After a slew of bizarre challenges that garnered immense popularity in the recent past, the latest to break the Internet happens to be the infamous Duct Tape Challenge — a game where the participant is wrapped with a duct tape onto a chair and is then filmed trying to break free. With several reports on the glaring consequences spanning from acute head injuries to permanent loss of eyesight surfacing online; the challenge is being shamed on social media. Namma Bengalureans give us their word…
Terming the concept as downright crazy, Gautam Mahajan, a 26-year-old city-based musician feels it’s more of a publicity gimmick that ought to be shunned. “It’s quite astonishing how people can go to such extremes for some social media visibility. While milder stuff like the Ice Bucket Challenge itself was eye-brow raising, this is just ridiculous. I think it’s about time we react to such acts with scathing reviews. These are the kind of the stuff which must be trolled online as an attempt to discourage people from trying them out,” he states.
Adding her opinion, Swati Rayasam, a 22- year-old advisory analyst, also believes that the challenge is very unlikely to gain that much momentum back home. “The duct challenge is highly dangerous, not to mention a thoughtless act pursued in the name of fun... several people in the west were left badly injured in pursuit of completing the challenge. After so much being said and written about the dangerous act, I don’t think something this extreme would work,” she opines.
Expert Talk: Dr Chandrashekhar, former professor at NIMHANS, Bengaluru, opines, “Most teenagers are driven by their need to experiment. Hence, it’s very common to see them succumb to peer pressure or do something just because it’s being talked about all over the Internet. Independent of this challenge in particular, I think it’s high time advisory messages and statutory warnings are conveyed to people in general. The lack of awareness is one of the key factors in getting people to give in to such acts.
