When Poverty Becomes Content: The Moral Collapse Behind Exploiting the Homeless

When Poverty Becomes Content: The Moral Collapse Behind Exploiting the Homeless

The recent case of a Malaysian social media influencer fined RM40,000 for posting an offensive video involving a homeless man is more than just a legal matter. It is a mirror held up to a society increasingly desensitised by clicks, likes, and viral fame. In the video, three teenage boys were shown giving rice mixed with chicken bones to a homeless man—an act staged not out of ignorance, but for entertainment. For views. For engagement. For profit.

This was not a prank. It was humiliation dressed up as content.

What makes this incident particularly disturbing is the power imbalance involved. Homeless individuals are among the most vulnerable in society. They lack security, protection, and often a voice. Turning their hardship into spectacle strips them of dignity and reduces human suffering to a punchline. When poverty becomes a prop, empathy becomes collateral damage.

Social media has created an ecosystem where outrage is currency and shock value is rewarded. Influencers, desperate to remain relevant, increasingly push moral boundaries because the algorithm doesn’t care about ethics—it cares about engagement. And audiences, scrolling endlessly, have become numb, consuming cruelty as casually as comedy.

But this behaviour doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It reflects a deeper rot. We have normalised recording instead of helping, posting instead of protecting, and laughing instead of questioning. Teenagers are learning that humiliation equals popularity. Adults are teaching—by example—that morality is optional if views are high enough.

The RM40,000 fine sends a clear legal message, but the social lesson must go further. Accountability should not stop at the influencer. Platforms, audiences, and collaborators all play a role in enabling this culture. Silence and shares are forms of approval.

A society is judged by how it treats its weakest members. When we exploit the homeless for entertainment, we are not just failing them—we are revealing something ugly about ourselves. If this is the cost of online fame, then the price is far too high.