Instagram is not a real world and followers are not real love, please try to understand this” – 24-year-old content creator Misha Agarwal’s family wrote this message last week along with their statement after Misha’s tragic suicide. The family shared that Misha “felt worthless” after her followers started decreasing.
The incident has thrown a harsh spotlight on the unsparing world of digital fame. Her final Instagram story hinted at loneliness and burnout over declining follower count: a toxic cocktail increasingly common in the high-pressure influencer economy. So how does one navigate a career where metrics define self-worth and virality is mistaken for value?
'The growth was painfully slow. I don’t know what else I could’ve done’ Kajal Kothari, now a successful lifestyle influencer, left a stable job as managing
director to chase a less conventional dream.“Eight-and-half years ago, when I decided to take a break from corporate life and explore something more fun like blogging, it was exciting but scary. I didn’t know if I’d ever make money. I gave myself a year and just took a chance. I didn’t have any options so I had to make this work.” That gamble worked for her, but she acknowledges the uneven playing field.
For many creators, success is still elusive. Popular YouTuber Nalini Unagar, known for her food and lifestyle content, recently quit after investing `8 lakh over three years. In a now-viral video, she admitted: “I tried everything – shorts, reels, long videos – but the growth was painfully slow. I didn’t even break even. I don’t know what else I could’ve done.”
‘The pressure to grow faster is killing creativity’ Even seasoned influencers aren’t immune to the constant pressure. “There’s a race to grow faster every month, to keep engagement high – it kills creativity,” says content creator Sourav Joshi. Whether you have 1,000 or a million followers, the pressure remains the same – to stay visible, relevant, liked. Kothari shares: “Constant competition, constant creativity, bringing something unique, something the audience can relate to on a regular basis... it can get tough. But I thrive under pressure. It pushes me to do better.”
Dr Marrita Monteirro, an orthodontist and lifestyle influencer, agrees. “There can be a creator’s block – it has happened to me.There’s a lot of backend work that nobody sees. Editing, writing, shooting... it’s overwhelming.”