Chasing 1 million followers, losing herself: Influencer Misha Agrawal's death sparks a wake-up call

She dreamt of hitting one million followers, but when that milestone slipped away, so did her will to live. The 24-year-old content creator, Misha Agrawal’s, suicide has sent shockwaves through the creator community, reigniting urgent conversations around validation, mental health, and the crushing pressures of social media fame. Celebrities have also taken notice of the news, with actor Taapsee Pannu reacting to it in an Instagram story. The actor described the incident as heartbreaking and expressed her concern over the growing obsession with virtual validation and social media metrics.

See Taapsee Pannu's story:

Misha passed away on April 24, just two days before her 25th birthday. While fans were speculating on the cause of her death, on 30th April, her family revealed that the influencer was deeply depressed in the months before her death. “My little baby sister had built her world around Instagram and her followers, with a single goal of reaching 1 million followers and gaining loving fans. When her followers started decreasing, she became distraught and felt worthless. Since April, she had been deeply depressed, often hugging me and crying, saying, Jijja, what will I do if my followers decrease? My career will be over,” read the post, adding, “I urged her to let go of anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, my little sister didn’t listen and became so consumed by Instagram and followers that she left our world forever. Tragically, she became so overwhelmed that she took her own life, leaving our family devastated.”

They also shared that the content creator had a screenshot of her follower count on Instagram and YouTube as her phone wallpaper. “Her Phone wallpaper says everything. Her only aim of life. Instagram is not a real world and followers are not real love, please try to understand this,” read the caption.

See the post:

Influencers react

It is important to highlight the gravity of the situation. Visibility on social media, constantly keeping up with the trends, and follower count when you have a large public platform could mentally take a toll on you. The leading content creators on social media share their opinions on the tragic incident. “This is a tragic reminder of the silent pressure so many feel in this world of likes, views, and endless visibility. I feel fortunate that I didn’t enter this world in my twenties. I already had a sense of self. I had lived, failed, and found pieces of myself offline. But for younger creators, especially those growing up in this ecosystem, it must be incredibly hard. The constant comparison, the pressure to be “on” all the time, to trend, to stay relevant… it can eat away at your peace. We don’t talk enough about how damaging it is to feel like your worth is tied to a number,” shares travel and lifestyle vlogger Shenaz Treasury.

According to food blogger Mehak Dhawan, the changing and fluctuating algorithm of social media affects a lot of creators professionally, personally and mentally. “What happened was truly tragic. No one should have to go through that. Trying to stay relevant — posting, producing, writing, scripting every day — takes a huge toll. It might look easy from the outside, but inside, being a content creator today is extremely difficult,” she says. Mehak stresses the importance of disconnecting from the endless chase for likes, validation, and engagement. “When you tie your self-worth to numbers, it starts affecting your personal life too. It’s important to strike a balance. At some point, you have to stop looking at the numbers because there will always be people who love you for who you are. Instead of focusing on what’s missing — fewer likes, views, or comments — we need to prioritise our mental health and personal lives. There is always hope,” she adds.

Sharing a similar sentiment, stand-up comic Amit Tandon says, “Social media takes a major toll on your mental health because you look at your followers and you think that is your social currency, and that’s all your life is, whether in terms of money or validation. That is why a lot of influencers suffer from anxiety because every time they post, they are counting the number of likes, number of followers gained and lost, and all of this causes a major mental health problem. This is how they start measuring their self-worth. It is also the kind of comments you get or the personal message you receive that impacts you. Even if you get 100 compliments, one bad comment stays with you. I also think it is the very quick successes and very quick downfalls that are happening on social media today. Achieving overnight success is also hard to handle, quickly causing stress to your mental health.”

Experts weigh in

What could one do in such grave situations when social media becomes a defining factor of how you perceive the world? Mental health experts share their insights. “ A dip in engagement can feel like social erasure, sometimes triggering extreme emotional distress or suicidal thoughts. To address this, awareness is crucial. Setting screen-time boundaries, following positive content, and avoiding harmful comparisons are essential steps. One must invest in real-world relationships and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Sleep, consume nutrition, and regular exercise can greatly improve mental health. Most importantly, opening up to trusted friends or professionals when overwhelmed is vital,” advises Dr Sneha Sharma, Consultant Psychiatry, Aakash Healthcare.

For influencers, this isn’t just about losing followers; it’s about losing a sense of identity tied to online visibility, says Dr Minakshi Manchanda, Associate Director – Psychiatry at Asian Hospital. “Many individuals in this space experience chronic anxiety, impostor syndrome, and even depressive episodes, yet often suffer in silence because there’s an expectation to always appear happy, productive, and on brand. We must understand that behind the filters and reels are real people with real emotions. To safeguard mental health, creators must actively build boundaries, take regular digital detoxes, limit screen time, and most importantly, separate self-worth from online metrics. As a society, we need to normalise seeking help and having open conversations about the mental toll of the online world,” she adds.