Gen Z 'Catches' Arnab Through Reels, Rain And Wreckage
Even before Arnab made its impact felt, social media platforms were flooded: Reports
VIJAYAWADA: For Gen Z, Cyclone Arnab was not just a climatic overdose to be endured indoors. It was an occasion to capture, document and share -- with smartphones turning into personal news cameras as rain lashed Andhra Pradesh, winds howled and the cyclone left a trail of destruction.
Even before Arnab made its impact felt, social media platforms were flooded with precautionary reels warning people about the approaching cyclone.
Youngsters shared safety tips, urged people to stay indoors, stock up on essentials and avoid venturing out during heavy rain and strong winds. As the weather worsened, the tone of their posts shifted from warnings to real-time accounts of the unfolding calamity.
Videos filmed from balconies, windows and sheltered locations showed rainwater inundating streets, vehicles struggling through waterlogged roads, trees being uprooted and electric poles and power lines damaged by gusty winds. While some recorded the relentless downpour, others captured the aftermath, giving their followers a glimpse of how the cyclone hurt everyday life.
Instagram emerged as a major platform for sharing these visual updates, with reels and short clips offering a ground-level view of the storm. For many youngsters, filming the weather and documenting its impact appeared to be a way of experiencing an extraordinary event while staying connected with friends and followers.
The trend also reflected a generation accustomed to consuming breaking news through short videos and social media feeds. Instead of waiting for television bulletins, young users could watch events unfold through clips posted by people in their neighbourhoods and across affected districts.
K Bhavyasri, a youngster, posted on her Instagram handle that most members of Gen Z had not experienced severe cyclones and were preparing to experience their first one in Konaseema. She urged people to take precautions by stocking up on drinking water, groceries, medicines, power banks and other essentials.
A little girl using the Instagram handle viviksha07 showed the devastation caused to tomato crops and banana trees on her family's farmland. Pointing to the inundated fields, she remarked that what looked like a canal was actually a tomato farm.
An ardent fan of Pawan Kalyan posted a video showing a banner of the deputy chief minister standing undamaged at Mutyalapalem, even as coconut trees had fallen around it. The post claimed that while Arnab had caused widespread devastation, it had failed to shake Pawan Kalyan's banner, portraying it as a symbol of his enduring strength.
Another reel showed men and women collecting drumsticks from a fallen tree, joking that the cyclone had benefited them by providing a handful of drumsticks free of cost. In another video, a person was seen removing an electric bulb from a damaged pole, while several other reels captured people engaging in seemingly frivolous activities on rain-soaked roads.
From precautionary messages and ground-level updates to humorous takes on the destruction, Gen Z's experience of Arnab unfolded as much through smartphone screens as through the storm itself.