A Wake-Up Call from Misha Agrawal’s Tragedy
Misha Agrawal was just 24.
A bright, ambitious young woman—founder of Mish Cosmetics, a law graduate preparing to become a judge, and a content creator with over 112,000 Instagram followers. Just two days before her 25th birthday, Misha ended her own life.
Her family has since confirmed that she had been silently battling the pressure of declining followers on social media. What many might consider trivial—follower counts, likes, engagement metrics—had, for Misha, become a matter of worth, identity, and future. Her parents said she tied her value as a person and entrepreneur directly to the numbers on her screen. Her sister shared that Misha had even set a target of reaching 1 million followers as her phone wallpaper—something she had deeply internalized.
Despite her education, her entrepreneurial spirit, and a family that tried to reassure her constantly, Misha felt she was “not good enough” when the metrics didn’t match her expectations. That pain, invisible to most, eventually became unbearable.
As someone who works at the intersection of cyber safety, mental well-being, and digital resilience, I cannot stress this enough:
We are in a crisis of digital identity.
We must urgently redefine how we measure self-worth in the digital age. When social currency is treated as real currency, we risk building identities on sand—fragile, unstable, and subject to collapse at the slightest dip in metrics.
Let’s be clear: follower count is not a reflection of value. Likes do not validate purpose. No algorithm defines who you are.
We need to collectively build stronger emotional scaffolding for young adults navigating these high-pressure platforms. That includes open dialogue, real-world mentorship, and an honest reckoning with how social media distorts self-perception.
This is not just about individual resilience—it’s about a systemic reset.
To Misha’s family: I cannot imagine your pain. But I hear it. And I promise you, we will not let this be just another news story.
We will talk about it—in classrooms, universities, workplaces, and digital spaces where young people are silently struggling. Through the Akancha Srivastava Foundation, we will continue to conduct workshops on digital mental health, educate communities about the toxic side of algorithm-driven validation, and push for stronger emotional resilience training across all age groups.
We will amplify Misha’s story with dignity, not for attention, but to drive meaningful conversations around self-worth, social media pressures, and the urgent need for digital well-being frameworks.
We will keep reminding every young person out there: you are not your follower count. You are not the algorithm. You are human—and that is enough.
Please take care of your mental health.