Content creators are overworked, stressed, and exhausted as they try to keep their followers entertained and keep up with social media algorithms. Last year, many international content creators quit social networks due to exhaustion. Famous YouTubers Jenna Marbles and Ingrid Nilsen have left their Youtube channels due to mental health reasons. In March last year, Charli D’Amelio, the most famous TikTok star with millions of social media followers, said that she had ‘lost her passion’ for posting content. Another international content creator, Spencewuah, with nearly 10 million followers, announced that he is retiring from the platform. ‘Work-life balance is a myth'”I always believe that at a certain point, master the art of personal balance and Masoom Minawala, a famous fashion content creator of India, said professional life is a myth and the pandemic has just reinforced this belief for me. She shared that the initial phase of the pandemic was stressful because more and more people were going online “During that time, I prioritized my career and work twice as much as usual. I won’t lie, at first it was difficult to constantly manage content and find a quiet corner in the house,” shares Masoom. But Masoom decided to give himself some much-needed rest. Although she doesn’t leave social media, sometimes when she feels overworked, she takes a short break before returning to creating content. Vibely, a global creator community platform, recently shared that 90 percent of creators have experienced burnout, and 71 percent said it has made them consider stopping producing content altogether. full. ‘Keeping up with the algorithm is stressful’Once you start monetizing your content, a lot of aspects like insights, views etc come into play. According to Vibely, 65% of creators say one of their top stressors is changes to the platform’s algorithm. While creating content can be a fulfilling process, the work behind making that content go viral is intense and can bring on a lot of stress. “Things that exhaust me are checking insights, interacting with followers, constantly seeking feedback, comparing progress with others. For me, creativity is a therapy But contrary to popular belief, it’s only a very small part of a content creator’s life, most of the time.” Aanchal Agrawal, an Indian digital content creator and a popular comedian, says, “I spend my time doing the things I mentioned earlier and end up exhausted from my mobile phone. The cave is your office.” Keeping up with the algorithms has taken a toll on Aanchal’s health. “Initially I was very tired of all this. Then I made it a rule to take breaks. I started logging out of all platforms and set a time limit of 45 minutes each time I feeling saturated. When I come back now, I’m in a very healthy place mentally, I’m creative when I feel like it and I play my own game, it’s liberating” , Aanchal expressed.’A lot of work goes behind the scenes 30 second video’There are many aspects that content creators must do consider before posting videos or content that social media users occasionally see on their feeds. Brainstorming, coming up with ideas, goals, deadlines, etc. requires a lot of time and energy. Content management is no longer a one-person job, there are designated teams that handle different aspects of content creation, and what we see is just the final product. “Capturing impactful, engaging content within 30 seconds is definitely not as easy as it looks. It takes a sharp script and a lot of planning and brainstorming in a lifetime,” says Masoom. real before it becomes a spin”. “If the past two years have taught us anything, it’s that there’s nothing more important than your health, and when I feel guilty for taking a break, I remind myself how I felt,” said Aanchal’. what it’s like to rest and it’s meaningful.” The Internet is an extension of the real world’Roberto Blake, a famous Youtuber made a video on creator burnout in which he points out some important factors that are affecting mental health of the creator community. He pointed out that the community is facing a crisis of mental health, burnout and toxicity. “The world itself seems to be falling apart and the Internet is not separate from that, it is an extension of the real world. We are all real people on the Internet. No matter what Whatever happens in the world impacts and affects us. And whatever happens on the internet adds to that, so at some point, everyone breaks down, this. occurs due to chronic stress,” Roberto said in his video. According to the International Journal of Stress and Management, burnout is defined as a ‘work-induced syndrome’ that combines emotional exhaustion, depersonalization/cynicism, and a sense of accomplishment. Personal achievements are reduced’.
