With our phones being the first thing we reach for in the morning and the last thing we touch before we sleep, it can be hard to escape the grip that social media has on everything. The endless curated feeds, story updates, reels and algorithmic pushes create a self-sustaining system that rewards visibility and engagement and punishes silence and invisibility.
The tragic passing of Misha Agarwal, a young influencer and entrepreneur, sheds a glaring light on the mental health crisis playing out behind these screens and perpetrated by social media. It is a story about one person and all of us. What happens when pixels, metrics and others’ acceptance bind our sense of self?
The Illusion of “Being Seen”
Social media can be seen as a “highlight reel.” What we post is polished, filtered and optimised. We show off our successes, milestones and travels, but spare you from the sleepless nights, rejections and crushing loneliness. Over time, this creates a half-truth: everyone else is flourishing while we silently wither behind the scenes.
The upheaval is often made more profound by the fact that the identities of many influencers and creators like Misha Agarwal are inherently tied to their online persona. Social media demands to remain trending, entertaining, aesthetically beautiful and to meet everyone’s every demand are exhausting. Pair all that with the fact that, as a creator, on days you lose engagement or remain stagnant in your growth, it feels personal. Rejection. Failing.
For Misha, the loss of followers was not merely a loss of followers but a loss of self and dwindling worth. Losing love from people she had never even met.
The Double Life of the Digital Creator
Influencers often live dual lives: the vibrant, confident online social media personality and the often-tired, anxious human behind the screen. This disconnect between two lived identities can be stressful psychologically. Coupled with stressors like brand deals, followers’ loyalty and expectation of endless content, the perfect conditions are then established for burnout, imposter syndrome, anxiety and depression.
The following are mental health risks commonly experienced by social media creators and influencers:
- Imposter Syndrome: Frequent comparisons create chronic feelings of inadequacy.
- Burnout: An endless stream of creation with no rest or boundaries.
- Isolation: Excellent fans and followers don’t equate to human connection; loneliness endures.
- Performance Anxiety: The pressure to not have a “bad post” – even one can threaten your livelihood.
- Validation Dependency: Narrowing self-worth down to numbers or what people think.
Are We All Trapped in the Algorithm?
It may be easy to think that influencers only face these dilemmas, but social media has changed how we view ourselves. We measure friendships in DMS, success in followers and beauty in filters. We have gone from being to appearing.
We are so focused on how we are perceived socially-digitally that our physical connections in a room seem to matter less. How we are seen online is often more important than how we are known in person. Not only is this distortion dangerous. It is dehumanising.
Gentle Reminders for Social Media Creators (and Anyone Struggling)
To all the creators, marketers and public figures out there – this is for you:
You’re more than your follower count. It’s just a number on a screen that does not affect your personhood.
- You are allowed to take breaks. Taking a time out from posting doesn’t mean you’re “giving up” – it means you’re a human being.
- Curate your consumption. If something you’re seeing on Instagram is triggering anxiety or forcing comparison, don’t you dare be scared to unfollow or mute it. Protect your peace.
- Talk to someone. Whether that’s a little friend, big friend, family member, or therapist, reach out. It can feel heavier in silence and easier when you share the burdens.
- Establish boundaries. Your mental health is more important than any deadlines or trends.
- Honour off-screen wins. And offline joy doesn’t need online validation to be “real.”
Warning Signs to Watch For
If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed, especially in the creator space, here are signs that it might be time to seek professional help:
- Feeling hopeless or consistently sad
- Anxiety that interferes with daily life
- Panic attacks
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Thoughts of worthlessness or self-harm
- Withdrawal from friends or activities
- Feeling “numb” or detached
Mental health struggles are not a weakness. They are part of being human. And just like physical injuries, they need care, compassion and time to heal.
There Is Help—and There Is Hope
Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are tools—they are not mirrors of your soul. They are distortions of moments in time. You are not what you brand, what niche you fit, or what you have deep insight into or analytics about.
Misha’s story is tragic and is a wake-up call. A reminder that a human is behind every handle—feeling, struggling, trying and those feelings take up space, deserve support and require healing.
Let’s remember: it’s okay not to be OK. It’s OK to be offline. It’s OK to ask for help.
You matter. You are loved. And you are not alone.
