We are applauding the jokers, and raising a generation on noise, not knowledge
Waseem Akhter Dar
In the age of social media, fame no longer follows merit; it follows momentum. The louder the noise, the faster it travels. Unfortunately, this digital ecosystem has given rise to a disturbing trend: the glorification of so-called “content creators” who contribute little beyond vulgarity, mockery, linguistic distortion and cheap theatrics. Chapri vloggers, self-styled jesters, and social media jokers, many with no intellectual, moral or cultural grounding, are today celebrated as icons, while genuine contributors to society remain invisible.
What is most alarming is not merely their existence, but the attention they command. Individuals who ridicule languages, especially classical and cultural languages like Urdu, who thrive on verbal abuse, meaningless antics, or questionable mental and moral conduct, are elevated to the status of “social media sensations.” Popular nicknames and caricature identities trend, memes circulate, interviews are aired, and suddenly these figures are treated as representatives of society’s voice. Media platforms, chasing ratings and clicks, amplify them further, often at the cost of scholars, teachers, artists, reformers, social workers and thinkers whose lifelong contributions have shaped communities silently and sincerely.
This inversion of values has consequences. When maskharas (jokers) become role models, mockery replaces meaning. When illiteracy becomes entertaining, ignorance turns aspirational. When distortion of language earns applause, cultural erosion accelerates. The youth, impressionable and ever-connected, begin to equate popularity with success, virality with virtue, and attention with achievement. The question we must ask, urgently and honestly, is what kind of future are we preparing for our children?
Social media was meant to democratize expression, not degrade it. It was meant to give voice to the unheard, not a megaphone to the irresponsible. Yet today, the algorithm rewards shock over substance, ridicule over reason, and spectacle over sincerity. In such an environment, even those struggling with psychological imbalance or moral confusion are pushed into the limelight, not to be helped, but to be consumed as entertainment. This is not progress; it is exploitation disguised as popularity.
As parents, educators, and members of society, this should deeply concern us. Somewhere, we have faltered in supervision, in guidance, in value transmission. We allowed screens to replace conversations, likes to replace learning, and trends to replace traditions. We failed to ask our children who they follow and why. We failed to teach them the difference between being famous and being worthy.
It is time for collective introspection. We must ask ourselves: in which direction are we heading? Whom are we celebrating? Whose footsteps are our youth encouraged to follow? The answer will define not just individual futures, but the moral and cultural fabric of our society.
It is better late than never. We must consciously redirect attention towards true role models, people of integrity, knowledge, service and character. We must revive respect for education, language, ethics and hard work. Moral education must go hand in hand with formal schooling, for degrees without values produce hollow success.
Parents must actively monitor and guide their children’s digital consumption. Schools must emphasise character-building alongside the curriculum. Media houses must act responsibly, choosing to highlight substance over sensationalism. And society at large must stop rewarding vulgarity with visibility.
Our children deserve heroes, not clowns; mentors, not mockers. If we do not act now, the cost will be borne by an entire generation raised on noise instead of knowledge. The choice is ours, to continue applauding the jokers, or to reclaim a culture that values dignity, wisdom and meaningful contribution.
The writer is a librarian at the Department of School Education, J&K
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