'Waste of young life': BSC founder Shantanu Deshpande slams 'creator economy delusion'
Shantanu Deshpande critiques the harsh realities of social media stardom, calling out attention inequity and the mental toll of chasing virality in India’s booming creator ecosystem.
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Shantanu Deshpande, Founder and CEO of Bombay Shaving Company, has sparked a conversation around the darker side of India's creator economy with a sharp critique on LinkedIn.
Deshpande expressed concern over the mental toll faced by countless aspiring content creators who grind daily for attention - often in vain.
"One of the saddest things for me today has to be an Instagram page of a young person dancing, singing, pranking, miming, and doing almost anything for attention for 2000+ posts, garnering 350 followers and 800 views per reel," Deshpande wrote.
Calling out the "nonsense" fed by influencers who preach that "one day you'll make it," he questioned the sustainability of such digital screams. "What a waste of a young life," he added. "I cannot imagine the mental toll of everyday rejection and the small deflection of self-confidence that accompanies it. Every. Single. Day."
Deshpande also drew attention to what he called attention inequity - an imbalance that he says is manufactured and monetised by platforms like Instagram and YouTube.
According to him, while India boasts over 10 crore creators today, only about 10,000 of them receive any "respectable ROI."
"The rest? Digital and Total Oblivion," he stated.
He likened the addiction to screen time - driven by algorithmic design - to "addiction sorcery," sharply criticizing tech platforms for exploiting users' attention without accountability. He urged people to intervene when they see loved ones trapped in this cycle. "Know a creator getting nowhere? They're not a creator. Yank' em out. Immediately," he concluded.
