#NewsBytesExplainer: Why Sonu Nigam got slammed over controversial tweet
What's the story
Ever since X (formerly Twitter) has allowed users to buy blue ticks, it has led to an outburst of confusion. While sometimes users impersonate celebrities, there are also occasions when a user only shares their name with a celebrity, and tweets by them are attributed to their namesake popular figure. Recently, Sonu Nigam got caught in the crossfire over a similar incident. Here's how.
Tweet
Here's what misleading tweet said
The tweet—posted by @SonuNigamSingh—weighed in on the recent debate surrounding the axing of Unacademy tutor Karan Sangwan. While the house is divided on Sangwan, the X user also shared his opinion on the raging debate. Part of his tweet read, "Thank You @unacademy for terminating Karan Sangwan. He should have focused on putting more effort into the betterment of students instead of ranting."
Twitter Post
Here's full tweet now viral on X
Thank You @unacademy for terminating Karan Sangwan. he should have focused on putting more effort into the betterment of students instead of ranting.
— Sonu Nigam (@SonuNigamSingh) August 17, 2023
A teacher must remember that his task is to teach and not to preach. Let democracy and the people of India decide their leaders. pic.twitter.com/lb4eLg1wT4
Context
Context: What Sangwan actually said
During one of his classes, now-terminated Unacademy tutor Sangwan said, "Don't forget, when you vote next time, vote for someone...well-educated, so you don't have to go through this (ordeal) again. Elect someone who is educated and understands things. Don't elect someone who only knows changing names. Decide properly." While Unacademy was quick to part ways with him, Sangwan said he stood by his words.
Trolling
Soon after, Nigam faced netizens' wrath for no reason
As soon as the aforementioned tweet went viral (it has been viewed on X over 878K times so far), people got tricked and believed it was the singer, Nigam, who stroked the political controversy. People hurled abuses and nasty jibes at him; while some called him "a spineless BJP stooge," others said they were not "expecting such sycophancy" from the renowned Bollywood singer.
Anger toward X
Accountability: Some people blamed X for heavy confusion
Going by the responses, it seems the majority of netizens fell into the trap and thought the tweet was by the Saathiya singer. But there was also another section that realized the confusion was born out of the blue tick and the same names. Some people directly tagged Elon Musk and asked him to look into X's policies again to avoid such bewildering instances.
Blue tick
How blue ticks confuse users
Earlier, X's blue tick was a mark of verification provided only to public figures/people who have made strides in their field. This system weeded out any chances of impersonation as people could easily figure out that a certain account belonged to someone popular. Now, however, people can pay Rs. 900/month (Android and iOS) to buy the tick, shooting up the likeliness of impersonation/confusion.