch of screenshots on her Instagram, showing how trolls attacked her online and even doxxed her.
Over the years, many celebrities including Rhea Chakraborty, Ananya Panday and Khushi Kapoor have become victims of online hatred. And these are just a few of the names.
In 2020, Rhea Chakraborty was subjected to a nationwide witch hunt after the tragic death of her partner, actor Sushant Singh Rajput. She faced relentless trolling, media trials, and constant online abuse. The internet judged her guilty, long before the courts had a say.
But the pattern doesn’t stop there. Ananya Panday has been trolled for everything from her looks to her statements. Aishwarya Rai, a global icon, has faced the heat of the internet after she gained weight postpartum.
'Naadaniyan' actor Khushi Kapoor, was severely trolled not just for her acting skills but was bodyshamed and judged for her alleged facial surgeries. The common thread? A toxic digital environment where dehumanising public figures is not only easy—it’s encouraged.
What makes this especially dangerous is the illusion that social media exists in a vacuum. But it doesn’t. Social media implies human connection, real people, real emotions. Yet the anonymity and emotional distance of the internet have blurred the borders. Behind screens and usernames, empathy is often missing.
Keyboard warriors forget—or choose to ignore—that their words land on actual, real people.
This raises a critical question: if we can’t even interact respectfully with fellow human beings online, are we truly ready for a world driven by artificial intelligence? Is the world prepared to interat with robots, if humans can't even have a normal interaction with other humans? The need for digital empathy and cultural accountability has never been more urgent!
