Jasmine Singh

Gurmehar…how well did you know this name two days back? The answer is likely to be — who Gurmehar! Today, with many people trolling this name, tweeting, retweeting it like matter of national importance, we bet most have fished out the kundali of this martyrs daughter, who took to Twitter to voice her opinion. An opinion that attracted more attackers than supporters, but with both taking to Twitter, making Gurmehar a name that you wouldn’t now run your eyes over without taking a minute to check the reference it is used in. So, a common name becomes a celebrity through Twitter, facing flak in ample. With the latest news of Gurmehar withdrawing her name from the campaign, we wonder what was going in that young mind? Is it something that happens with Twitterhood? Do the Twitteratis pay the price for punching in 140 characters?  Youngsters have has so much to say, the pros and the cons of Twitter and whether one should be prepared for both. Handling flakIt comes down to a simple understanding that social networking sites are not just dedicated to finding family and friends, these give us a platform to voice an opinion. And if you have an opinion, then you better be ready to hear a counter-opinion as well. Celebrity status these days is no big deal, in fact, if you want the world to know you in a day do something bizarre and tweet about it! If not this, then tweet a controversial statement, this guarantees celebrity status. But my generation is not well-equipped to handle flak, especially if it comes in abundance, which is why I feel, be ready to face the good and the not-so-good.  Deepak Sandhu, student

Number gameEverybody has an opinion these days and Twitter seems to be the place to be. What is missed is the fact that this networking site, like others, has its downside. But if you ask me whether our generation comes prepared to be on Twitter or gets intimated by the trolls, if any, my answer is no! All that matters is the number of followers, how many people re-tweeted. Also, how one approaches twitter or Facebook is a very personal thing! Some people have strong and well-researched opinions; these ones are very cautious when they tweet, while others are just not. Gaurangi Singal, student, MCM college Overnight stardom From the minute I read about a martyr’s daughter with a placard, something that I found was absolutely controversial, I knew she was a star in making. You have many scholars, politicians and policy-makers literally awake the entire night, with their hawk eyes glued to tweets that could spread like wild fire. I wouldn’t be able to comment on why Gurmehar pulled out, but had it been me and had I been trolled by Randeep Hooda, Virender Sehwag and some popular journalists, I wouldn’t find it pleasant. At the same time, what she did has certainly made her an overnight star on Twitter. Raghav Mehta, student

Invisible warTwitter is like guerrilla warfare, where and how you would be hit is something that you cannot prepare for. Look at celebrities and how they are trolled for every single tweet. I feel there are two types of Twitterati — one category is smart and the other is unmindful. Some people tweet for the heck of it. And by any stroke of luck, if the tweet gets re-tweeted, well, it’s hurray. In fact, even better if it is criticised!Jaspreet Kaur, student

(jasmine@tribunemail.com )