Mind your mind
- Clock It
- May 11
- 3 min read
In the age of Instagram Live, personal lives have become public
spectacle, raising questions about responsibility, and our role as silent
spectators.
By Hansika Kohli
Private lives have somehow become public events. People open
Instagram, go live, and start ‘ranting’ their most personal problems with
complete strangers. And we, the audience , sit there and watch it like it
is the highlight of our day, fully invested, fully hooked.
Someone cries about their relationship. Someone exposes their ex. Some
break down over their family problems. Thousands of strangers join to
watch this as if attendance were compulsory. And this is not because it is
helpful, it is for the sole purpose of drama. And drama sells.
If you have been on Instagram, you probably would have come across
the name Deeksha Gulati, a lifestyle and dance content creator, with a
following of 835k and her handle as deekshagulati24, known for her
“Namaste Ji” greeting. Distressed, Deeksha, on January 7, 2026, went
live on Instagram late at night and accused her boyfriend, Udit Rajput, of
cheating on her and emotionally manipulating her throughout their
relationship. She also, included that she had introduced Udit to her family,
and discussions of marriage had also taken place. All while being
involved with another woman the entire time.
Attention is powerful. Where we give it decides what grows, and how we grow.Snahita Singh, 19, a communication student at UPES University, Dehradun.
Clips from the live session spread like wildfire, and within hours, they
became the most searched names on Google. The controversy had
grown so large that Deeksha had to come live again, apologising for
being immature and sharing, her private life as if it were, a TED talk. She
also requested viewers not to spread hate against Udit, switching off the
comment section.
When asked about this controversy, Snahita Singh, 19, a communication
student at UPES University, Dehradun, replied,“ Well just because I follow her
and saw her go live while scrolling on Instagram.”
When questioned whether she ever stopped to think if it was helping her in
some way or if it was related to her, Snahita replied, “No not really, I was just
watching it to pass time. People watch it for entertainment, including me as
well.
Aditi Singh, 19, a law student at O.P. Jindal University, Sonipat, says,
“She wasjust someone I followed. But after watching that live, I kind of became
connected to her, going through something similar like this. I could feel her
emotions and genuinely felt bad for her.”
No reason, no purpose. It was just because they both were scrolling. One was
there for the drama, and the other, having gone through something similar,
connected with her. This questions us as viewers. Should we be watching such
content? Are we gaining knowledge through this? No. Even if it creates a
connection with a person, normalising sharing private issues on social media is
a troubling idea.
This also raises another question. Should influencers really post such content,
where an entire generation is watching and learning from them? No. There is a
great difference between a considered post about a social issue, and a raw one,
that names and shames someone in front of thousands of people.
Similar situations have happened before. Wizard Liz, for example, with the
handle of thewizardliz and 4.9 million followers, spoke publicly about her
breakup with her fiancé, Landon Nickerson, after accusing him of cheating on her while being pregnant. She discovered he had been messaging another
woman through a secret Snapchat account, which eventually led her to publicly
call off the engagement. Millions watched, reacted and chose sides.
After all, this isn’t just about influencers going live. It’s about the culture we create around it. Every view is a silent approval, every pause to look at the video is a choice. So perhaps the responsibility is shared. Share with care, watch with conscience, because attention is powerful. And where we give it decides what grows, and how we grow.
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