LIKES AND FOLLOWERS: THE PRESSURE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Does the number of likes, followers and views determine the credibility and popularity of a content creator on social media? After several cases of fake followers and likes coming to light, influencers express concerns about the ‘pressure’ of attaining followers, establishing a niche and creating unique content in their domain.
“More followers means reaching large number of audience and campaigns are all driven by numbers, as the ultimate goal is to sell the brand,” says travel influencer Siddhartha Joshi, who agrees that some influencers might feel pressure to gain followers. “It’s a rat race that everybody is trying to win, just that it’s simply more visible in our medium,” he explains.
Investment banker Rizwan Bachav, who is also a luxury lifestyle blogger, feels the concept of more likes and followers is a thing of the past. He explains, “You could have one million followers, but would make no sense to a brand if they don’t see quality or engagement… building your niche is important than focussing on numbers.”
Shereen Sikka, a beauty and fashion blogger, believes that a balance of both followers and right content is essential. She says, “Your niche plays a big part, but it makes it better if you have right audience viewing and engaging with the content.”
So does this constant pressure of having followers, also impact psychological well-being? Psychologist Pulkit Sharma says, “If you don’t have number of organic followers, you reel under anxiety and sadness, whereas those who gain through marketing tools, for them it’s pretentious. Both ways, this concept has an impact.”