The Content Crisis: How Daily Vlogging Culture Is Rewiring Young Minds

Murtaza Reyaz

We’re living in a world where people no longer just eat food; they film it. People no longer just live moments; they vlog them. And somehow, this has become normal. Welcome to the age of content, where daily vlogging is not just entertainment anymore; it’s a lifestyle, a career, and sadly, an addiction.

At first glance, it feels harmless. Just someone sharing their day. A little fun, a little chaos, a few aesthetics. But when you zoom out and really think, something deeper, and far more dangerous is happening. Vlogging is no longer storytelling. It’s surveillance. A performance of daily life, not just to entertain others, but to prove something. To appear perfect. To stay visible. And worst of all; to stay relevant in a world that forgets you in seconds.

This is no longer about documenting moments. This is about creating a version of yourself for the camera, even if that version is fake. Behind every smiling thumbnail is a creator who’s exhausted. Behind every “good morning guys!” is someone who barely slept. But they’ll still record. Because the pressure to stay consistent, to show something, anything never ends.

What’s even worse is not just what creators are going through. It’s what we, as viewers, are becoming. We are no longer living our own lives. We’re glued to someone else’s. We wake up and check what our favourite influencer had for breakfast. We feel low when we see their vacations. We feel behind when we see their glow-ups, their luxury, their fake laughter and overly edited joy. The problem isn’t that they’re lying. The problem is that we’re believing it. We’ve started comparing our real life; messy, ordinary, quiet, to their carefully edited reality. A 17-minute vlog can make you feel like your entire day was worthless. And once this comparison becomes a habit, confidence starts to die a silent death. You stop appreciating your small wins. You stop enjoying your own story. You want their life; even if it’s fake.

And then comes the copy culture. Young kids trying to vlog because they saw someone else go viral. Buying things they don’t need, saying things they don’t mean, doing things that aren’t even legal or safe, just to record it. And for what? Views? Followers? A short hit of online approval that disappears in a few hours? It’s happening everywhere, but in places like Kashmir, it hits harder. This generation is already struggling with its identity, its purpose, its future. Instead of rediscovering their roots, they’re running after fake lifestyles seen in metro cities or foreign vlogs. We’re slowly forgetting what made us unique. We’re ignoring our own culture, our own history, our own soil just to act like someone else. To talk like them. Dress like them. Post like them.

And no one’s stopping to ask: Is this who I really want to be?

Kashmir has a thousand untold stories. But none of them will go viral, because they aren’t full of shopping bags or café hopping or fake couple drama or unnecessary useless challenges. Our real heroes; the wood carvers, the shepherds, the artists, the grieving mothers, the struggling students, they’re not being vlogged. They’re being forgotten. Because “real” doesn’t trend. Drama does.

Social media platforms know this. Their algorithms are not designed to serve you what you need. They serve you what will keep you scrolling. More noise. More fakery. More poison dressed up as entertainment. And the more we consume it, the more we reward it.

People often say, “Aaj kal achha content milta hi nahi.” But they don’t realise, we’re the ones deciding what rises. If we watch garbage, garbage will rise. If we support realness, realness will grow. It’s that simple.

This isn’t an attack on creators. Not all vloggers are fake. Not all influencers are harmful. Some are thoughtful, honest, even brave. They speak the truth and try to make a difference. But they’re being buried under reels of luxury cars, Unnecessary comedy, fake pranks, and loud thumbnails.

The real problem isn’t the content being made. It’s the content we choose to consume. It’s mindless scrolling. The hours wasted watching lives that aren’t ours, stories that aren’t real, dreams that aren’t even ours to begin with.

We’ve turned content into a drug. The phone is the new cigarette. You know it’s harming you, but you can’t stop. And slowly, without noticing, your sleep worsens, your focus fades, your ambition weakens. Your mind becomes noisy. But your heart feels empty.

The truth is content is not just content anymore. It’s a culture. It’s an influence. It’s shaping how we think, what we believe, what we value. Every video you watch is changing you in some way. Sometimes in ways you won’t even realise until it’s too late.So maybe it’s time to pause. To reflect. Not just on what we watch but why we watch it.

Are we escaping our own life through someone else’s? Are we mistaking noise for inspiration? Are we idolising people just because they post every day? These are questions we need to ask ourselves. Because if we don’t, we’ll end up becoming a generation that scrolls more than it speaks, records more than it feels, and performs more than it lives.

Create if you must. Consume if you must. But for the sake of your peace, your potential, and your truth, choose wisely. Because every scroll shapes you. Whether you like it or not.

The author hailing from kupwara kashmir, can be reached via Instagram at peermurtaza_27