An outrage has erupted on social media as several posts alleging that foreign tourists intentionally tarnish India's image and showcase a one-sided narrative on the Internet are surfacing. Users are also exposing and accusing Pakistan's ISI of funding Western influencers to create fake propaganda.
A social media post criticizing foreign influencers for allegedly exploiting India’s poverty to gain fame and money has gone viral, sparking a heated discussion about ethics in travel vlogging.
The post, shared by an X (formerly Twitter) user, accused several foreign content creators of intentionally portraying a one-sided image of India, focusing only on poverty to attract views and monetize outrage. The user wrote in his post that foreigners visit India to kickstart their careers on social media. He alleged that they intentionally cover poorly maintained places to grab worldwide attention.
“By now, it should be clear why some foreigners come to India — they use it to jumpstart their careers. They travel to places an average middle-class Indian wouldn’t, stay in hotels costing less than $5 a night, and eat the food meant for the underprivileged — all to paint a one-sided picture of India’s poverty," the user wrote.
The user added, "This rage-baiting naturally angers Indians, and because we’re emotional, we give them exactly what they want: views, which translate to money. I can name countless vloggers who make a living exploiting India’s poverty narrative."
On the other hand, netizens are exposing one such Western tourist vlogger, named Callum Abroad, who is currently touring in India. Users believe that he is being funded by a Pakistan-based company called SwiftNine Limited. The user wrote, "ISI-linked companies are funding Western tourists’ trips to India to push propaganda and smear India’s image abroad. Their agenda must be exposed again."
Western Influencer Calls J & K As Indian Occupied Kashmir
While replying to one of the comments on his reel, the vlogger referred to Jammu & Kashmir as Indian occupied Kashmir, which has sparked fury. One user wrote, "A question for the Ministry of External Affairs, India: Given his massive reach, is a travel vlogger visiting India on a tourist visa allowed to refer to Jammu & Kashmir as 'Indian-occupied Kashmir'?"
While another wrote, "@MEAIndia deport the vlogger Callum. He is on his way to J&K to create a ruckus. He is a Pakistan-sponsored vlogger."
Netizens also noted that the vlogger has now locked his account on the social media platform X after a sudden outrage. One user wrote, "This racist wigga locked his account after people found out that his travel was sponsored by Pakistani agency Swiftnine Ltd. He must be detained by @NIA_India if he is still in India, and his Passport should be blacklisted."
Another user wrote, "Not just racis,t this is information warfare, then people get surprised Indian hate is so high onlinnowadaysys. We have so many Chinese and Pakistani accounts whose whole job is to make racist and demeaning content."
