We live in an era where digital content is at the heart of so many aspects of life. Online shopping is a go-to option for millions of people, so many businesses have online presences, especially smaller ones trying to get out there to their communities, and everyday life is something a lot of people share with followers on social media. We are all digital content creators to an extent, sharing the best, cringiest, coolest, or funniest aspects of our lives for others to see. But with this comes a pressure we have normalised so much so it isn’t getting the attention it should.

Burnout is not unique to digital content, and everyone who has done something long or hard enough will tell you that. Artists get blocks and hit burnouts, as do athletes and students. Anyone can get burnout, and everyone does at one stage in their life or another. But what concerns me is that it is brushed off so easily at a systemic and societal level without addressing the real issues at hand. I will be using the bookish social media space as a setting for my argument here, but please consider any space that comes to mind for you.

I see burnout happen at an alarming rate these days, far quicker and longer-lasting than it used to, and I believe it comes down to one scary, confronting truth. We are posting so much of our hobbies, jobs, likes, and selves on social media that we feel that discontent seep into all areas of our lives. What started as a cute account to post about a reading hobby and the few books you read a month has built into this digital machine, demanding input and engagement, squeezing the joy and relaxation of your hobby into something that takes more than it gives. It stops being a joyful hobby, and at times, can stop being a hobby altogether. Suddenly, that post schedule that was once easy feels draining, and keeping up with the content feels like a job.

I feel it also comes with some guilt and reluctance to admit. We want to continue to spread positive vibes, good discussions, helpful tips, and whatnot, but the more we do, the less we feel it for ourselves. I am saying this as someone who is still coming to terms with the fact that I haven’t finished a book all month, haven’t picked one up in weeks, and don’t know when I will get back into reading. I used to read around ten books a month, and I thought I was fine. I can see where the descent into chaos began for me, and it shouldn’t be difficult to see for yourself when you look at my post schedule for 2025 and the challenges I attempted. But I don’t think I have ever directly said the words “I am burned out, and I don’t want to read right now”. It feels almost like I am saying a curse, and this shouldn’t be the case.

When people admit to burnout, it seems like, on a larger level, they get swept under the rug or forgotten about, instead of the system itself getting questioned. I have seen many people make goodbye posts or hiatus posts addressing the various reasons they do not feel like they can continue posting at this stage in their lives, and the algorithm is pushing that content to the side. It rests on the community’s shoulders to keep that discussion going and provide support in a space that is all about what is being shown and not what is being heard. I don’t blame people for this lack of discourse or topic deep dive because it is not appealing to the platforms and algorithms. But does that mean we shouldn’t be talking about it?

When so much of ourselves is subject to digital content creation and upkeep on a personal and interests level, what can we do to address the creator burnout pressure? I have been able to talk to many people for my PhD research, and we seem to come across this overarching idea a lot, from authors and bookish content creators mostly. This is the idea that reserving things for yourself and sustaining a lighter posting schedule, say two or three times a week (if that), is the easiest way to avoid crashing into the burnout wall. Other things include returning to a place of fun, of messiness, and of the ‘amateur’ to alleviate that demand to come across as professional in what is a hobby for most bookish creators. I have been slowly implementing ideas like this with my account, and I am feeling less pressure to share and post, but it is still the beginning of a winding road that I do not see the end to.

If you have been burnt out, are burnt out, or might be approaching a burnout, this is your sign to take a deep breath and return to the reasons you started doing what you are doing. Did you start posting about your reading because you have favourites you want to share and recommend to others? Do you still read that kind of stuff, or have you shifted from those books because of the demand to keep on top of the more “relevant” books? I know one thing that I am excited to post about soon is my favourite books from various decades and the books I have loved since childhood, both of which are not going to include many (if any) recently published books. Will these posts get as much traction as something with big names or currently popular titles in it? No. Does it matter? Absolutely not.

Creator burnout is a serious thing that we should be treating with more respect, care, and attention, because at the end of the day, creators are humans who deserve to simply enjoy what they do. Expecting us to be machines churning out products or posts at a constant rate without breaks is not possible.