I often wonder about the elaborate nature of certain influencers’ content. Where do they find the time? How do they hone their aesthetic? I have often fantasised about having a social media persona, but I haven’t even been able to decide on what that alter ego would be called, let alone what it would wear and how it would be positioned. As someone with a literature background with an emphasis on pop culture, I am, however, endlessly fascinated by the content that is churned out daily by people around the world and find the algorithmic nature of how one accesses that content curious. I even wonder if algorithms are like a contemporary manifestation of ‘fate’. How something comes into our digital purview is less random than we imagine. We feed the algorithm, consciously or subconsciously, and are, in turn, fed or overfed by it.

Off late, I’ve been involuntarily exposed to cooking montages by the South African-origin model Nara Smith who can be seen behind her kitchen counter dressed in runway clothes making eccentric things like bubble gum or Cheetos from scratch. Smith occasionally also reveals her maternal obligations, she is seen breastfeeding her littlest of three, for instance, or she talks about managing life with Lupus, an autoimmune disorder. I suppose knowing about these personal struggles is meant to endear one to her, make her seem relatable, but I personally struggle with the exposure to her wealth. It’s probably earned. She’s been a model since she was 14. Her husband is also a model, but more notably, is Mormon, and knowing this makes me as suspicious of the whole enterprise as I am of Hannah Neeleman, aka Ballerina Farm, who also has a huge following of about nine million and also revels in making things from scratch, although not in a more overtly ‘rustic’ wardrobe. Neeleman’s Mormon husband’s Mormon father is super rich, and they are in line to inherit billions. Of course, as I was researching for this column, I found out that Nara Smith and her family just paid a visit to Ballerina farm. How eerie!