From Reels to Reality: Dhruvee Haldankar Highlights Mental Health Impact of Content Creation
With millions of creators chasing engagement, Dhruvee Haldankar warns about the mental health risks of social media validation and urges self-belief.
We all knew there was a time when people wanted to become doctor, pilot and engineers, but now the most trending job amongst youngsters is content creation. There are almost ten crore content creators in India today who are making around 4.7 crore reels every day for social media apps. And while everyone is busy making content, there are some side effects to it too. As the views or likes go down, creators get a setback mentally. A man in Jharkhand sold his family land for content creation and built an expensive studio. But as soon as the likes and views went down, he couldn’t take it and he burnt his studio. The fact is content creation often looks glamorous from the outside but the pressure is there on actors who are always under scrutiny and pressure to make an impact with their social media posts.
Dhruvee Haldankar who is knows for her work in shows like Trideviyaan, C.I.D., and Dharam Patni shares she has never been into a race of showcasing unnecessary things on her social media. She says,”I want my audience to know me for my acting. It's difficult for me if everyone is to be a spectator. If you put cameras in my house you will see me sitting in a corner meditating most of the time. I don't know how interesting that will be to all. And if I want to post anything on my creative work I do that because that’s the way people know me.”
Many creators even actors admit that a drop in views, engagement, or followers deeply affects their self-worth. Why has social media performance become so deeply connected to mental health? On this, the actress says, “I feel that people who put in immense effort expect appreciation and love in return. When their content doesn’t perform, they feel like they’ve failed. For many, validation from thousands of strangers becomes the most important thing. We all know the world is changing—robots may take over, and humans seem to be heading toward their own destruction. Yet people still do things that genuinely shock me as a human being. Anything for a reel, isn’t it?”
Dhruvee feels social media is a platform where constant comparison between people and their work happens. Numbers, views, boosting, trending these terms are important to influencers. She strongly recommends,”One should not fall for this culture! Create your own magic.”
