If you scroll through Instagram or YouTube, you’d agree that the pattern is now depressingly familiar. A young, usually Caucasian, travel influencer posts a video focusing obsessively on India’s poverty, trash, or unhygienic conditions.
 
The comments section explodes. Some comment with defensive patriotism, and the other half with weary acknowledgement. These videos, experts say, are designed to shock the audience for maximum views, engagement, and ad revenue. And, posting content around India has become the fastest way to build a following.

Foreign travellers defining India as problematic is not new, but the line is thin between highlighting the truth and plain old ‘gawking tourism’. Yes, we mean that viral video that surfaced on X and showcasing crowds of foreign tourists gathered to film a traditionally-dressed Indian woman sipping her chai on the cot. The exact location of the video is unknown, but the clip seems to be from a village in Rajasthan.