‘DearNothing’ Controversy: Hours after London-based startup Nothing launched its phone (1), the hashtag “#DearNothing” began trending in India. Unrelated to the smartphone’s sale, specifications, or launch event, the hashtag saw a large influx from the South Indian tech community taunting and criticizing former OnePlus founder Carl Pei’s new company.
What triggered the #DearNothing hashtag right on the launch day of the mobile? Why fans are angry with the company, at least on Twitter?
DearNothing: What actually happened?
#DearNothing hashtag started spreading after when popular YouTube Channel “Prasadtechintelugu” released a new video on the evening of the Nothing Phone (1) launch event. The video, meant as a prank, saw the creator unboxing a fake Nothing Phone (1) box which turns out to be an empty box with a letter inside.
The letter, which is also fake, says “Hi Prasad, this device is not for South Indian people. Thank you”, complete with a dotted font used across promotional material by Nothing. The creator made the video protesting the lack of Nothing phone (1) review units provided to regional content creators in the country.
However, things quickly went out of control when the screenshot of the fake letter that the creator unboxed began doing the rounds on Twitter, where people waiting for the Nothing phone (1) mistook the gesture as official communication from the brand itself.
The hashtag #DearNothing quickly began trending on Twitter with hundreds of Indian users criticizing Nothing company via tweets, for a letter the company never wrote.
Nothing has not officially responded to this incident yet. A large number of users are still unaware that the letter is fake and Nothing brand has not made any disparaging remarks pointed at any community in India.
Image Credits: The Indian Express
