Social Media: Your Guide To Stardom in Seconds!
There is no shortcut to success, but there might be quicker way to achieve fame! After ‘instant food,’ ‘instant-result cosmetics’ and ‘instant news;’ adding to the list of ‘instants,’ is ‘instant fandom.’ What better than the example of Priya Prakash Varrier, a South-Indian actor, whose ‘winking video’ of 20 seconds has made her ‘the national crush’ in a day.
The South Indian actress, who featured in 20-second video clip of a Malayali song ‘Manikya Malaraya Poovi’ from the movie ‘Oru Adaar Love,’ has turned into an overnight sensation, for her flirtatious expressions.
The social media, with its tentacles far and wide, made her a household name and her Instagram page has got 1.2 million followers in just one day, and her Twitter page has got over 10 K followers already.
So much that the 18-year old actor is herself surprised with the sudden surge in popularity. “Thanks for Oru Adaar Love, I am stunned by the overwhelming support across social media. Never knew my debut could be a national trend. Realised already so many twitter accounts of mine doing rounds,” tweeted the actress.
Priya’s case is not the first one among the internet sensations. There was the ‘Pakistan Chaiwala,’ whose random shot of brewing tea mesmerised the audience so much, that he landed up with a modelling job. Then there was a random girl in a selfie tweeted by Shah Rukh Khan, who got more attention that the Baadshah himself. 
Many have in fact, made a career, thanks to the social media. While the YouTube sensation Sanam Puri’s renditions of old songs have struck the right chord with the public, comedians like Ashish Chanchalani have got a platform to showcase their talent.
Then, of course, there are likes of Dhinchak Pooja, who have become famous for reasons best known to browsers! All in all, internet has turned as a ‘gateway of success’ for many. But in the process, many-a-time, what lags behind are ‘real news.’
While the videos and posts get viral, the social media, might slowly be drifting away from highlighting the real issues.
Though there are ample of pages dedicated for social messages, they usually shy away from the popularity that the troll twitter handles and pages enjoy.
“Social media is growing by leaps and bounds in India. Between 2015 and 2016, social media users rose by 15 per cent, faster than US. The young generation is of course using social media the most. So, it is natural that such videos go viral with Valentine’ Day around. Celebrities and sports score big on social media. But, has not social media been used to shame politicians? Was not Mani Shankar Aiyar made to eat humble pie for his unpalatable utterances because it went viral? There will always be a pro and con to everything and social media cannot be an exception. It will evolve,” says Siba Mohanty, a senior journalist in Bhubaneswar..jpg)
In present day, renowned sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik, with large fan following on his social media, is an ‘influencer,’ and one among the many, who uses social media platform to raise issues of importance. There are also campaigns like ‘Me Too’ which started on social media, and spread globally like a wildfire.
In an age when internet is dirt cheap and information is available on fingertips, the onus is on the users for utilising it in the most fitting manner.