“They wrote, they commented, they posted…” Yesterday, on the occasion of World Social Media Day, Student Of The Year 2 actress Ananya Panday announced the launch of So Positive (SO+) – an online platform aimed at creating awareness about social media bullying.
The 20-year-old actress introduced So Positive to her followers on Instagram. She posted a two-minute video that explained the idea behind it. She stated that she plans to build a community to create maximum awareness on social media bullying. She captioned the video: “A part of growing up is taking responsibility & as a woke Millennial I, Ananya Panday introduce y’all to my Digital Social Responsibility initiative ‘So+’ ❤️ @sopositivedsr #SoPositive #SocialForGood”
Check out the video here.
In the video, Ananya talks about how she’s been incessantly trolled ever since she made her debut in Bollywood. From being called “too thin”, “a product of nepotism with no brains”, “overacting ki dukan” to getting accused of flying on her father’s money, Ananya shares her own account of what she’s been through. Drawing from her own experience, the SOTY2 actress asks one simple and very important question, “Why make social media a dumping ground for so much hate?”
Ananya Panday backs her cause with substantial data, research and behavioural statistics. Citing data from Forbes, she said, “A total of 37% parents across India reported that their child was a victim of cyberbullying.”
As a part of her Digital Social Responsibility (DSR), Ananya launched So Positive for numerous teenagers and young minds (who are prey to nasty personal remarks and negativity on social media) to come forward and discuss their issues. This initiative is centred around extending support and providing guidance to people by collaborating with helpful entities such as government organisations and lawyers. It would also serve as a channel to combat social media bullies, who Ananya claims are nothing more than ‘faceless, unidentified, unverified and newly made social media accounts’.
Also Read: Ananya Panday Replies To ‘Bullies’ Who Accused Her Of Faking College Admission
Numerous Bollywood celebrities vouched for and supported Ananya’s initiative.
1. Sanya Malhotra
2. Arjun Kapoor
3. Malaika Arora
4. Jacqueline Fernandez
5. Kartik Aaryan
6. Alia Bhatt
Way to go, Ananya! You have all our support.
Also Read: Nysa Devgan To Suhana Khan – These Star Kids Have Been Viciously Trolled On Social Media
On the work front, Ananya received a thumbs up from the industry for her role in SOTY2. She will now be seen in Mudassar Aziz’s Pati, Patni Aur Woh. Slated to hit the screens on December 6 this year, the movie also features Kartik Aaryan and Bhumi Pednekar in pivotal roles.
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