TikTok famed Dolly is currently under ‘fire’ for posting a bizarre video on Tiktok in which she allegedly set fire to a forest just to shoot two 15 seconds videos. Here’s what has happened so far.
Background
The hillside, assumed to be Margalla hills, was blazing as Dolly was seen lip-syncing to Pasoori in a silver gown she was promoting for a brand. The incident sparked public outcry and the said Tiktoker was bashed for being irresponsible towards the environment, especially in the midst of a heatwave and concerning global warming numbers.
Soon after her videos got viral and received backlash, Dolly posted a 1 minute video on her Instagram account clarifying the whole incident. According to her, people should have done their research before accusing her. Apparently, she has never been to National Park Kohsar & she was travelling back from a make up class in Haripur when she saw the hillside on fire next to the motorway.
She then posted another video with a man who clarified that it was him who set fire to the forest to ‘kill snakes’ that are a threat to children living in close proximity.
Nonetheless, following the incident, an application was submitted against Dolly in the Kohsar police station by the Capital Development Authority. The chairperson of Islamabad Wildlife Management Board also denounced the incident on Twitter stating, “This is a disturbing & disastrous trend on Tik Tok! Young people desperate 4 followers are setting fire to our forests during this hot & dry season! In Australia it is lifetime imprisonment for those who start wildfires. We need to introduce similar legislation @WildlifeBoard.”
Wait, there’s more! The video-sharing app itself issued an official statement reiterating its community guidelines. Tiktok’s spokesperson stated, “”We remain vigilant in our commitment to user safety and encourage everyone to exercise caution and responsibility in their behavior whether online or off.” Tiktok is determined to “remove, limit or label content that depicts dangerous or illegal acts,” he added. (Dawn)
To know more details regarding Tiktok’s community guidelines, click here.
How Twitter Reacted
Twitterati was quick to bash Dolly and this is how it reacted.
“Government of Pakistan should take strict action against #Dolly and also ban that cringe app @TikTok_Paki in Pakistan. Now these tiktokers become dangerous for nature and people too”
“Attention seekers setting fire to forests is a new low for this society. And to think she has 11 million followers….. What could be more scary?”
“#Dolly is trying to play her card, she set another place on fire near motorway and trying to cover her shameless behavior. Backgrounds in both the videos are clearly different.”
Points To Ponder
While it is completely justified to call a spade a spade, have we as audiences become too critical? To the point that we resort to believe incomplete information, refuse to verify it and jump to conclusions. We hop on the bandwagon of ridiculing, bashing and demonising anyone and everyone on social media’s radar on that unfortunate day.
Adding to that, content creators especially those with millions of followers, 11 million in Dolly’s case, should be more responsible about the kind of content they put out. Shouldn’t they be more mindful of what they’re feeding to the masses?
In Dolly’s case, it would be a helpful guideline to post a disclaimer under the video to proclaim that the influencer posting the content did not harm or damage property in the making of the video.
With that being said, the audience should also keep an open mind and let go of the ‘cancel culture’ that has become so deeply embedded in our system. We must escape from it and give people a benefit of the doubt. We suggest meeting half way, creating a middle ground so it’s not as ugly the next time something like this happens.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know!
