People need to realise that it is not necessary to flaunt their philanthropism by posting photos of charity on Facebook or Instagram. Helping the poor can either be altruism or self-interest. Politicians, in the name of humanity, use charity as a medium of publicity stunt when election approaches.
By Devika Ch
The right to privacy (Art 21) guaranteed by the Indian Constitution also guarantees a life with dignity. It is the right to live without any unwarranted interference by the public, which every human being is entitled to. This freedom has often been breached since the advent of the internet. As the internet has grown, so have the people gaining access to it and integrating it into their daily lives. The Internet is now an extended part of our lives. The instances of privacy invasion through the internet have also increased correspondingly.
Lending a helping hand to the poor is an act of kindness. Government, bureaucrats, politicians, and various NGOs try to better the lives of the marginalised section through various charitable works. But the COVID-19 pandemic continues to severely affect the lives of people, so much so that it has now come to a point where several people have to beg to keep themselves alive.
In such a time of crisis, many individuals have come forward to offer their help. While the poor and destitute welcome, the forthcoming humanitarian help, it becomes imperative to bring forward how their vulnerability has made them compromise their privacy and be reduced to mere props of a bigger stage – a circus.
Ironically, in the last few months, social media platforms have been flooded with posts and pictures of organisations and individuals helping the underprivileged. Perhaps, the ones helping out do it to inspire others, draw their attention and spread some cheer around. However, it should also be noted that when publicising the charitable works just for the sake of getting ‘views’ and ‘likes’ ruins the good purpose. People need to realise that it is not necessary to flaunt their philanthropism by posting photos of charity on Facebook or Instagram. Helping the poor can either be altruism or self-interest. Politicians, in the name of humanity, use charity as a medium of publicity stunt when election approaches.
Those with money and assets do it to showcase their wealth and power or as a competition among their kind. But when the purpose of charity becomes a personal gratification which transcends the genuine care of a fellow human being, the whole purpose gets defeated.
Last year in April, the Rajasthan government banned photography during the distribution of food among the poor. An official release quoting Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot said, “Photography during food and ration distribution has been banned in the state. This should not be made a medium of publicity.” Doing charitable work in front of a camera has a little bit of hypocrisy in it. Unless the reason behind taking pictures is to bring financial relief to the poor, there is no need for a camera when one is on such a noble cause.
The helper should understand that these people have equal self-esteem and self-worth, but unavoidable circumstances have made them unable to stand for themselves. Most people who receive help are unaware that their faces and conditions are being uploaded on social media. But the people who are in need,yet also have privacy concerns, hesitate to ask for help. Some might say they have taken consent from the person in the photo but, the one helping should ask himself if he would like his photo to be posted on Facebook had he been in the place of the other person.
Simply answering with a yes or no is easier, we must also explore the grey areas. Therein lies the answer to how we should project our charitable acts.
(The writer is a social media manager of WICCI Manipur and a final year student of Mass Communication department, Manipur University)