Hooked to your screen watching influencer drama unfold? You're not alone

William Shakespeare must be rolling in his grave for immortalising an idea that people have taken extremely seriously – ​​’All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players’. Take this notion to the digital world, twist it around and now, hundreds of thousands of us have serious main character syndrome. And given what they say about too many cooks, the broth is bound to be tainted by some inevitable influencer drama.

In the grand theatre of the internet, watching influencer drama unfold, whether on social media through Instagram stories – most recently the massive bubble that was popped by Aishwarya Subramanium about Cannes film festival influencer attendees – or through timelines strung together by Reddit sleuths, is like getting a backstage pass to a Bollywood award show after-party back in the ’90s. Nowadays, the PR-managed lives and sanitised press interactions of traditional celebrities fade into the background while influencers serve up raw, unfiltered drama that keeps us glued to our screens.

Our traditional celebs undergo extensive media training to handle interviews and public interactions. Training helps them navigate tricky questions and controversial statements. Polished responses now lack the authenticity that once led to spontaneous banter and throwing of shade. Who knew that learning to say “no comment” would kill all the fun? Influencers, on the other hand, build their brands on being unfiltered and ‘just like you’, albeit backed by sponsorships, PR gifts and some great lighting. Our traditional celebs maintain a more curated presence on social media. Playing it safe may protect their image, but it sure makes things dull for us. The legal and social ramifications of public disputes for them are far more grave. The apprehensions are understandable.

If you’re wondering how one even gets drawn into strangers’ personal lives and follies, imagine scrolling through your feed and stumbling upon yet another terrible YouTuber’s apology video, ukulele et al., and the subsequent reaction videos to it. It’s like finding a real-life soap opera that updates by the day, if not the hour. Rich with conflicts, twists and screenshots as receipts, you’re offered more than just a distraction. For me, it can become a full-blown addiction. I need to know what everyone thinks about apologies in the form of songs. Why is the background always earthy and neutral tones? Are Notes app apologies considered old people behaviour now?

At its core, we devour another person’s unravelling as entertainment, taking us away from our daily grind. Much like binge-watching a Netflix series, keeping up with influencer drama allows viewers to dive into a world of excitement and forget their own problems, if only for a little while. After all, why deal with your own issues when you can watch someone else’s life fall apart in real time? Communities get built around the internet drama. Whether in office banter, group chats or online forums, instead of discussing the latest episode of Bridgerton, it’s “Did you see that sneaker influencer Rohan’s cryptic post last night? It has to be about his former friend, Rahul.”

When influencer drama occurs, schadenfreude meets moral superiority, and we turn into the same judgemental neighbourhood oldies who comment about our crop tops. We’re the gossipy uncles and aunties now, and we often don’t care about what’s true and what’s not. “After months of criticising other people’s outfits so brutally, did you see what he wore to that event? Not a good look. Minus 2/10!”

There’s a certain pleasure in seeing those with seemingly perfect lives face turmoil. Influencer drama hooks us in for the very reason that influencers themselves did in the first place. The relatability and subsequent access to fame/money. Anyone could become an influencer or content creator, as some prefer. The person you see painted in the latest makeup drops from your favourite brand could be your college roommate or cousin. Social media democratised fame where anyone, with a little talent, luck and a smartphone, can build a career that would have been impossible earlier without big bucks or family connections. Anyone can build their celebrity. It just happens not to be you (or me).

The local and NRI desi community was heartbroken when their favourite digitally-famous queer South Asian couple ended their relationship. There was an emotional investment in their relationship and inspiration to live openly, out and proud. The parasocial relationships deepened, and these one-sided relationships made their drama feel personal, almost like it was a best friend’s breakup (is there a right way to end a relationship?). This emotional investment makes a stranger’s life more engaging and compelling. It’s like having friends who have no idea you exist, but whose lives are way more interesting than yours. I went into work that day with no idea about who these people were, and I left very educated on the topic by my Gen Z coworkers. Keeping up with influencers is at the very least giving me something to talk to people under the age of 25 about other than the need to make everything a crop top.

Some parts of the internet will state that gossiping has benefits. “Positive and negative gossip are both important because gossip plays an important role in sharing information about people’s reputations,” said ​​Xinyue Pan, the first author of a study conducted by the University of Maryland and Stanford University. “Once people have this information, cooperative people can find other good people to cooperate with, and this is actually beneficial for the group. So gossiping is not always a bad thing.”

Who can say when gossiping tips over from good to bad or vice versa? Some of us consume it as mindless entertainment, while others are tainted by envy. For now, where follower count matters, drama is the currency, and every post is a plot twist waiting to unfold, we will continue to invest ourselves in the lives of others. Who wants to ponder over what to cook for dinner when Rahul returns with the receipts of what went down with his friend, sneaker influencer Rohan? Who would have guessed that the teenager pretending to be ‘all that’ on social media was really insecure in real life and renting the sneakers he’d show on his page? Oh my, grab the popcorn, I can’t wait to find out more.