The Internet has brought everybody closer, made men Creepy

The Internet has revolutionised the world and brought everybody closer. One can see what's happening around the globe with just one click of a button through the plethora of social media, which are freely available.

At the turn of this century, the smartphone penetration in India has been rapid and as of now, over half a billion people in the nation are using the internet.

The usage of internet among the urban and rural populace is equal. It is a pretty good sign that the digital revolution in India has made a way into every nook and corner of the country.

According to internetworldstats.com India ranks second place in the world in internet users. There are 560,000,000 users in India. And the internet growth from 2000 to 2019 is a whopping 11,100 per cent.

With a billion-plus population on internet, Indians play a major role in giving internet apps, the much-required boost, which also went the other way at times, nevertheless, spelt out to the world the power of Indian internet users.

In 2017, after Snapchat's CEO Evan Spiegel was indicted of saying that he didn't want to expand to 'poor nations' like India and Spain, people started to downrate Snapdeal instead of the chatting app. And even Microsoft was not spared from the wrath of the internet users. Such is the power of masses; however, on the flip side, creepy Indian men have gained international notoriety on social media for posting lewd comments. Every social media platform is flooded with comments on pictures of women asking to show their private parts or asking sexual favours in broken English. Men from 18-80 are involved in this dastardly act. With cheaper smartphones and internet packages anyone and everyone are on social media bringing shame to the country virtually. The most common comment is 'Show bobs and vagene'.

The term got so much traction internationally that there is an entry of 'Bobs and Vagene' in UrbanDictionay.com.

When you type 'bobs and vagene' in the Urban Dictionary the result is "When an Indian man tries to get nudes from a woman he often misspells it or says it like this. It can cause confusion and that's why he doesn't often get the photos he wanted. Don't trust a man who says this."

The comments like these are endless. While they are giving fodder to meme creators to create humour; from comments and messages on social media to messages on private cell phone numbers, it is a pandemic that has plagued countless women on the internet.

"Internet is filled with such men. I also received these kinds of messages in the recent past. The chat starts with a simple hello and the next second the person asks to show private parts. And it just continues. The barrage of messages like 'I love you', 'call me' etc., are plenty," says Anusha P, a corporate professional.

"And knowing that it is not just limited to Indian women is creepier. I have seen so many posts of women from the West world stating that they are receiving lewd messages from so many Indian men. I think the internet sets them virtually free and they think it is 'ok' to do such things. They are just bringing shame to the country by involving in this act," she adds.

These men are so undeterred and fearless that they send their pictures and even phone numbers in the comment or messages, in the hope to lure the women. One can see the desperation in their tone. Simply blocking them does not discourage these men.

"Many a time I received messages of WhatsApp. From asking nudes to sexual favours these men do not shy away from this dastardly act. It is just not on WhatsApp I have received unwarranted messages on all kinds of social media. There is a law for safety on the internet. However, who has time to pursue this, so most of the time women tend to block the creepy person unless the matter is just going out of bounds," says Sangamitra Chauhan, a software employee.

The phenomenon was so wide spread that it took the internet by storm. Many memes and funny videos are being made on this topic. Hailing from third world country comes with its own baggage; now, these trolls have made a stereotype, which is hard to get rid of.

Men from neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are also notoriously associated with this act.

"These guys are the worst. The first message some of them send is not even 'hi', 'hello'. The first message is itself vulgar in the form of messages or pictures or videos. After much research and thinking, I have concluded that these guys are the ones, who gain some sick pleasure in making women feel bad. You know the kind of guys, who feel manly by demeaning women; they have exclusive WhatsApp groups where they and their friends treat women as rubbish, talk nonsense about women in general. Scaring the girls sexually gives them a male ego boost. Their only purpose in life is to disrespect and scare women. Their main aim is not sexual, their main aim is to punish women, and sexual punishment seems the best way for them," Vidhushi Gupta writes on Quora.

Karishma Yadav says, "The main reason for such behaviour from these guys is because of their upbringing. They have been brought up in an environment where girls are not given respect. They have seen their fathers treat their mothers and other females of the family in an incorrect manner. They have been continuously told that women are just a tool for their entertainment. Parents often instruct their daughters about how they are supposed to sit, walk, laugh, talk but no one cares to do that to their sons. If they take a minute from their everyday life and talk to their sons and tell them to respect a woman and not creep her out, there will be a good quality of Indian men in the world."

International YouTuber PewDiePie, who has most followers on YouTube made a video showcasing these comments. At first, when you watch these kinds of videos you surely find them funny and hilarious. However, in retrospect, you feel that they are bringing down the name of the nation, which aspires to become a superpower someday. It is not just Indian men are creepy; however, the sheer number of internet users in the world is so much that it becomes quite difficult to ignore it.