An X social media video has gone viral, claiming to show the rescue of a supposed “188-year-old man” from a cave near Bengaluru, India. The clip, barely a minute long, and posted by an account called “Concerned Citizen,” now carries more than 34 million views and all that masalas of interest and debate.
In the 24-second video, there have been observations of two men taking care of an old man with a bent back, long white beard, and walking stick. The caption that accompanies the video reads: “This Indian man has just been found in a cave. It’s alleged he’s 188 years old. Insane.” This weirdness of the claim led to multiple reactions afterward. Viewers who were full of shock and amazed by the discovery pointed their attention to the alleged claim.
But fact-checkers very soon started verifying the authenticity of the statement and their findings have debunked the sensational story about that identity.
Who is Siyaram Baba?
Several accounts claim to have identified the elderly man in the video clip as Siyaram Baba, who is a recognized Hindu saint based in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. More importantly, Siyaram Baba, according to verified sources, is 110 years old and not 188, which fact appeared in the viral clip. Fact-checking agencies, among them the group D-Intent Data, indicated that the video clip was misleading.
“Misinformation! The old man is a Hindu Saint named ‘Siyaram Baba’, who lives in Madhya Pradesh, India. He is reportedly 110 years old,” read a fact-check disclaimer tacked onto a post on X. The platform itself took matters into its own hands by flagging the post with a warning label, alerting viewers to the spread of false information.
D-Intent Data’s probe further revealed how such lies spread far and wide, especially in social media networks, which, partly because of algorithmic formulation as well as Web 2.0’s countercultural takes on digital norms, often reward viral content, without fact-checking. According to the group, “A video of some people helping an elderly individual has gone viral falsely claiming a 188-year-old Indian man was found in a cave. The truth is that these claims are false. The man is a saint named Siyaram Baba from Madhya Pradesh.”.
Misconceptions Spread via Social Media
This video spread like wild mustard, thus representing a bigger issue in the spread of false information on social media. While social media has been an efficient tool for information dissemination, it has also become a place for breeding misinformation. Fact checkers picked on the issue right away in this case but by the time the information was debunked, it had already hit millions of viewers.
Influencers and content creators have often posted items that may be misleading or sensationalized in pursuit of clicks and engagement. Here, the sensational assertion that an old man came out of a cave in India fed the public desire for the extraordinary or sensational, no matter how baseless the story was.
Verification from Reliable Sources
An article in Navbharat Times in July 2024 confirmed the age of Siyaram Baba once again. They verified the fact that an old saint is staying in the Khargone district in Madhya Pradesh. The saint is 109 years old, not 188 years old. The local community has been venerating the saint for such a long time. He peacefully resides in his village to this day. All the claims made in the video are entirely fictitious, and his enduring presence and character in the region justify all this.
The original video is still circulating but is no longer virally trending, as more people become exposed to its debunking. Experts warn that such is happening nowadays. Verification agencies note this and appeal to the public to stay on guard and be critical of extraordinary claims.
Digital Literacy Lessons
This incident reminds me of digital literacy in today’s Information Age. Viewers are prompted to be more skeptical about sensational stories and check facts from legitimate sources before accepting claims as truths. Social media companies, including X, have also gained tremendous pressure to introduce better fact-checking and prevention strategies against misinformation in curbing false narratives.
With the role of the internet now being a primary source of news and information for many, the responsibility lies not just in the hands of the platforms and content-creating sources but also in the hands of the users to check facts before further propagation. More information is now at the fingertips of citizens than ever before to verify any claim before sharing it with others.
As the video of a supposed 188-year-old man captured millions in their imagination, the truth couldn’t be any further from that. The man is Siyaram Baba, a highly respected 110-year-old saint from Madhya Pradesh. Though his legacy is significant, it has been misrepresented in a way that highlights the growing need to remain vigilant against misleading information on social media.
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