"It’s a social proof problem," he told himself, staring at a rival’s page. The rival, a guy named Jax, produced mediocre work but had 150,000 followers. Jax got the brand deals. Jax got the invites to the rooftop mixers.
It was a house of cards. Leo spent his mornings managing a fake digital empire. He was terrified of being "found out." He stopped going to local meetups because he was afraid someone would ask why his 20,000 followers (he’d bought more to "balance" the ratio) didn't seem to exist in the real world. people who buy instagram followers
Leo sat in his dark apartment, the blue light of his phone etching lines into his face. He looked at his profile. "It’s a social proof problem," he told himself,
Leo was a freelance graphic designer with talent but no "clout." He posted daily—sleek logos, vibrant branding, thoughtful process videos—but his follower count was a graveyard. 412 people. Mostly family, old high school friends, and a handful of bots selling crypto. Jax got the invites to the rooftop mixers
With a shaking thumb, he went to his settings and hit "Deactivate." The screen went black. For the first time in months, Leo saw his own reflection in the glass—and finally, he was the only one watching.