Meera says no, instinctively. Then she hangs up and opens Instagram. She sees the comments: “Randi,” “Characterless,” “Chhapri,” “Her father must be so ashamed.” She sees a meme that has turned her face into a reaction sticker. She sees a tweet that says, “If she were my daughter, I would send her to a village for two years.”

A viral video from Dwarka (near several DU south campus colleges) shows a young couple being confronted by a woman for displaying affection in a public park.

is about a surveillance culture where everyone with a smartphone believes they are an arbiter of morality. It is about a system where a young woman’s autonomy is still considered a public spectacle.

The discussion surrounding these viral videos cannot be complete without addressing the legal ramifications. Recording someone in a public place is generally not illegal, provided they do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy (like in a restroom). However, the ethical lines are blurred significantly when the recording is done with the intent to harass, mock, or titillate.

A student (Reddit handle 'vidhikaroy') posted portraits she and her boyfriend painted of each other for a class project.

Within four hours, the algorithm takes over.

Two days later, the discourse begins. It is its own kind of viral contagion.