Social media may be an entertaining place with tons of images to look through and thousands of pieces to read, but it comes with its own set of drawbacks, some so serious that it could lead to deaths. After the diabolical blue whale challenge and the bizarre tide pod challenge, here comes another fad that could end up causing road accidents and taking lives.
The latest KiKi challenge, formally called the In My Feelings Challenge and even the Shiggy Challenge, has kicked up a storm on the internet. Strangely, it is not just youngsters taking up the challenge, but even celebrities who seem to be enjoying this dangerous and irresponsible act.
What is the KiKi Challenge?
The viral trend, which has been making a massive buzz on social media, involves a person jumping out of a slow-moving vehicle and dancing on the road to the lyrics: "Kiki, do you love me? Are you riding? Say you'll never ever leave from beside me, 'cause I want you and I need you, and I'm down for you always."
The challenge is to keep up with the pace and direction of the vehicle while dancing, which also involves the signature heart move.
The lyrics are from Drake's "In My Feelings," from his latest album, Scorpion. However, the rapper wasn't the one who started the challenge. It was, in fact, internet comedian Shiggy who posted a video of him dancing on the street that also threw up the hashtags #ShiggyChallenge or #DoTheShiggy.
Before you lash out on him for first coming up with the idea, his version was much safer and did not involve any vehicle.
A few celebrities too tried the challenge, and a lot of them were seen getting out of their stationary cars.
But social media users clearly love the thrill and the risk that comes with it and have been using slow-moving cars to take up the challenge.
Why this needs to stop
The challenge may seem like a fun idea but has the ability to land you in a hospital bed. Several people have met with accidents while undertaking this challenge and have even been run over, sustaining serious injuries. While an American teen fractured her skull after attempting the challenge, another woman was robbed as she was busy dancing on the road, reported Washington Post. Another person is said to have tripped on potholes.
The police in India and abroad have been issuing warnings to social media users, asking them not to participate in such reckless challenges.
And if hospital bed is not good enough to convince you not to take up the reckless challenge, how about jail? While police in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru have been constantly posting tweets warning the residents, the Abu Dhabi police are issuing arrest warrants against those taking up the challenge. The police said that the challenge violates traffic laws such as driving in a way that endangers the lives of others, causing traffic roadblocks or congestion, and using a mobile phone while driving, reported Traveller.
The Dubai police are penalising such dancers with a fine of Dh2,000 (Rs 137,112 approx) and 23 black points.
While authorities in the US are also warning people against taking up the challenge, the Spanish police may soon press charges.
Before this, another internet fad that made news was the tide pod challenge, where teens, especially in the US, were biting into Tide Pods, which are liquid laundry detergent pods and look like bright candies or lozenges. Some teens were even cooking these pods in frying pans and then chewing them, reported the Seattle Times.
In 2017, the Blue Whale challenge too made headlines world over and claimed scores of lives. The challenge started as a social media game, in which a self-harm group encouraged teens to commit suicide. The group administrator reportedly assigned daily tasks to the members over a period of 50 days. While the tasks initially involved watching horror movies and self-harm, they got creepier by the day eventually encouraging the member to commit suicide on the 50th day.
