For views and voyeurism: How filming strangers for entertainment has become the new normal

On 14 August, Dhaka University came into the spotlight for a strange little scandal. Behind the Applied Chemistry Department, a boy, still in his A Levels, and a girl from Viqarunnisa School were caught in what netizens dubbed "a compromising position". They were quickly handed over to the Proctorial Team.

But what followed was worse. Instead of a simple resolution, their faces and the story were lifted by meme pages, turned into jokes and punchlines, and spread across Facebook like wildfire.

The two minors became entertainment for strangers. But why? What pleasure do people get from filming people without their consent and then putting them on trial online?

According to psychologists, this phenomenon can be explained by the Freudian theory of the id, ego and superego. 

Social media platforms can be seen as a space where the id thrives. Users post content and seek validation through likes and comments, which provides immediate gratification. The ego functions to mediate between the id's desires and the superego's moral constraints, shaping how individuals present themselves, or in this case others, online. And the superego represents societal norms and moral standards, influencing how individuals present themselves online and interact with others. The superego guides users to present a "good" image while avoiding negative feedback and judgment.

"Taking videos or photos and posting them on social media gives people a sense of pleasure, reinforced by likes and shares. In this process, they often forget about the consent of the other person or to care about how it would affect others," shared Liza Akhter, clinical psychologist and lecturer at the Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Dhaka.

On social media, it is often women who are constant targets of harassment and judgement, many times simply for existing.

Such an incident took place at Dhaka University's TSC recently, in broad daylight. A youth, reportedly a Shibir activist, was caught red-handed while lurking with his phone and secretly snapping indecent photos of women. 

Students confronted him, but instead of remorse, he claimed he was the one being harassed. "It's a public place," he argued, as if that gave him licence to violate women's privacy.

What made it worse was how quickly other men rallied to his defence, bending over backwards to protect him, while the only voices firmly raised against him came from women. 

Liza Akhter explained that in this case, after being caught, the perpetrator projected himself as a victim — a classic defence mechanism. This is what psychologists call a cognitive distortion, where a person fails to think beyond black-and-white scenarios. Here, the id takes over the ego, which should normally help them face reality. As a result, issues of consent and morality are ignored.

These incidents also give rise to the question: Can victims take help of the law in such cases?

"Previously, you couldn't file a case in such situations," said Muhaiminur Rahman Ratul, Barrister-at-Law at Lincoln's Inn. 

"But from 2021, under the Cyber Security Act, if someone records a video of you without consent, you can take legal action. However, if it is simply an ordinary photograph or video, it will not be considered a crime. Defamatory videos, sexually exploitative content, or recordings involving minors, on the other hand, are far more likely to receive justice," he added. 

Anthropology professor Manosh Chowdhury of Jahangirnagar University points to a change in social norms as a reason behind this phenomenon.

"As there has been an increase in visual or audio technology in traditional space, the innocent activity of 'looking out of the window to see what passers-by are up to' is changing. People once had the common sense to know it was not right to look through other people's windows, and curtains were used to maintain such barriers. But as time goes on, traditional norms are breaking," he shared.

He explained how, previously, when taking a photo — especially of someone with a white-collar job — permission had to be sought, and photographs were reserved for special occasions. But now, consent is disappearing. People can be photographed by anyone in public spaces. 

This nuisance of unveiling strangers is dangerous, and there needs to be awareness of the risks that come with it, Manosh added.

"Silent support — not reporting, but liking the videos, commenting on them — enables this practice. This is threatening for those who have been filmed, compromising their safety. It is time the third party, i.e., audiences, becomes aware of their actions and stops supporting it," he further said.

This obsession with filming strangers for likes and shares can also go beyond just compromising the victims' digital privacy or dignity. 

Take the case of Mohammad Rony, for instance. A few months ago, the watermelon seller at Karwan Bazar, went viral for his unusual sales pitch — "Oi kire! Oi kire! Modhu! Modhu! Roshmalai!" — drawing huge crowds, journalists, and brands. 

But the fame quickly backfired. Overwhelmed, he left for Bikrampur to escape the stress. His brother, Mohammad Rocky, said, "My brother was completely fed up with journalists, vloggers and TikTokers. They wouldn't buy watermelons nor let actual customers get in." 

Rony himself had told TBS, "I enjoy describing them with different metaphors, and it brings joy." Yet, empty promises from brands left him exploited, stressed, and financially strained.

Content creator Salman Muqtadir summarised the phenomenon aptly. 

"In this land, we don't call the fire brigade when there's a fire. We go live for views and attention. In a crisis, we aren't afraid of dying alone. We are scared of dying in front of hundreds of standing witnesses who are entertained by the tragedy."

Salman believes the camera can be used as a tool to invade privacy and humiliate others. But people can also use it to change their whole life, build their future, fight against wrong, help the nation, help the economy, and so on. 

"However, that only happens when people are intellectually sound and not when they rely on clout on social media," he added.

Sketch: TBS