EXPLAINED - Following abuse on Head and Shresta Iyer, Why toxic fanbases have grown on social media?

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]In the last week of IPL, just before the playoffs, there were two incidents that ensured that the toxic fan bases that exist on social media, especially from India, they absolutely go through the roof when it comes to spreading hatred, negativity and every kind of vile comment. The first particular instance was the Travis head and Virat Kohli incident in which Virat Kohli refused to shake his hand and that saw plenty of abuse director at Travis head at his wife and his kids.

[00:00:36]If the Indian fan bases didn't cross the line in that we saw another instance Shrishta Shrishta the sister of Shrea Sier she also received tremendous amount of trolling it was all very personal they targeted her family her friends any random individual that was linked with Srishtayer even they they were trolling her immensely while comments abuses but in the case of Srishtayer many people believe that she bought it upon herself because of what Punjab Kings's social media had done in the entirety of IPL 2026 especially this point which she will maintain that it was banter but this da point became a huge huge controversy by which Shishtraayer was targeted every single point in time but the main objective in this video is that a recent report done by PTI highlighted how these fan bases became such toxic entities.

[00:01:46]How did this Frankenstein monster become so out of control? Well, PTI spoke to one industry insider that manages all the social media marketing campaigns and all of this. They also spoke to the BCCI about it. The results were this is how the ecosystem functions in this particular environment. Now understand one thing IPL this is the step-by-step procedure.

[00:02:13]There are agencies that can charge between rupees 25,000 to rupees 2 lakh for spreading unmitigated hatred against a particular player. This is what a social media marketer told PTI under strict conditions of anonymity. He's an industry insider. That is what the PTI report stated. So agencies can charge anywhere between 25,000 to two lakh for spreading hatred. So the first major agenda that is there whoever whichever player has the bigger reach bigger uh performances on social media they will have the maximum number of fan armies and bots. Now to run a campaign customized stats would be given. Now it's up to them to make the topic trend. These are the social media influencers and all of them who pedal all their stuff on social media rates will be different for hours of trending and trending for days. If somebody can make the topic trend then they'll be paid more. Depends if it's number of hours or number of days.

[00:03:24]So imagine this is how deeprooted the rot is. There is a cost there is a way how you can make a topic trend.

[00:03:34]Now a BCCI official has also given his thing on this whole social media mess that is there and he has said what was the key component that amplified this toxic fan base?

[00:03:50]Sports management firms. Sports management firms that handle players image and commercials.

[00:03:57]What is the process there? Managers comb through social media aggregator profiles with decent following. They would be engaged to improve players social media traction.

[00:04:09]So simple these sports management firms hire an army of social media aggregators. What they then do is they then amplify and ensure that the players reach goes about. But what that has spawned Simple thing positive things don't work on social media. So the algorithm has been designed in such a way where algorithms reward outrage over nuance, abuse over analysis and tribal loyalty over sporting appreciation.

[00:04:48]Managers, agencies and social media operators found formula of glorifying one player and systematically tearing down the other.

[00:04:58]This is how your ecosystem operates.

[00:05:02]Algorithms. If you abuse a player, it will get amplified. If there is anything positive, it will be crushed under the weight of the negativity.

[00:05:11]So analysis goes for a toss. Tribal loyalty. That is why you see three major toxic fan bases that are there and they have got their impression throughout social media. Viratians, Rohitians, MSDians.

[00:05:28]Now, such is the nature of the Frankensteinian beast that neither of the three, if they do anything, can control them. It's gone so out of reach and it has gone so anarchic at this point in time. Which is why just to improve one player's social media reach, fans are been treated like pawns.

[00:05:51]Simple.

[00:05:53]They don't have their own opinion. They are paid to hate.

[00:05:58]Simple. You spread hate, you will be paid. And that's why you see so many of these lynch mobs on social media just going after a person's character. They don't spare Virat. They don't spare Anushka. They don't spare Rohit. They don't spare even Rutika. They don't spare MS Dhoni. They don't spare Travis head, Jess head. and even Srishta.

[00:06:23]These mobs are not controlled. And who is to be blamed for all of this? The entities that manage the players. They are responsible for this whole thing.

[00:06:36]And that is why players even if they want to, they will have to stay in a bubble. Which is why because you came under the control of sports management firms # notour icons.

[00:06:49]That is the way now the future is going to be. But all this trolling, do you expect it to stop? No way. It will never stop. That's a given at this stage.

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