Humans of Bombay thrashed across the Internet as founder Karishma Mehta’s take on privilege goes viral
Karishma Mehta, the founder of Humans of Bombay, recently found herself in the crosshairs of the internet for her take on privilege. In a world where social media has become the judge, jury, and meme generator, Mehta's comments on her own privilege were ripe for online roasting.
What
Founded in 2014 by Mehta, Humans of Bombay (HoB) quickly gained popularity due to its unique storytelling approach.
" Completely, randomly, out of the blue I stumbled upon the idea of Humans of Bombay " Karishma Mehta. As I said, she is a vile savarna woman and theft, lying, appropriation is all these savarna folks are good at . pic.twitter.com/E1N4xe5SPB
— Sachin Zore (@Sachinzore301) September 24, 2023
The platform began as a Facebook page but has since expanded to various digital platforms, amassing a substantial following for its emotional and relatable stories about Mumbai's inhabitants.
In the now-infamous video, Mehta candidly discussed her upbringing, which involved a family that generously invested in her education and even sent her abroad to study.
Please don’t call HOB founder privileged henceforth please pic.twitter.com/eQ2is0lkWc
— Ana De Friesmass ver 2.0 (@ka_fries2366) July 20, 2023
The Internet reacts
However, as the video made its rounds on the internet, it raised the collective eyebrow of social media.
One lakh Rupee loan for a dumbass page that posts dumbass stories of dumbass people?? https://t.co/3uvXW3Eo0A
— Ded (@Pseudo_medico) July 21, 2023
Some applauded Mehta's honesty and transparency, while others criticized her for appearing out of touch with the struggles faced by many.
She’s the whose who of Bombay’s elite circle. I think she should shut up. She herself at some point accepted it was found roaming around in the streets of Bombay after her masters; which means she did not use her degree to apply for jobs - that’s privilege https://t.co/pTjPhtUS1x
— Arya (@paharganj2paris) July 21, 2023
Mehta's revelation of her privileged background led to a flurry of reactions, ranging from sarcastic retorts to outright criticism.
since when did plagiarizing someone else's idea for a social media account require one lakh? https://t.co/FkeYQEMz48
— sabran (@sabrannnn) July 21, 2023
But amidst the humor, some users took a more serious tone. They pointed out that discussing privilege is an essential conversation in today's world, and reminded everyone that privilege exists on a spectrum, and understanding the different facets of it is crucial.
Privilege is when you know that you can go home and sleep peacefully, knowing that you can rely on a fancy degree from London!
— Saurabh Nayak (@sourabhnayak197) July 21, 2023
Total respect for what she has built, but stop bullshitting that you are under privileged or you have struggled! https://t.co/sbOsdJdb6M
The HoB lawsuit
Her popular Indian photoblog website known for its coverage of the residents of Mumbai, recently found itself at the center of a significant online controversy.
HoB filed a lawsuit against an online storytelling portal called 'People of India' for alleged copyright infringement. The lawsuit triggered a flurry of reactions on social media platforms and led to discussions about intellectual property, inspiration, and privilege.
— Humans Of Bombay (@HumansOfBombay) September 24, 2023
HONY chimes in
The controversy began when Humans of New York (HONY) founder Brandon Stanton weighed in on the situation. Stanton took to social media, to express his views on HoB's lawsuit against People of India. Stanton is renowned for pioneering the storytelling movement through his HONY platform, which he started in New York City.
I've stayed quiet on the appropriation of my work because I think @HumansOfBombay shares important stories, even if they've monetized far past anything I'd feel comfortable doing on HONY. But you can't be suing people for what I've forgiven you for. https://t.co/0jZM05YyTt
— Brandon Stanton (@humansofny) September 23, 2023
In his post on Twitter, Stanton criticized HoB for taking legal action against another storytelling platform. He accused HoB of copying his work and stated,
In response to the controversy, HoB released a statement on Twitter. They expressed gratitude to HONY and Brandon Stanton for initiating the storytelling movement, clarifying that the lawsuit was related to intellectual property in their posts rather than the act of storytelling itself.
We are grateful to HONY & Brandon for starting this storytelling movement.
— Humans Of Bombay (@HumansOfBombay) September 24, 2023
The suit is related to the IP in our posts & not about storytelling at all.
We tried to address the issue amicably before approaching the Court, as we believe in protecting our team’s hard work.
PFA
— Humans Of Bombay (@HumansOfBombay) September 23, 2023
The Internet has since turned into a treasure trove of trolls and memes chastising Mehta and HoB for what has collectively resonated as their insincere and trauma-leveraging approach towards storytelling.
Featured stories in Humans of Bombay are like : pic.twitter.com/Uw9GcBdDPb
— Sunita 🇮🇳 (@Shaaanu08) September 24, 2023
Older videos by the page began recirculating in an attempt to highlight their "poverty-porn" approach at finding and featuring people on their page.
How many of you remember this classic from Humans of Bombay ? pic.twitter.com/QlvZpccrbv
— Gray Orange (@GrayyOrange) September 24, 2023
People called out the page for featuring exploitative takes on the underprivileged and amassing massive revenue in the process.
Humans of Bombay made 6.78 crores of revenue last year's aand 3.2 crores of Profits.
— Drunk Journalist (@drunkJournalist) September 24, 2023
by sharing one story at a time. pic.twitter.com/Bmb0Yid2Ua
Most recently, reports of HoB conducting extensive interviews with PM Modi, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections have also been making its rounds for several lakhs of rupees being earned for the posts in the process.
In 2019 ahead of Lok sabha elections, Humans of Bombay carried the interview of PM Modi in five parts. HOB costs Rs 2 lakh per post. Rs 10 lakh had been spent for the interview. pic.twitter.com/Ce6zBF3c8t
— Waquar Hasan (@WaqarHasan1231) September 24, 2023
While the legal dispute raises questions about intellectual property and ethical considerations in the digital age, the conversations about privilege emphasize the importance of understanding different perspectives and acknowledging the impact of one's background on their worldview.