In case you missed it: India is currently in the throes of its general elections, voting to elect a new parliament and Prime Minister.
In an age-old electoral procedure, voters' index fingers are marked with a small ink stripe after they've cast their vote.
The point is to prevent anyone from voting more than once.
The image has always been iconic but now, in India's first general election since social media went mainstream in the subcontinent, it's more ubiquitous than ever.
No, really. This is what happens when you search the hashtag #VOTED on Instagram.
The trend is pioneered and sustained by the generation that turned 18 in the last five years, who are both selfie-obsessed and newly eligible to vote.
Even Bollywood A-listers are doing it.
It is popular enough to have been meme-ified.
And criticized.
And brutally satirized.
Some people are using it to express peace...
Others not so much.
One revolutionary is supporting the trend by teaching the world how to convincingly fake the ink mark, even if you didn't actually vote.
For those who missed out, remember, one layer of blue, one of black and carefully finish with blue again.
Which is apparently a thing that is happening, because this kid is definitely not 18 years old.
Some people are using this as an outlet for their pent-up creative energy.
For others, it is family bonding.
A couple's activity, even.
People are getting meta.
Really, really meta.
Of course, duck faces are aplenty.
As is advocacy.
This trailblazer is using one index finger to point to the other.
Hopefully the social pressure to Instagram one's way onto this bandwagon will result in higher youth turnout.
(Which is at a record high, anyway.)
Preempting the madness, the Election Commission enforced a ban on selfies in the actual voting booth.
Thereby forcing India's youth to #latergram the democratic process.
