HT Brunch Cover Story: The culture of content
India’s top Gen Z content creators have the ability to put their lives on display with authenticity, relatability and, most importantly, humour
Imagine earning enough money via a beloved hobby to sustain yourself! That’s what three 20-year-olds, born and brought up in Mumbai, have done, thanks to their hobby of making and uploading videos on social media.
Unlike the mostly millennial content creators we’re used to however, these three are Gen Z-ers. And they have a very different take on online earnings and influence than their immediate generational predecessors do. It’s a difference that stems from the fact that social media is a strict part of their everyday lives, rather than something apart from it that needs to be exploited for earnings. It’s a difference that’s as refreshing as it is real.
Meet Dev Raiyani, Taneesha Mirwani, and Leisha Patidar, the Gen Z-ers who keep the virtual world real.
When Instagram was trending…
“I started posting when Instagram was a new thing in India; all my friends were on it. It was like a party! I had no intention of getting into the content creation space,” says Dev Raiyani, who has 366K followers on Instagram, where he puts up humorous posts and also focusses on dance and music.
Currently pursuing computer science at college in Los Angeles, after finishing school at Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai, Dev enjoys making videos that give viewers a peek into his life. The 20-year-old has been doing this on various platforms for over eight years—he and his best friend began by uploading videos on the now discontinued app Vine, and by the age of 12, Dev had his own YouTube channel. When his YouTube video titled ‘Expectations vs Reality’ went viral, Dev got his first taste of fame.
“No one used to talk to me in school. But after that video went viral, everyone spoke to me. I loved the attention I got from class seven to 10,” Dev recalls. “And then, it went to my head. My mum was the one who kept me grounded every time I acted too cocky.”
Today, Dev’s videos of himself hanging out with his friends give you squad goals, because they aren’t flashy or about going out and partying. In fact, they have the same kind of chill vibe as Taneesha Mirwani’s BTS (behind the scenes) videos.
“I’m just on social media to have fun,” says Taneesha, who has 392K Instagram followers. Taneesha shot to fame during the lockdown in 2020 for her South Bombay character sketches.
“I got into it out of boredom and realised this was something I could do regularly on social media,” says the creator, who juggles her life between Mumbai and the US where she studies advertising at Boston University. Though she was making videos when she was 13 years old, on platforms like Musical.ly and TikTok (before the latter was banned in India), it’s only in this past year that her relatable Reels have found a massive audience. What works is their innocent, no-filter feel.
Meanwhile, Leisha Patidar, who has grabbed eyeballs for her fashion and beauty content on Instagram (where she has 794K followers), a platform she signed up for when she was in class 11, is completely in the glam zone. Whether it’s make-up or transition videos, her choice of music with each Reel is spot-on! The next-gen Komal Pandey, some would say. But, as she herself points out, her skin tone appeals to a wider Indian audience.
“I was always particular about my make-up and wanted to get into Bollywood. But my mom didn’t let me. So, I took up content creation. I only became serious about it after crossing 400K followers about a year and a half ago,” explains Leisha, who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Management Leadership degree at RD National & WA Science College, Mumbai.
Stuck with her entire family of around 80 people in a haveli in Jaipur for six months during the 2020 lockdown, Leisha began posting GetReadyWithMe videos where creators show their make-up routine/outfit transitions. She began with make-up tutorials, but when her transition video to a Padmaavat song got 200K likes and 4M views, she was encouraged to continue.
Support system
Because their parents aren’t social-media savvy, it’s taken the three Gen Z-ers a long time to convince them that spending hours on their phones is actually a good thing!
“My parents only started respecting content creation once the money started coming in,” says Dev. His interior designer mother and computer scientist father were clueless about his online presence till his aunt chanced upon his Instagram profile, found that he had 100K followers, and shared a screenshot on the family WhatsApp group.
That was the moment that his social media fame sank in for Dev. “My parents want me to be practical, more than anything. That’s why I am getting my degree as a safety plan. They are supportive, even though I get a shouting if I post a video showing my middle finger or saying a bad word,” he grins.
Taneesha, whose mother is a homemaker and father a businessman, believes that her folks are still oblivious of the impact a 300K following on IG has, but says they are supportive nevertheless.
