In this era of connectivity, everything is just one click away! You can get any information in few clicks. But as every coin has two sides along with the pros it has some cons also. Along with gaining knowledge, it is also used for entertainment and fun which is not something bad. You follow influencers, artists, and all sorts of persons you like, and due to this, you can get any information on anyone you want. But the problem occurs when you become obsessed with someone or you stalk them. As an adult, it’s easier to differentiate between right and wrong and have your own opinion. Teenagers, are easily influenced by trending reels on Instagram, seeing the lavish lifestyle of influencers, or all sorts of things that attract you and want to have same life like them.
According to statistics, the second most viewed website in the world is YouTube. The streaming time of it is even more than Netflix which is around 694,000. One of the contents which are very popular among teenagers is gaming, roasting, and reaction videos. After seeing such videos, teenagers get so influenced that they want to become like them. They become fans of such influencers and treat them as their idol and sometimes they cross to the extent to meet them or be with them.
One such incident happened on October 4, when an eighth-grade student cycled in three days to New Delhi to meet his favorite YouTuber. The child was located by the Delhi Police on Friday night after his parents had to report him missing to the Patiala police.
The boy was found close to the home of Nischay Malhan, his favorite YouTuber, who runs a channel called Triggered Insaan with over 17 million followers. While the boy's parents reside in Chhattisgarh, he stays with his grandparents in Patiala.
When the boy went missing, his parents suspected he might have hatched the plan due to his obsession with "Triggered Insaan.” On his grandfather's cell phone, the boy's watch history was used to find him. His most recent video viewing was one in which a man from Bihar pedalled to meet Nischay Malhan. Because the Youtuber had lunch with his fan from Bihar and recorded a video, it appears that the very video of the fan from Bihar had inspired the child to act as he did. Social media was used by the family and Patiala Police to gather information and inform the Delhi police. The YouTuber also issued a call for information and requested the youngster to get in touch with his family.
The boy was captured on CCTV from several locations along the path. It was unclear where he slept or even took any rest. The residents' association was notified after Delhi police learned the YouTuber resides in the Pitampura neighborhood. With the help of CCTV footage, they found the boy who couldn’t meet Nishchay as he was in Dubai at that time. After a quick search, police discovered the youngster in a park at about 5 o'clock after first discovering his bicycle. The boy was taken home by his family from Delhi.
We finally located Viresh," tweeted Manish Bushan, the missing boy's uncle who had contacted the YouTuber via a microblogging platform. I appreciate everyone's assistance.
Notably, YouTuber Triggered Insaan tweeted multiple times to ask for assistance in locating the child. After the boy was saved, he tweeted, "Glad he is safe."
Luckily the boy was found but what would have happened if he had met some unexpected situations? He was influenced to meet his favorite YouTuber because the YouTuber had lunch with his fan from Bihar who peddled to meet him.
So, who was responsible for the boy's reckless behavior? Nischay who shared the video of the meeting with his fan. The grandparents who gave the boy access to watch his video, or his obsession with the Youtuber? This is an alarming situation where not just this kid but people are glued to their phones. It's sometimes necessary, and other times it's just for fun. Social media which was somewhat responsible for the boy's reckless behavior was the one that also helped him locate. So, we can't blame it either. But the problem is that when it comes to kids they learn the things they see, and listen to. Their brain is developed and they build their thoughts and opinions on the basis of their upbringing and their surroundings. So, it’s important that they learn and see things that are good for their cognitive development and build their own point of view on things. There is a huge difference between watching something for fun and getting influenced so much that you want everything like them. It’s very important to understand that fun is yours, you define it, and you don’t have to become like someone.
You are not someone else, you have your own identity, and you have your own DNA. Enjoy your life by being yourself. There is a very thin line between getting inspired and becoming a carbon copy of someone. So, get inspired but don’t lose yourself in the process.