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This before-and-after photograph shows students of Tetso College, in Dimapur, completing the ‘Trashtag’ challenge.[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, March 11: Social media is full of viral challenges that not only garner attention online but, for some, become vanity obsessions. ‘Kiki challenge,’ ‘Hum fit toh India fit challenge,’ ‘10-year picture challenge,’ ‘Black and white photo’ challenge, and such to name some online virals.
A new trend in news—more precisely, in the newsfeed (continuous update of events on digital platforms)—is the ‘Trashtag’ challenge.
While most so-called challenges are generally vanity parades and food for hungry attention seekers, there are a few challenges that actually do something good for people and society, to some extent.
The Trashtag challenge, as it turns out, is a positive one. It involves a person or groups of persons taking a photograph at a dirty location (generally a garbage dumping area). The person(s) in the image then clean the location and take another photograph. The image is then uploaded on social media. It is more of a before-and-after pictorial story about positive social action.
The challenge became viral only recently (during this month or so?) across the world. Basically, it encourages “bored millennials” to take a picture of a place that needs cleaning up and show the work they did to clean it up.
The challenge started circulating on social media recently supposedly to promote cleanliness and send a positive message to the people that if only they can put positive words to positive action positively.
A group of students from Tetso College in Dimapur were quick to jump the opportunity too. They took the Trashtag challenge and, so far, they are getting good attention among social media users in Nagaland.
An update about the challenge was shared by a student identified as a Ghuka K Aye, a BA student, on his Facebook account. The other students who took the challenge are Kughaka Sumi, Helibo H Sumi, Vivikali Zhimomi, and Atheli Zhimomi, all BA students.
Aye told Eastern Mirror that they did not pre-plan to attempt the ‘challenge.’
“We as circle of friends were just sitting at our college canteen and were discussing about the latest social media trend and this challenge hit up our topic of discussion. We appreciate the person who came up with this challenge,” he said.
‘Then we discussed among ourselves to take up the initiative and encourage other students and youths of Nagaland help each other in keeping our environment clean. And most importantly we wanted the only city in Nagaland Dimapur clean. And after we walked out from our college, encouraged ourselves with (the saying) ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’.”
Aye said they initially wanted to go around Dimapur town and clear garbage that are in the middle of the town. But because they were in uniform and seeing the condition of the roads here they changed their destination to Chumukedima.
“The main intention of us taking the initiative was to encourage the students and youths,” Aye asserted.
Their move has certainly made it to social media to convey a positive message.
“We would also convey a message to youths that it is you and I who can give a helping hand in keeping our environment and city clean. And such challenge is just fun and enjoyable which has a positive impact in our society,” Aye said.