From Pride To Punchline: The Dark Side Of Going Viral In Kashmir

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer)
Representational Photo

By Fiza Masoodi

When 18-year-old Sana received the news that she had topped her Class 12 board exams, her modest home erupted with celebration. Sweets were passed around, phone calls poured in, and her cousins danced in the courtyard. Her success was a rare joyful moment for a family living amid everyday uncertainty.

But joy quickly gave way to silence. A photo of Sana, wearing a sweatshirt and sporting a cropped haircut, began circulating on social media, especially X. Within hours, she was ridiculed online for looking“like a boy.” A harrowing hashtag mocked her gender expression. Some even questioned her religion and upbringing.

“My daughter had done nothing wrong,” said her father, his voice breaking.“We raised her to study hard and be honest. We are proud of her. But she's a kid, and if her appearance has hurt anyone, we apologise.”

The trolls were mostly faceless. Anonymous accounts with vague bios, political memes, and sometimes even AI-generated profile pictures. Their weapon: a steady stream of mockery disguised as satire. Their aim: to shame a girl for being seen.

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This wasn't the first time.

Some years ago, a high school topper from Kashmir gave a short interview to a local news outlet. In the video, she smiled nervously and shared her dream. It was shared widely at first as a source of inspiration, until it wasn't.

People began nitpicking her voice, her choice of words, her confidence.

“Suddenly, I was being called arrogant,” she recalled.“They made memes out of my video. They turned my dream into a joke.”

The trolling spread across platforms. Users compared her to TV characters meant to ridicule modern girls. She was accused of“seeking fame” and being“too forward.” Screenshots of her interview were passed around with sarcastic captions.

“I stopped checking my phone,” she said.“It was like I'd committed a sin by speaking confidently.”

Digital abuse against women is a global concern, but in Kashmir, it carries added weight. With limited public representation and high societal scrutiny, young women who speak out or stand out are often left isolated. Online platforms, rather than leveling the field, have become echo chambers for misogyny, masked in sarcasm and cultural policing.

When a young Kashmiri girl recently appeared on national television and spoke articulately about misinterpretation of Kashmiris amid growing hostility after the Pahalgam terror attack, she was praised by journalists and commentators across India. But back home, she faced the same old music.

“Speaking nonstop doesn't make you a Kashmir expert,” read one post. Others accused her of being“detached from ground reality,” even though she lives in Kashmir. Some criticized her English. Several posts went viral not for what she said, but how she said it.

According to the 2022 Amnesty International report on online abuse, women from marginalised communities-particularly those in conflict regions-face“more frequent and more severe abuse online.” Kashmir, with its complex socio-political landscape, offers little recourse or institutional support for victims of digital bullying.

“There is a deep discomfort with female agency here,” said Dr. Saba Mir, a researcher on gender and media.“Any woman who breaks from the script-by speaking up, dressing differently, or achieving something-is quickly pulled back through online shame.”

Psychologists worry about the long-term effects.“This isn't just cyberbullying,” said Dr. Arif Shah, a child psychologist.“It's a social disciplining tool. It punishes visibility. It teaches young girls that the cost of being seen is too high.”

While some girls retreat, others push forward. They continue to write and speak. A girl trolled some years ago now mentors high schoolers, but avoids the internet. Sana, though shaken, is quietly preparing for the next exam.

Many in Kashmir believe that the celebration of a young girl's brilliance shouldn't end in a torrent of hate.

“Yet in today's Kashmir, every milestone seems to come with a backlash,” said researcher Saba, quoted above.

“What passes as humor online is, in truth, a systematic silencing of young women whose only fault is ambition and assertion.”

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