Ravan Dahan Featuring Social Media Apps Logos Goes Viral Online

A post on Reddit has gained popularity for its unconventional approach to Ravan Dahan, wherein a traditional aspect of the Dussehra festival, in which Ravana, the demon king has ten heads, symbolizing ego, anger and greed is burned. In this particular post, the creators of the celebration changed Ravana’s ten heads to logos of different and popular social media apps.

The “Social Media Ravana”

While celebrating Dussehra, instead of showing Ravana’s ten heads, the support of this festival used logos from popular social media apps such as, Twitter, Tiktok, Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Snapchat, LinkedIn and X. By displaying these apps on Ravana’s heads, the creators provoke societal debate regarding the issue of social media and its effect on individual’s mental health, productivity and human connectivity. For many, this was clever and thought provoking.

Responses by Netizens

The image went viral, and different views were promptly noted. Many praised the creators for the clever, visual rhetoric. However, many retorted with humor. One sarcastic post captured many of the comments, asking why LinkedIn was included in the line up, suggesting that it was primarily a networking site and not a source of social media distraction. A few responded concerning the post erupted concern that it included the world’s most hated apps that individuals used everyday while pretending to be addicted to something other than the accounts they loved and hated.

A Reflection of Digital Culture

The viral recreation of Ravan Dahan demonstrates how cultural traditions can adapt to address modern challenges. Modern depictions of Ravana’s heads representing human vices seem to suggest that social media platforms are today’s “demons”, and that technology is nuanced and ambiguous. Whether we see it as satire or social commentary, the effigy had people talking about how dependent we are on digital platforms and how they affect our lives every day.