Each reel and every hashtag comes with a price that not a single human being equips themselves with seeing. When I first started, as an influencer, I obsessed over acquiring views, over the rate of engagement and over the “talent” I possessed and my value within the social media ecosystem – unfortunately as likes, comments, and shares. Furthermore, somehow the line dividing passion and performance became one. Now, a chase for overtly excessive and unsustainable popularity is incredibly damaging, diverse focus. Now, crafting content is unfortunately no longer about showcasing talent. The only thing that matters now is claiming this talent and preferring to pretend to authenticity while faking it, winning the Engagement Game, disguised as creative content. Social media has made relevant and visibility competition incorporating pressure, devoid of anything special, consuming everything authentic and genuine.  Content depression can and will have it’s real side, which I aim to showcase through this blog. Beyond the compromise, utter desperation and perpetual struggle goes the social sacrifice we are willing to call a cost. There’s many of us masquerading behind trends waiting to shout about needing respite of the truth offered in this unfakeable post. The Rise and Fall of an Influencer Honestly, I yearned for setting myself against freedom and daming every pure burst of creativity the world has to offer me, as art. I finally felt what it is to be happy, as I shared feel my inner thoughts and emotions with the outer world. Everything seemed personal, meaningful and every post felt close to my heart. I was not chasing followers; rather, I was in pursuit of fulfillment. Somewhere along the lines however, everything changed. What used to serve as leisure morphed into an entertainment rat race.   Viral challenges mounted pressure on creators to outdo one another, while brand deals supplanted promises of fame. And the need for popularity becomes incessant at all costs, and the need for it never ends. I succumbed to it. Due to that, I stopped creating for myself. I began creating for the algorithms and the brands. Every single piece of content catered to showcasing mastery rather than self expression. The love that I had for my work was replaced by “measured results.” The moment that happened, I was no longer a creator. Instead, I morphed into another face in an unending fight for fleeting attention. The Hidden Cost of Going Viral That unexplainable rush became my birthright, where i experienced calls, notifications as validations. But that never sticks around. Every viral tweet brings a new sense of panic:  What if the next one doesn’t go viral? What if it flops? With all that and endless sleepless nights thanks to brainstorming, shooting and editing. Additionally, the concessions expanded to include larger deals that went against my principles and ethics, material that did not represent my reality.   This was all done for the sake of remaining relevant. Every seemingly perfect post came with its own set of bad bargains, broken promises and exploitation. Brands often got everything while paying in exposure. Do you know what glamour you see online? It’s just an illusion, a well edited one at that. Losing myself to stay relevant. I lost my creativity somewhere in between the noise. My authentic voice was replaced by algorithms and expectation, by the very thing that guided me. Now, I don’t even recognized myself. A manufactured person built for revenue, not expression. Worse still, everything and anything creative I had almost lost. Staying important meant having no peace. Living in constant fear of slipping into irrelevance, of no longer being enough. Every ounce of fame shifted everything chase turned out to be a mirage. Finding my way back becomes the most difficult thing. Finally succumbing to all of the chaos gave me a much needed wake up call. As it turns out, success isn’t followers, brand deals or api likes. The real success is the raw content you create, the connections you build and the passion you enforce your will not surrender. So I decided to step back and reclaim my creativity. I did everything not for an algorithm, but for myself. The Price of Going Viral has prompted me to share the things that are usually left out;   The long, sleepless nights   The silent sobbing sessions   The sacrifices made to keep up appearances   The obstacles no one writes about when claiming to share ‘success stories’ If you’re a creator, an aspiring one, or just someone trying to survive the online world, then you’re welcome. This blog is my story, my pain, and maybe, your survival guide. A Reminder for Every Influencer Creating content should be about connection, not competition. It should be about expression, not exploitation. It should be about truth, not trends. If you’re chasing fame, pause and ask yourself: “Am I still creating for the love of it?” Stay true. Stay Connected Because fame isn’t free. It’s just not paid in money.