Social media influencers are always making great, sometimes daring attempts to connect with their audience. One of the latest of such viral videos features a man from Kolkata who accepted a 24-hour begging challenge for several raging reactions online.
In this video, posted on Instagram, the man introduces a challenge where he spends a whole day begging for money to see how people would respond to him. Wearing torn jeans and a T-shirt, he puts himself under a bridge with a bowl in hand and starts asking for donations. The entire day, he changes locations to a bus stand and then to the streets of Kolkata, begging at various places.
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By the end of the 24 hours, the man reveals that he had collected only Rs 34, a sum that he later donates to a homeless woman on the street. This gesture, though small, added a twist to the otherwise unconventional content.
The video gained rapid popularity and people dropped their opinions. Some saw it as extreme to create content, while others were strictly disappointed, saying, “The woman you gave the money was creating her content.”
Not all reactions, though, were negative. Some liked the goodness at the end of the video. This is what one of them posted: “The ending won my heart,” while another commented, “Good experiment.”
The video, which has been viewed over 200,000 times, is part of a series of similar challenges that the influencer has attempted. He had earlier posted a video in which he tried to survive for 24 hours with just Rs 100.
The content may be divisive, but it depicts the extent to which influencers will go for attention and engagement. The result of the small amount collected through the challenge is donated to a homeless person in a mixed yet heartwarming conclusion that balances out the criticism with a positive gesture.
Some viewed it as a wrong attempt to social experiment, while others praised the philanthropic twist. The video has continued creating controversy, with many inquiring about the lengths influencers are willing to go for content and what that does to their audience.
This is the latest in a chain of controversial content challenges, and social media influencers are really struggling to walk the thin line between creativity and sensibility in the digital age.
