Here’s the flip side of trying to stay authentic and real on your socials. Sooner or later, the fans start talking back. One will want to know why a creator stopped posting their morning routine. Another will ask if the friend in Friday’s vlog was actually a partner. There will be some who will press for updates about a family member you mentioned only once. And you’ll eventually wonder who’s calling the shots: You, or the followers you serve.
We asked lifestyle and travel influencer Simran Balar Jain (@SimranBalarJain), digital marketer Praveen Kumar (@WhereAreYouPraveen), and fashion influencer Paridhi Gulati (@VogueAndVanities_Pari) to reflect on the boundaries they’ve set, and the invisible labour of staying real, but private too.
Draw the line. Jain refrained from impulsively opening up, early in her career. “Authenticity doesn’t mean revealing everything. It means being honest about what I choose to share,” she says. She won’t discuss details of her marriage, or moments she hasn’t emotionally processed. Her loved ones appear on screen only rarely.
Gulati doesn’t overshare either. “The parts of my life going on the Internet are intentional, not accidental.” Everything about her family, and her personal life, largely stays out of the frame. “I also make sure our time together isn’t content-driven – no cameras, no pressure to perform.” Kumar knows that his followers are interested in his energy, not his life story. “If something needs a heart-to-heart in real life, it doesn’t belong on the internet.”
Hear them out. The pressure to remain emotionally available doesn’t always come from algorithms; often, it comes from the audience. When Jain sees comments that demand follow-ups on her personal life, she relies on a warm but firm response: “I love that you care, but this is something I prefer keeping private”. Some fans don’t get the message. Kumar once got a comment that read, “Bro reply warna unfollow kardunga” (a threat to unfollow) . He responded to the ultimatum with humour, pointing out that his community was more like a water cooler corner: “Join if you vibe, walk past if you don’t.”
Fans tend to track influencers’ lives more obsessively than is comfortable. When Gulati took a week off from posting, “one follower slyly asked if I’d become lazy because I was only sharing branded content”. Gulati had to remind them that branded work is part of the job. “You can set limits without harming the relationship, as long as you communicate them honestly and respectfully.”
Get tech help. Most creators now use templated responses and AI that sends instant acknowledgments on their behalf, so they’re not responding personally to the thousands of comments they get. Gulati has a set window to reply to posts. “Comment filters help me see only what’s constructive or genuine.” Kumar says he replied to comments, not as they arrive, but in batches, “but with my whole heart”.
Know your limits. Fans often believe that the honest, personal, candid persona on screen is talking directly to them. They’ll respond asking for advice, or unload personal stories of trauma. Many just want a cheat-sheet to fame. Others want money or a share of the spoils. Jain opts out before the situation gets sticky with, “I appreciate your trust, but I’m not equipped to guide you on this”.
Gulati has realised that hearing out a fan constitutes unpaid emotional labour. “I’ve learned to redirect them to professionals, therapists and trainers when I am not fully equipped.” How you engage the first time sets the tone for how a fan treats you, she says. “Over time, small corrections shape a space that feels safe, positive, and rooted in mutual respect.”
Some requests are useful. When a follower asked Kumar for non-Hindi subtitles so his mother could understand his videos, he acquiesced. “It took 40 extra minutes. But it was a request worth heeding.”
From HT Brunch, February 28, 2026
Follow us on www.instagram.com/htbrunch