“They are proud of me, and money is coming in. When I ask my dad to be in one of my videos, he’s always ready. They see it as a career option. My dad even said I should quit college and pursue this instead, but my mother wants me to finish my degree,” she divulges.
Leisha’s mother, a homemaker unaware of social media, had wanted her daughter to do something related to business. But once it became clear that Leisha’s ‘hobby’ is a money-maker, she’s been learning and supports her daughter living her dreams.
“I once posted something where my cleavage was showing a tad. My grandmother made a huge deal about it but my mother stood up for me. It helps that I’m good in my studies,” Leisha laughs.
Going with the flow
Unlike millennials, these Gen Z creators do not plan life goals. But that does not mean that they are not practical and realistic. Each of these three has backup plans in place, even as they live in the moment.
“I recently switched my major from film studies to advertising. That’s what I am interested it. I don’t see content creation as a career path. I think I’ll take up a job after my degree,” says Taneesha. Leisha, meanwhile, is still nursing the evergreen Bollywood dream.
It’s because of the ephemeral nature of the online world that Dev is certain that he isn’t going to be a professional content creator. “Instagram could be deleted one day just like TikTok was banned. Besides, I don’t have the mental stability for it, and prefer a peaceful life,” he says. Not that he’s going to stop posting though. “I love entertaining people and being a part of the online community,” smiles Dev.
As students, when push comes to shove, studies always win over content creation. “There is always this stress about navigating college, socialising, making content and also figuring out life,” says Taneesha, who calls her mother to destress and then moves on without overthinking things.
The stress comes partly because their content creation brings them money—on an average, their monthly earnings are ₹50k to ₹3 lakh, sometimes even as much as ₹5 lakh. “But when I am in college, my earnings are zero as there is no time for content creation,” says Taneesha.
Most of their earnings go into savings accounts, but money is not why they got into creation. “I was doing barter collaborations even after crossing 80K followers on IG. Money wasn’t on my mind. I was simply doing something I liked,” laughs Leisha.
“TikTok didn’t have money—in India at least—and Reels replaced TikTok. A lot of creators make the mistake of having money as their motivating factor, which leads to a decline in creativity and originality,” points out Dev.
Millennial vs Gen Z
“Millennials have been in this game much longer. Yes, Gen Z is better with technology, but several millennial creators are much better and more experienced. We have more time because of our age, and we’ve also had more freedom compared to millennials,” says Dev.
Gen Z creators also tend to know one another, having found each other on social media platforms years earlier. For example, Taneesha and Dev did collaborations for TikTok and Musical.ly after they met at an inter-school competition when they were in class eight.
“As most of us are already friends, it’s easier to build a community. Besides, social media and pop culture are much bigger parts of our lives than they were for millennials,” Taneesha states.
It’s this community aspect that really differentiates the attitude of Gen Z content creators from that of millennial influencers. There are no fan followings, they say. There are only online friendships. And, maybe it’s because they’ve been in the public eye since a younger age than their millennial counterparts, but these Gen Z creators know how to not let get social media get the better of them.
“I’ve reached a space where I don’t feel stressed. A year ago, the moment followers or likes decreased on IG, I felt like life didn’t have a purpose. I’ve learnt to love myself first now. I edited a Reel for six hours the other day, but deleted it within 30 minutes of posting it because I didn’t love it,” says Dev.
The ‘everyone is entitled to their opinion so there’s no point in over-thinking it’ approach Taneesha has adopted for dealing with negative comments keeps the pressure of posting every day at bay too. “If I don’t post, my DMs will be filled with concerned messages asking me if I am okay, or followers telling me to not be lazy. Anxiety only sets in when I put the pressure on myself,” she says.
Content Vs Clout
So, do these 20-somethings think of themselves as ‘influencers’ or as ‘content creators/entertainers’?
“The latter, because I have no desire to influence anyone. ‘Influencers’ are unnecessarily put on a high pedestal. Content creators can’t be influencers. We just make videos on trends. You know who was a real influencer? Mahatma Gandhi!” says Dev.
Nods Taneesha, “A real influencer is someone who has done something major. I don’t think it’s a fair term to use for content creators.”
And this is why they don’t think of themselves as stars. “I don’t want to be a celebrity. I don’t like being recognised when I go out. The phone is my stage and I am just performing in isolation,” says Dev.
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From HT Brunch, July 30, 2022
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