Social media groups fuel NEET protest

While the jallikattu protests were initially not seen seriously, in the case of NEET, the internet has been very critical of the issue. Says meme maker Ashok P, “Our job is to find humour in seriousness. Even during the jallikattu protest, we managed to come up with funny content but this time it’s different. A bright girl lost her life because of politics. Hence we are creating a content that is thought provoking and which inspires others to join the cause.”

Popular pages too are utilising their followers to give live updates of the protests across the state. Awesome Machi, a popular Facebook Page, has 1,089,391 followers. “We are constantly updating our page with details of the protests. Our staff report live from the spot in the city. We have followers in various districts and they update from there,” says Manish Kishore from Awesome Machi.

YouTube channel Masala Mafia has released a sketch on the NEET controversy. The video starts with a boy, visibly from a privileged background, talk about how his entire family is full of doctors and how he spent his pocket money (Rs 2 lakh) to just go for the coaching. The video has over 9,264 views.

Another YouTube video by the channel Put Chutney titled “Who killed Anitha” has got over 240,373 views. Here the presenter calls out to the so-called Oviya Army and the ministers in resorts. He even goes on to say that this was not a suicide but a planned murder. Hashtags like #TNAgainstNEET #PleasePesungada #studentsforstudents #JusticeforAnitha are also doing the rounds.