Srinagar, May 29: What began as a seemingly ordinary social media post quickly snowballed into a valley-wide debate about wealth, social pressure and changing Eid traditions in Kashmir. But in the end, the image that triggered the outrage was not real at all; it had been generated using artificial intelligence.
The viral image showed what appeared to be an extravagant Eid-ul-Adha gift package: a large cut of sacrificial meat decorated and presented alongside chocolates, juices and luxury items. To thousands of users online, the image looked authentic, and many accepted it without question.
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Soon, social media platforms were flooded with criticism, emotional reactions and moral commentary.
A well-known Kashmiri social media influencer shared the image and uploaded an emotional video condemning what he described as growing extravagance in society. He questioned where poor families would fit in if even Qurbani, one of Islam’s most cherished traditions, was being transformed into a display of wealth and status.
Speaking passionately, he talked about fathers struggling to earn a livelihood, families burdened by rising expenses and parents already anxious about marrying off their daughters. If such trends became normal, he argued, ordinary people would feel pressured to keep up with standards they simply could not afford.
The influencer also alleged that many people promoting lavish lifestyles had earned wealth through corruption and bribery, accusing society of drifting away from the simplicity and charitable spirit associated with Eid-ul-Adha.
His remarks resonated widely.
Hundreds of users began sharing the image and posting their own angry reactions. Many claimed social media was encouraging unnecessary extravagance and creating unrealistic expectations within society.
“These things originate in Srinagar, and gradually villages come under their influence,” one user commented, reflecting concerns that urban trends eventually spread into rural communities.
Another user wrote angrily: “Jis nay aisa kiya hai uss ka qurban qabool nahi hai, InshaAllah. Aur uss ko haram kare daulat hai. Lanat hai iss insan par.”
But while outrage continued to grow, some users began examining the image more carefully.
Before long, it emerged that the viral photograph was not a real photograph at all.
The image had been entirely generated by artificial intelligence.
There was no extravagant Qurbani package. No family had arranged it. No such Eid trend had actually been documented anywhere. The entire controversy had been built around a digitally created image.
The revelation quickly shifted the debate from extravagance to misinformation and online behaviour.
Many users questioned how easily people — including influencers with large followings — had accepted the image as genuine and amplified outrage without verification.
Critics accused some social media personalities of turning emotional reactions into content for engagement, arguing that outrage, sermons and dramatic commentary had all been built around something that never existed.
One post on X that gained significant attention read: “Peak of Kashmiri journalism. Renowned and greatest journalist of Kashmir crying and abusing Kashmiri society over AI-generated image.”
Others argued that while concerns about materialism and social pressure remain valid, the incident exposed the dangers of reacting emotionally to unverified content circulating online.
The episode also highlighted the growing challenge posed by AI-generated content. A single fake but realistic-looking image managed to spark a valley-wide conversation about religion, class, culture and morality.
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In the end, the image was fake. The outrage, arguments and social media drama surrounding it, however, were very real.
