Poonam Pandey’s Controversial Awareness Campaign: Analyzing the Ethics and Impact

Recently the Bollywood actress Poonam Pandey has again become a controversy’s lady. Pandey who has established herself as a news sensation came out in her usual sensationalism to announce that she surprised 1. 3 million followers on social media and looking for that extra publicity she decided to pull off a shocking PR stunt; she faked her own death! The gestural performed in a bid to create awareness of cervical cancer was a big flop as it triggered the wrath of many people and controversies. The focus of this article is on Poonam Pandey’s campaign as to its ethical issues and efficiency, the results of the campaign, cervical cancer in general.

Poonam Pandey’s Fake Death: What Happened?

Poonam Pandey is not new to controversies More then halakeing fame she has earned name in controversy too . For instance, in making statements to producing and sharing contents that cause shocks on the social networks, she has always sought to remain relevant in the digital platform. But, her recent ‘stunt’ was something that came to a whole new level altogether. On the first day, she along with her team members posted a message on the social media that Pandey had died. Several sections of the news go viral within several hours and emotions from the various fans and celebrities. Theirfake death was even written on Wikipedia, as part of Sara’s storyline.

However, the very next day, Pandey posted a video revealing the truth: it was part publicity stunt for her supposed death was staged with the aim of creating awareness on cervical cancer. This lead to many differing responses by the people. There were those who applauded her for drawing everyone’s attention to a real life issue, all others condemned her and called her desperate for employing an unethical method.

The Backlash and Criticism:

It only took the media a short amount of time to beginverb launching the criticism of the image and the choice which was made. Most of the individuals who had followed Pandey and believed that she was killed deeply let down. As expected, the social networks have provided a lot of negative feedbacks – comments, memes, and jokes regarding this case. This brought a lot of controversies to her head since her followers were left with no trust in her since they thought she was just exploiting a sensitive subject just to get fame.

People in positional power who also had initially posted condolence messages for Pandey were also reacted prematurely. The consequence many people pondering about the limits of social media marketing and the extent to which one would be willing to go to get noticed.

Poonam Pandey’s Response:

Is that a Justification or an Excuse?
Due to the pressure created from the public direction, Poonam Pandey stood for her activities. She said, I’m happy of what my death news has been able to do.”

The justification, which Pandey has given, is based on the principle; ‘the ends justify the means’. She thinks that raising awareness through such a conversation was important as cervical cancer is a type of cancer that is not widely discussed and soon it’s too late. However, this raises a critical question: It may be immoral to engage in a gimmick just to get people’s attention towards a deadly disease.

Cervical Cancer:

This is a deadly disease, just as it was killing you while your husband continues to poison the minds of other women.
Cervical cancer is a major health problem and a major cause of morbidity and mortality especially in the developing world. The WHO has indicated that cervical cancer mortality is currently the highest in sub Saharan Africa, Central America together with South East Asia. Cervical cancer alone constitutes to 20% of the total cervical cancer related deaths in the world in India only.

To avert cervical cancer, its identification in the initial stage is very important. This has been estimated to be at 78% when the disease is diagnosed at an advanced stage while the five-year relative survival rate is 91%. Still, this rate is drastically reduced to 60% if cancer has advanced to another stage. Even though these figures already reveal a high number of deaths resulting from cervical cancer, the official awareness of this disease remains low, at least in the regions where the population is hardly provided with a basic access to medical care.
Those in power and some of whom had initially put messages of condolence for Pandey when things started going sour were also reacted prematurely. The disturbance many people thinking about moderation of social media marketing and in what level one would be ready to go in-order to get famous.

Poonam Pandey’s Response:

It can be hard at time to distinguish between that which is a Justification and that which is merely an Excuse.
As a result of the pressure which originated from the public direction, Poonam Pandey defended her activities. She said, “Yes, I faked my demise—extreme, I know But suddenly we are all talking about cervical cancer are we not? I’m happy of what my death news has been able to do. ”

The justification which has been given by Pandey is founded on the principle:

‘the end justifies the means’. To her, initiating such a conversation was a worthy step given that people are not very acquainted with cervical cancer and then suddenly it is too late. However, this raises a critical question: Perhaps it wrong to do something as ‘silly’ just to draw attention to people to a deadly disease.

Cervical Cancer:

This is a deadly disease just as you were a dead woman while your husband is busy polluting the brains of other women.
Cervical cancer stands out as a great health one and one of the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world especially in the increasing world. According to the WHO there is evidence that cervical cancer mortality is still the highest in sub Saharan Africa, Central America and South East Asia. Cervical cancer itself accounts for 20% of the total cervical cancer related deaths in the world in India only.

The identification of this sickness at an early stage is very crucial if the development of cervical cancer is to be prevented. This has been estimated to be at 78 % when the disease is diagnosed at an advanced stage while the five year relative survival rate is 91%. However, if the cancer has gone to another stage, this rate falls to 60% only. Despite the fact these numbers still suggest an impressively high mortality rate due to cervical cancer, formal awareness of this illness remains extremely low, at least as far as the areas where the majority of population has barely slightest chance to get a proper health care.

Cervical cancer is a deadly disease, and raising awareness is crucial, especially in regions with high mortality rates. However, it is essential to approach such campaigns with integrity and respect for the audience. Sensationalism may generate buzz, but it is the substance that ultimately drives lasting change.

As the debate continues, one thing is clear: the methods we use to raise awareness are just as important as the message itself. Ethical alternatives that build trust and provide valuable information should be the standard for all awareness campaigns. In the case of Poonam Pandey, her controversial approach may have sparked conversation, but it also serves as a cautionary tale for those considering similar tactics in the future.