Why are 'BoycottNothing' and 'DearNothing' hashtags trending on Twitter?
What's the story
Just hours after launching its debut handset, the Phone (1), London-based Nothing is facing criticism in India.
Hashtags like "DearNothing" and "BoycottNothing" are trending on Twitter after a popular YouTuber Prasadtechintelugu expressed his displeasure for not receiving a review unit.
The video has amassed hundreds and thousands of views and the YouTuber's followers are now accusing Nothing of being unfair.
Here are more details.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Seemingly, Nothing has provided Phone (1) review units only to those who are creating content in Hindi and English, leaving out the likes of YouTuber Prasadtechintelugu who create content in a regional language—in this case, Telugu.
This has left Prasadtechintelugu and others disgruntled, nudging them to speak against Nothing and raising a key question: Is Nothing guilty of language bias in India?
Timeline
What triggered the furor?
Prasadtechintelugu released a video on the day of the device's launch.
The clip showed him unboxing a "Nothing" branded box with a letter inside saying: "Hi Prasad, this device is not for South Indian people. Thank you."
In the comments section, he mentioned that the letter was fake but a screenshot of the letter started circulating on Twitter. Many mistook it to be official.
Twitter Post
Here is how an unhappy Twitter user responded
#DearNothing why are neglecting south states ..they also have the capability to buy nothing mobiles ..#DearNothing instead of giving 5 mobile units for giveaway to hindi creator's you can give single unit to each South states #DearNothing pic.twitter.com/6ZCXD9FONr
— geethasandesh (@geethasandesh) July 12, 2022
Background
Who is Prasadtechintelugu?
Prasadtechintelugu has 2.93 million subscribers on YouTube. His video titled "Nothing Phone 1 Unboxing in Telugu?" has received nearly one million views in 17 hours.
His content is geared toward those who understand Telugu.
In his video, he expressed his disappointment over not receiving a review unit of Phone (1), accusing Nothing of being unfair to those creators who make content in regional language.
No official word
Nothing has said nothing about the accusations
We don't know why a new brand like Nothing hasn't reached out to leading reviewers who make content in regional languages.
After all, they also have a prominent subscriber base—something that attracts brands in the first place.
Is Nothing running short of review units? It doesn't seem like it.
Things will become clear only when Nothing responds to the accusations made by Prasadtechintelugu.