Viral Video Stars Speak Out: "We Didn't Dare to Leave the House"

Did you also see Herzl's video? Did you smile at viral videos featuring people in amusing or interesting situations? Without much thought, did you pass the videos on to share with friends?

It seems the stars of these videos are much less amused. In a report in 'Yedioth Ahronoth,' attempts were made to revisit the stars of some of the most talked-about videos in recent years to see how the overwhelming publicity affected them. The results, as one might anticipate, were not very encouraging.

"Not Everything Needs to Be Shared"

Firstly, there was mention of the famous chocolate flight. This incident occurred about three and a half years ago when two sisters were caught on camera arguing with a flight attendant. The attendant refused to sell them duty-free chocolate due to inappropriate behavior. One of the sisters shouted the phrase that has since become a slogan: "Sell my sister the chocolate, is she an Arab?" The video was shared by one of the passengers after the flight and became highly talked about.

When attempts were made to talk to the sisters shortly afterward, they said they were very embarrassed. One of them added: "I would never have gotten to such a state. I feel very unwell and since then I am on calming pills. I have a family - my husband, my parents, and my children who have nothing to do with the video, and I feel bad. I apologize to anyone I hurt." The sisters' mother also apologized, adding: "My daughter is going through a difficult time."

In a recent conversation with one of the sisters, she responded briefly: "We went through a rough time. I wish they could forget it for me."

Another case mentioned in the article is the video of 'Herzl.' For those unfamiliar, this video came to us from Sweden but was shot in Israel. It happened about five years ago during election season. A Swedish reporter was sent to document the election preparations and visited the Western Wall to film a segment there. While standing and filming, a woman passed by the cameras shouting "Herzl, Herzl!" The video was not shared at the time, but a year later it was used by Swedish television intending to showcase Israeli culture. The video was later spread on social networks and gained enormous traction very quickly.

Who is Herzl, really? And how did this exposure affect him? It turns out that Herzl is a 67-year-old pensioner living with his wife in Yavne. The couple are parents and grandparents. When approached by Yedioth Ahronoth, Herzl said: "I remember when we were at the Western Wall, my wife wanted me to stand by her at our grandson's *chalaka* event. We happened to pass by someone on camera, but I didn't know it was published. Suddenly I started getting many calls and people telling me: 'You're famous.' Everyone wanted to know what exactly happened and what we were doing there. It was very insulting and unpleasant. I felt like they were laughing at me. Our children are also very embarrassed. They keep showing us jokes sent about us."

Herzl concluded his remarks with pain: "I don't understand the point of the publication. There was nothing positive in it. The reporter didn't contact us afterward and didn't apologize. I want to send a message to the public: not everything needs to be filmed and shared."

In a conversation with the reporter, he updated that the video was shared not only in Israel but also in the Arab world, as well as Japan, Russia, the U.S., and Europe. "We soon intend to come to the Middle East to investigate the phenomenon and understand how things in Israel become so viral. On that occasion, I would be happy to meet Herzl and Sarah and explain that I did not intend to cause them bad feelings."

Not Always Amusing

Another viral video that seems to have greatly amused the public is the video of the car teasing the police, causing them to circle around the roundabout. In the car sat a driver who was speeding, and traffic police who arrived at the scene ordered him to stop, but he kept circling the roundabout, for unclear reasons. In the video, the car is seen turning again and again while the patrol car circles behind it.

This time, the National Traffic Division’s spokespersons attest that it is a video that completely endangers the public. The spokesperson stated: "I hope the video’s virality won't cause people to behave recklessly and dangerously while driving."

But on the other hand, there are also videos that actually cause benefit. 'Yedioth' also brings the sad story of taxi driver Maor Ben Tov. At five in the early morning, he picked up a group of men in his taxi, but during the trip, they violently assaulted him, endangering his life, according to him. Fortunately, he installed a security camera in his taxi at the beginning of his work, so his next step was to visit the police station, showing the footage accompanied by his father. The officers watched the video and passed it on, but about two weeks later, he learned that the case was closed.

Since he had the video, he handed it over to lawyers, who forwarded it to an Israeli media outlet that made it viral. Following this, Ben Tov suddenly received different reactions. He recounted how people called him, saying they saw the video and cried, not believing the police did nothing. Ben Tov later said: "I hesitated whether to expose myself, I’m a family man and my wife was about to give birth. I didn't intend to become famous, I just wanted to work and earn a living."

The trial against the group of men, apparently, is still ongoing. It's likely that without the video, it might have long fallen off the agenda.

Say 'Stop'

Viral videos have become commonplace, part of the daily routine. In recent years, there have been various opinions on what causes them to go viral. Theories about this are particularly popular among professionals and media people eager to know what they can do to gain recognition and reach a state where their video is endlessly shared at any given moment. They don't always remember to consider the emotions they tread on for ratings.

However, what is certain is that the primary and main thing that helps these videos spread is ourselves. If we don't share the videos, they won't be sent, and if we decide that there are situations where such sharing might harm or change someone's life, we'll surely think twice about it.

Of course, there are rare situations where sharing is beneficial and provides an advantage. But in most cases, we all know that if we ourselves were featured in these videos, there’s a strong probability we wouldn't want them to be shared. In such situations, it is evident that if someone says 'stop,' it will only be for the benefit of all of us.