Toying with photos to establish a fake impression seems to have become the number one tool of our fraudsters and swindlers. And in the age of growing influence of the social media, the game of photographic deception establishes you in the exact way you want to be portrayed.
Take anyone among the three most confirmed notorious national villains of recent times, that to say - Papiya, Samrat or Shahed. All three have capitalised by posting and sharing their photos with renowned politicians and celebrities to build up a strong influential pictorial identity in the Facebook. To some extent they were successful too, but the success was short-lived.
The point this writer makes - the villains following their arrests also vilified the celebrities and the political icons of our society. Shahed or Papiya's sharing of photos are blatant exploitation of not only how important they were, but sharing of their photos with distinguished persons have also branded the famed and eminent of our society as clients and sponsors of the wicked.
The opening question - how come these swindlers and deceivers managed invitations to get so close to such eminent personalities? We, more or less know, who the famed individuals in different respective fields are, but do we know who the next man or woman standing is? Do we know what purpose these photos are meant to serve?
In the virtual and photographic world, taking a snapshot with a celebrity in many ways defines who you are. And if you somehow manage to take a selfie with the prime minister or president, you are a star in Bangladesh. Social - media users have become dangerously addicted to value and judge individuals as per their shared photos - be it on Facebook or Instagram - the photo no longer speaks a thousand words - it has turned into a potent tool to define who has shared it. Concurrently, photos can be shared to mislead and misguide people. And our domestically famed swindlers and conmen are using their photos for instant recognition and gratification.
It is not that taking a shot with a famed person is a sin, and it is not even damaging if you are trying to scale up or upgrade your status to let your friends know that you are an 'important person'. But rampant abuse and misuse of photos with prominent personalities involuntarily raises the question - whether the time has arrived to sanction mobile or camera photography with eminent personalities at open parties and gatherings.
It is natural for an illustrious person to take a snapshot with his or her admirer under any circumstances, but at the same time it has also become crucial to know on what grounds that particular photo will be used. I think our politicians and celebrities must impose a condition on the free circulation of their photos.
Why only talk on our national villains and not on the 'hidden desires' of this writer. The desire is to pose for a selfie with unimaginably attractive celebrities as Sunny Leone and Mia Khalifa with this writer in the middle. It will never happen. And given the track record of these notorious celebrities, just think about the fake virtual perception this writer will establish while luring hundreds to send him uncalled - for friend requests. However, it is better to keep some secret desires secret. And the point lies right here, how I attempt to hoodwink my followers and friends in the social media by posing with the rich and famous.
Photography in general, with whoever and whenever taken has evidently lost its genuine appeal - be it in Bangladesh or wherever. Once there was a time, when a fraud or a hustler had to struggle hard to get closer to our politicians and policy makers, manage an invitation and sincerely persuade them for a snapshot. Nowadays getting hold of the privileged is easy as a piece of cake, see them in a party, get close to them pick up the Smartphone and click. Your phone will do the job of how fast the pick is circulated with whatever heading.
I used to know a loan defaulter who has now fled the country. In order to secure a big loan from a private bank, he went as far as to practice spoken English and memorising complex financial jargons for six months. That's not all, he had spent a considerable sum to look, dress and smell good. In the process, he also acquired a digital camera, rare in those days. Grasped on the technicalities and took his personal photographer on every important occasion while instructing him which angle would capture the best shots.
The point to mention him is that the swindlers of a couple of decades back took the time to appear a little suave, practiced some sophistication with their deceitful tricks and made both parties look cheerful in their photos.
If you carefully inspect the photos of Papiya or Shahed with celebrities or politicians, most of their counterparts look puzzled, tired, weary or somewhat reluctant for the pose. Sophistication in photography has also become a lost art for con artists in Bangladesh. Funny as it may sound - general mood of celebrities and politicians in their photos often resembles that of sacrificial cattle bought prior to the Eid-ul-Adha, soon to be slaughtered by digital sharing in the social media.
However, it is time to reconsider and rethink whom should we have in our photographs and stop those photos from being exploited. You may be open-hearted, but the person to have wooed you to take that shot - may well be in the likes of Samrat, Papiya and Shahed taking undue advantage.
The ominous message that our national villains attempt to convey through their photos with the rich and famous has a sweeping negative connotation for the masses, and that is simple and straight: You know who I am, don't mess with me; I am close to the person in the photo and he or she will protect me. Thus, these photos also turn into forms of imagery and discerning shields.
To finish with, I completely agree photos do not lie, but they can be widely circulated as a first-hand tool for deceiving the public perception. As for our politicians and celebrities, pose and smile responsibly, and dig a little to know about the next man or woman who requests for the shot.
The writer is assistant
editor, News & Editorial,
The Daily Observer
