Decoding the sensationalism in educational content on Social Media

We’ve all seen Indian educators turning to sensational tactics to grab attention. Is it getting out of hand, making you wonder if these methods are stripping away the basic essence of education? We introspect.

I recently came across a meme on Instagram that poked fun at YouTube thumbnails of Indian educational content. The clips mentioned in the video sounded so bizarre, it intrigued me to check out more only to be baffled by the new ones I found. One that particularly caught my attention, had the teacher asking viewers to “burn him alive” if they don’t get full marks after watching his tutorial. I know it's a joke but it still caught me off-guard. Although I probably should have spent my time on better things than cross-checking these memes, it made me wonder about the need for such sensationalism. What makes these teachers resort to such methods to grab attention?

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It seems like education in India has changed from those straightforward textbooks and lectures, into flashy headlines and over-the-top thumbnails everywhere. Thumbnails with bright colors, exaggerated expressions, and outrageous text have become their own culture. While they might work for entertainment, it seems a bit redundant and misplaced when it comes to education. This reduces learning into clickbait, turning education into mere consumption where appearance exceeds its true substance.

A lot of it can be blamed on people’s need to get more views, especially with such competition. In this context, an educational content creator can only hope that their video on “How to Prepare for Medical Entrance in a Single Night” becomes a hit. These thumbnails reflect something that has been deeply ingrained in our culture over time. One word synonymous with Indian ingenuity is “jugaad.” We love finding clever, quick fixes to everyday problems, which fits right into the concept of sensational educational content. Why spend months learning programming languages when there’s a video that promises to teach you “How to get a tech job in 3 days”? Creators understand our love for quick results and life hacks. Sure, you could spend months preparing for your exams, or you could just watch a 10-minute video that promises “All Formulas In One Page!" When you come across such content, you might ask yourself, “Are these methods actually working?” And if it does, who are we to judge the methods? If someone wants to learn a subject and has a test with a sense of urgency, what’s wrong with memorizing a few formulas and giving it their best shot? 

You may think it’s just my jealousy of not having an education as entertaining while in school, and you will not be wrong. But I’m mostly happy that my education was about understanding and experimentation. As a student, education was less about memorizing and more about discussions and observation. However, you can’t deny wanting learning to be a fun experience. It’s by adding an element of surprise and quirkiness to make learning fun, which makes these methods not all that bad. Educators are using these platforms to make schooling fun, accessible, and easy to understand. The fact that I watched an entire video that explains coding by someone who uses viral videos as clickbaits to correlate to the subject, should settle the case. Apart from them, other educators on these platforms use these thumbnails as a way of teaching and encouraging people to take an interest in different subjects. While some thumbnails and false promises deserve criticism, avoiding this sensationalism can take the fun away from learning. They only show us how education doesn't always have to be boring as long as the educators enjoy making the content. 

The sad part is that many educators who are genuinely passionate and knowledgeable might feel pressured to adopt sensational methods just to grab their audience's attention. It’s a reflection of the times when the substance of learning is overshadowed by clickbait that algorithms favor. If educators feel the need to package their wisdom in bite-sized, click-worthy formats to stay relevant, it often compromises their integrity and the value of the knowledge they aim to impart.

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