India’s Crimfluencers
When hunt for social media likes leads to harmful public behaviour, penalties must be severe
If you’re in a wildlife sanctuary, and your idea of fun is to chase down a gazelle – a protected species – in your SUV, you certainly have no business being there. So, it’s good that Ladakh admin punished a bunch of tourists – one of them had been driving in Pangong Lake – for such misdemeanours over the past fortnight. We wish their punishment had been harsher. Reports say four SUVs were impounded and released on payment of ₹50,000 each. But they shouldn’t have been released at all. Not so soon at least. Yes, ₹50,000 sounds like a lot, but so does ₹10,000 for driving without PUC. Yet, half the country drives without it, and that’s an understatement.
Illegal off-roading has become a serious problem in Ladakh. Since the region’s tourist season lasts till Sept, we’ll know soon whether the ₹50,000 deterrent worked. If it didn’t, the admin mustn’t hesitate to use harsher measures. This isn’t an attack on civil liberties. Rather, it’s a bid to restrain behaviour that endangers other people, animals and the whole ecosystem. Nor are such loutish visitors good for eco-tourism and the economy long-term.
To address the issue, also look at its motivations. Why are such tourists – with clearly no love for nature – making these long journeys? The answer, more often than not, is self-aggrandisement on social media. It’s a global problem. In 2018, LA County reported search and rescue missions had increased 38% in five years, coinciding with the social media explosion. People were rushing to national parks to perform dangerous stunts that they had seen others do. Around the same time, stunts like jumping off buildings became popular in Russia.
Australia has an apt word for people who perform dangerous and illegal acts for social-media fame – crimfluencers. And its states have been trying to bring strict laws against “post and boast” trends. Proposals include takedown orders for content, heavy fines, and up to 3 years’ jail for glorification of such acts on social media. India must also get strict on “performance crime”, because it’s getting out of hand now.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
