Photo; ekantipur.com

Politicians these days are everywhere from newspapers, magazine covers to television shows. More rampantly, politicians cover most of the social media newsfeed making it difficult for general public to difference between celebrity and politicians. In Nepal, the situation is more confusing than anywhere. Recently, our prime minister became the talk of the town after his attendance in a TV show and irrelevant speech in Saptari. Mr. Prime Minister easily overshadowed the celebrities’ news of the country. He was just a tip of the iceberg as there are many incidents where politicians have become celebrities. It may be the international trend that our politicians are trying to mimic. There are incidents where American politicians go as a guest on Saturday Night Live shows. “The race for White House” has been considered to be one the best reality TV show. Often, these shows is used by celebrities to promote their movies and music. In Nepal, it all started with Dr. Baburam Bhattarai by attending a radio show when he was prime minister to answer the public question. After him, many politicians have attended TV talk shows. Present Home Minister Janardhan Sharma, Lal Babu Pandit, Ranju Darshana, KP Oli, Puspa Kamal Dahal are few names to be taken who have same or even more celebrity status than actual celebrities. Politicians had used social media explicitly to give momentum to their campaigns during this local election. According to Facebook, 96 percent of college students use Facebook on regular basis and this may be the platform for appealing voters to be on their side. Politicians were often seen going online, answering queries online and even delivering live speech. It’s good for politicians when they become popular but on the other hand, it would be a nightmare for them when they become a feed for all the troll pages existing in the country for all their silly act and speeches. Social media and celebrity status are obviously linked but it should not replace the real information gathered from the social media.