The Nas Daily breakup video: Making art and money off tragedies
In a world where social media frenzy reigns, fans are merely one tap away from all the juicy details of their favourite celebrities
The Johnny Depp-Amber Heard divorce drama, which captured global imagination and was telecast in its nastiest details, also showed how hungry people were to have a front-row seat to intimate spaces.
It isn't a stretch to say that a certain level of curiosity to delve into the personal lives of public figures runs deep within all of us.
This is where Nas Daily's recent breakup video demands some attention.
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Recently, the breakup video by the world-famous content creator and his soon-turned-ex-girlfriend Alyne Tami took social media by storm.
We have seen couples break up publicly before but this one was something different, even more visceral perhaps than Jada Pinkett and Will Smith's now infamous "entanglement" fiasco.
In the 12-minute-long video, Nas and Alyne provided detailed insights into their relationship and breakup, against a carefully curated montage of their entire journey together.
Although the exchanges between the couple were handled in a respectful manner, one cannot but insinuate that certain segments of the video seemed staged.
The couple not only shared their experience but also acted out the entire journey which might have been seen as the most unnatural aspect of the entire video.
Right after the video was uploaded, questions were raised by their followers on whether that was the best way of going about announcing a breakup.
Some even questioned the authenticity of the video – as in whether it was a publicity stunt or yet another clickbait money-making scheme.
Nas' fans all around the world have questioned his integrity and if monetising his own breakup was the right thing to do.
The video has garnered almost 13 million views already, which again shows that the market for it exists.
As a digital creator, it is Nas's job to sell his stories.
But do we police what stories he sells? Is it really wrong to sell his own personal story and monetise it? How is that any different than "selling" his other, regular content?
Where does one draw the line?
The way it has been done with extravagant cinematic shoots and the couple sitting down facing each other might take away from the "realness" factor.
It is, after all, a polished version of reality, but is that not something that's always been done?
While most got taken aback by the whole idea, others also sympathised with the couple and admired their honesty.
It was a video where they had open communication about all the things that went wrong with it.
For ages, poets and writers have portrayed their version of their love stories and heartaches to make bestselling books, poems, plays and more.
So why is it that in this modern world, when the fastest way to reach people is through vlogging, one cannot dramatise one's breakup even if we say it's solely for making money?
How we deal with grief is indeed a personal choice. Why is Nas' expression any different from the many different creators throughout the ages who have also made art and money off their own tragedies and trials?
