With the outburst of social media usage in the recent times; one is always bombarded with viral videos, pictures and incidents from all across the world. Apart from providing easy connectivity to users it is a platform for promotions and business too. Many people today in the entertainment industry have been social media sensations prior to their breakthroughs. Yes; social media provided us an opportunity to see some immensely talented people but it has also been source of some dreadful disasters. Let us take a look at some people who have now become household names:
OSMAN KHALID BUTT:
The talented Osman Khalid is the jack of all trades. Talk about doing a task and he can do it. He is a good actor, a nice dancer which he just proved in Balu Mahi and a talented writer as he has written screenplays for movies Siyaah and Janaan. He recently wrote the script for Lux Style Awards 2017. But before all this he was known for his hilarious videos on YouTube; who can forget the hilarious parody of Humsafar that MUMMY AAP KYA KEH RAHI HAIN! He is also the co-founder, creative lead and poetry editor at Desi Writers Lounge, an online, 24/7, 365 days a year writers’ workshop and community that aims to showcase new voices in South Asian writing through their biannual publication, ‘Papercuts’. He is indeed a very talented addition to the industry.
SYED SHAFAAT ALI:
He doesn’t even need any introduction now. In my opinion he is even a better Bilawal than Bilawal himself. From Altaf Hussain to Imran Khan; he can mimic any politician and he is the only person in Pakistan who can make your wish come true of listening to the voices of your politicians speaking the truth. His latest video where he mimicked 24 singers is a proof of his immense talent. We will soon be able to see him in the upcoming movie Parwaz Hai Junoon alongside Hamza Ali Abbasi and he is certainly going to rock it too!
HANIA AMIR:
The cute and bubbly Hania Amir is a fresh addition to the entertainment industry. She made her debut with the movie Janaan where she played the character of Palwasha and won the hearts of millions with her acting. But before this she used to make dubsmash videos. And how did the makers of Janaan approached her? THROUGH A FACEBOOK MESSAGE! A place where all the girls get WILL YOU FRAANDSHIP ME messages; Hania got the offer to play Palwasha and we had our very own Preity Zinta (Well she resembles her a lot I think) and became a refreshing addition to the industry.
Zaid Ali, Shaam Idrees and Shahveer Jaffery:
We all have known these boys making brown vs white parents videos and making us smile with their hilarious ideas. They became sensations being followed by millions and their videos were watched and shared by people from all age groups. This immense popularity helped them to make some place of their own in the entertainment industry. As Zaid performed his gig in Hum Style Awards 2016; Shaam and Shahveer got the opportunity to perform in the Lux style Awards 2017 landing them the opportunity to be a part of the entertainment industry.
ARSHAD KHAN AKA CHAI WALA:
Ooper wala jab bhi deta hai chappar phaar ke deta hai. From a tea stall to the modeling world his journey is a true example of the power of social media. As everyone knows a picture of him got viral while making tea and next he was getting makeovers at Nabila’s Salon and starring in music videos. The drastic change of his lifestyle showed the true power of social media.
But all that glitters is not gold; social media has a dark face too. It not only works as a talent hunt agency; it also provides opportunities to people who misuse it and defame not only themselves but the whole nation. The most accurate example of it is Qandeel Baloch (May she rest in peace). First time I saw her on a show called Desi Kurriyan where her name tag appeared with GULUKARA (singer) written under it. But after some time like every other Pakistani I was tagged in her video on facebook and found out that she was definitely not a GULUKARA. The scene which followed was witnessed by whole Pakistan and resulted in the loss of a young soul. She did mistakes but was she the only one who made them big? NO! All of us tagging our friends in her videos, liking them and actually taking out enough time from our schedules to comment on her videos and abuse her also made her mistake huge. If the social media had avoided her in her first video she may have been alive. In her case social media really proved to be a HUGE DISASTER! As of now we are repeating the same mistake by trying to learn how to eat a tomato through Nasir Khan Jan’s videos, making memes on him and HAVING THE FAMOUS ’FUN’. Another deserving addition in the disaster list is none other than Taher Shah; though he is an ANGEL kind of disaster but obviously the guy would never have got this much attention if not for the social media and maybe the kid in the ANGEL video would have been saved from being a part of this disaster.
These are some pros and cons of the social media. If it is a bliss or disaster you decide! Plus Ramadan Kareem to all!