Does it take just a hash tag for the impeccably mannered to mutate into the boorish? Ayesha Takia and Siddharth Mallya would have us believe so.Last fortnight, gossip galleries were buzzing with news about a Twitter spat between the Bollywood actress and wife to restaurateur Farhan Azmi, and the UB Group heir. He called her 'an actor of some sorts'. She thought he was a 'fat, pompous jack ass sitting on daddy's coattails'. The depreciation that followed Takia's sister experiencing what she terms agony over a canceled flight on Mallya's airline, was witnessed by not just 1,90,000 + 1,50,000 followers but the whole social networking stratosphere.
Takia and Mallya have company. In 2010, actress Sonam Kapoor called writer Shobhaa De a 'fossil' after she labeled one of her films a 'dull.. dud of a movie'. Recently, superstar Shah Rukh Khan's former best pal Farah Khan's husband Shirish Kunder dragged their physical brawl onto the micro blogging site, while making digs about Ra.One's box-office failure.
On a platform as democratic as Twitter, this is a dangerous trend. Any social medium is governed by norms. The virtual social world, however, is devoid of rules. Experts wonder if that ought to change. It rather not, says journal ist turned-writer Samit Basu. "The very charm of social networking platforms is that they entertain. It's an exciting world with its own set of laws. You can always choose to 'unfollow' or 'block' a person you think offensive." Free speech and free listening is what Basu propagates. Each one is allowed to speak his mind, and those privy to the exchange can disconnect at will. The worry? Often, platforms like it are used to play out personal vendetta. With followers spend- ing as long as 15 hours a day on the site, the difference between the virtual and real world is blurring.
Besides, being a spectator at a free mudslinging match is irresistible. Nothing gets us more excited than a tamasha. Nothing gets more TRPs than vicarious reality TV.Ten days after vitriol-spouting, Sonam Kapoor tweeted about being "ashamed for my momentary lapse in judgment," highlighting what is the platform's biggest strength and worst drawback - immediacy. Here, reaction can precede thought. Takia's rants were generic, not targeted at Mallya. But he chose to jump in, trashing the most cardinal rule - if a comment is insulting, don't engage in the first place.
"Social networking platforms are two way mediums. And the thing about celebrities is that they have more followers than regular Joes. They also tend to use these sites as a broadcast medium. When a brand image is hurt, like in this case, people can get emotional," says Twitter enthusiast and actress Gul Panag. De says she pays zero attention to venom. "I use Twitter judiciously to make a pertinent comment on social or political issues."
It's impossible, users argue, to be prudent at all times. A large part of the virtual medium's success lies in the liberty it offers to stretch boundaries. But who decides how much is too much? Author, marketing guru and social commentator Suhel Seth follows a simple rule -"Don't respond to provocation or any statement after you are three drinks down, or post 11 pm, when your nerves are wrought with tension, and you are ready to crash."
Celebrities have it extra hard. They have to live up to being role models, even if they aren't. With millions of youngsters looking at social networking platforms for their daily dose of wisdom and entertainment, it's possible that they will pick up a few celebrity Twitter traits. Author Chetan Bhagat says there exists no Best Practices Manual for Facebook and Twitter. "If something like this (spat) happens, it's best to apologise on the same platform. That too will reach out to as many people."
Mallya's father, Dr Vijay Mallya, did in fact, personally apologies to Takia over Twitter. If he hadn't, she could have simply chosen never to fly or drink Kingfisher, and remember Rule No. 20 from Sports Business reporter Darren Rovel's The 100 Twitter Rules to Live By list: Just because you are getting slammed doesn't mean you should blame Twitter. Learn to absorb the hate and get a thicker skin, it's useful in life.
