It’s personal angst, on Net

A relationship gone wrong has the virtual world in a tizzy, as cruel comments reign free

Celebrity marriages have never been easy. It’s now also becoming a norm to invade the privacy of celebs online. Be it escaping the peering eyes of onlookers and fans or even demanding moments of privacy in times of discord and despair; there’s always a price to pay if you are a public figure. And more so, if it has hit a rough patch. Testifying to the same are a slew of recent instances of how Hollywood power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s divorce after two years of marriage and over a decade of courtship broke the Internet with twitterati jumping to conclusions followed by viscous comments — attributing it to Brad’s ex-partner Jennifer Aniston, etc. People going overboard with trolls and callous comments on sensitive topics that demanded respect and privacy have become a norm. Most recently, the Internet broke out with conclusions and cruel statements after Soundarya Rajinikanth openly spoke about calling it quits in her marriage with Ashwin Ramkumar. It is quite commonly observed that unconventional celebrity marriages often attract a lot of speculation and strife, often exacerbating the issue. In the South, Sandalwood star Sudeep and wife Priya’s divorce also saw tongues wagging about their “strained relationship” early on.

Speaking about how the trend calls for smarter moderators onboard, South Indian actress Parvathy Nair reiterates, “In all honesty, nobody cares about emotions and respecting one’s privacy. People should stop swapping responsibility of their actions for a couple of likes. Given, it’s a free country; nobody can be stopped to express their opinion. But I think discussions on sensitive issues need to have moderators on board, without which anything sensational has volatile results!”

Adding to how stringent social media policing is the only way out, Bengaluru-ased relationship expert and clinical psychology professor, Madhavi Anand concedes, “Unfortunately, we live in an era of information overdose. Everything and anything that can garner attention, will. And sometimes, discussions become far-stretched because of this very pattern. The average Internet user has a sizeable advantage – to get his opinion and voice heard on a forum accessed by millions. There’s always a streak of thrill attached, to comment on celeb relationships, so much so, that a sadistic bunch out there feel good to be ‘virtually involved’ in a discussion often overlooking the repercussions of ‘half-baked information’. We need stringent policies or rather ‘social media policing’ online to combat interference or rather indifference to discourage the practice. It’s plain unfair for celebrity relationships to attract a lot of wrath. It’s time we condemn virtual diarrhea — especially in a situation when nobody is obligated to speak about, except the two individuals in questions.”