They’re content creators with thousands of adoring fans – so why do they feel so terrible?

Researchers interviewed 54 visual artists and musicians with large online followings and found a recurring pattern they call 'audience entanglement': creators become so psychologically merged with followers that the audience shapes not just their output but their sense of self. One illustrator with millions of followers described feeling trapped by the very relatable comics that built his career.

Creators described monitoring post performance obsessively, being derailed by single negative comments, and — more surprisingly — finding intensely positive fan messages, including accounts of art helping people through divorce or death, harder to process than criticism. Some eventually developed boundaries and limited platform engagement to regain a sense of authenticity.

The researchers frame this as relevant beyond content creation, noting the industry is estimated at $300 billion and is projected by Goldman Sachs to grow toward half a trillion, with content creator now a top career aspiration for younger generations.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.