From Zero to Hero Alom

I hold the opinion that it is not ethical to play a character just for fame. There are trolls online who decide to set fire to the online platform by pretending to believe in controversial opinions and then pretending to take offense at their audience when they receive backlash. Some people truly do profit off of public outrage. However, we believe that Hero Alom is innocent in his intent with showcasing his talents to the world. We should reciprocate to Hero Alom in kind as he has practiced some digital responsibility in maintaining fairness and genuineness in the entertainment industry. He has the public perception of being a “joke,” but he has still garnered much empathy from us Hero Alom fans; Hero Alom is truly passionate about what he does - it’s the primary way he evokes the pathos of us fans. Let’s look at an example of how he does so-

From the video above, we will learn from the Hero himself how to From the video above, we learn from the Hero himself how to rescue a damsel in distress while she is being eve-teased. We observe through this film that Hero Alom has quite embraced being the joke of the films, and he does it with style throughout the film, from sipping from two coconuts (like the chad he is) to removing his pant-suit to reveal the lungi he wore underneath it and using the pants as a weapon in a gunfight. Of course, “Alom Bhai,” as recognized by the heroine, saves her day and she spends time with Hero Alom at a cafe as he sits there nonchalantly, as though winning fights against armed people who are larger than him is a breeze.

We know what you’re thinking. And you’re correct. We are indeed delving into an analysis of this particular star from the Indian subcontinent, a “joke”, and a self-proclaimed hero - Hero Alom. Now, we do criticize him for his involvement in the entertainment industry, as well as the political space. However, we’re overlooking that our emotional reactions, whether positive or negative, are precisely what is fueling his fame. Pathos heavily comes into play with our selected digital citizen of choice - Hero Alom, with how he rose to influencer fame.

It’s true that bad news travels faster than good ones, however, I don’t think Hero Alom is a bad role model to have (I worry if my obvious bias shows through my blog title) on how to become an influencer. He has literally “Bruh”-ed all his naysayers by telling them they don’t have to listen to him if they dislike his singing. And yet, Hero Alom has more fame than people like me; he knows better than most about triggering enough emotional responses from people to make them watch his content. And at the beginning, he did so unintentionally, meaning, he’s not using some strategy of trolling with a fake, clownish personality to gain fame. Mr. Alom truly does believe he has the charisma and star-quality to be famous – and didn’t he succeed? We need to wise up and admit that…this man is pretty cool.

Briefly looking into his upbringing, Hero Alom emerged from poverty as a tokai. When his family was able to afford cable, he decided he too would be like the heroes he sees on TV. He didn’t fail his dreams. This is where we will tackle one of the primary aspects of digital citizenship – access and self-autonomy to gain the skills to thrive in the virtual platform. Had he not earned enough money to have access to online platforms, he would most likely be living the same way he’d have through a life of hardship. As digital citizens, we have a responsibility to give people a chance to develop themselves and not try to unfairly barricade them on their path to success if they have practiced proper digital etiquette.

When we consider the socio-political side of his career, it’s still questionable whether he has been fairly treated through the eyes of the media; I obviously defy what has happened to my hero. But it’s not just because of pathos. I can explain it away through some ethos too - Government officials in charge of maintaining our physical safety are now surveilling our entertainment choices to keep our psychological states free from the (very awesome) influence that Hero Alom possesses over us - “keeping us safe from ostensibly badly sung songs by those we hold in high regard…what does it mean to have the police come down on a single content producer simply because it grates on hegemonic middle-class sensibilities?” (Shaanta Murshid, 2022). Although these types of drama are good for influencers to gain fame, it’s still a question of whether, as digital citizens, we are properly fact-checking if what Hero Alom is doing is inciting hateful speech/violence or if he is mainly providing some distractions to relax to. This is an example of the misuse of our pathos; we move away from logic in search of emotional gratification with whatever is easy to pay attention to, ignoring the harder tasks of bringing focus and clarity to what may be right or not.

As digital citizens, we need to have a critical understanding of why certain content goes viral (pssst. the answer is often “pathos”). Beyond that, we need to understand that as much as influencers have some responsibilities to uphold in respect of the general public, we as public consumers, too, have a shared responsibility to allow them the space to do whatever is ethical. Hero Alom, in my view, has grown quite well as an influencer in understanding what the public expects from him, and he has embraced it to give them what they want. However, at the same time, the maxim “The customer is always right” can prove to be detrimental to what is the right thing to do.

References:

Shaanta Murshid, N. (2022). The drama around Hero Alom exposes our culture of classism. Retrieved 12 September 2022, from https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/views/news/the-drama-around-hero-alom-exposes-our-culture-classism-3082706