Social media can inspire us to explore the world, but it can also change how we experience it. For a generation that grew up watching their parents spend most of their lives working, saving, and postponing things for later, the idea of “I'll travel when I retire” doesn't sound particularly attractive. Why wait? Life is short. Work will still be there when you come back. So will the emails. That mindset is one reason travel has become more than a holiday for many young people. It is a break from routine, a chance to see something unfamiliar, meet new people, try different food, or simply spend a few days somewhere that doesn't look like the view from the office window. But there is a strange part of modern travel. We leave our everyday routine behind, only to carry a smartphone that records almost everything we do. So, has travel become more about creating content than experiencing the place itself? We’ve explored a similar question before: has travelling lost its meaning in the social media-crazy world? We don't just discover places anymore. We discover them online. Before social media, you might hear about a beautiful destination from a friend, a magazine, or a travel show. Now, you can see the hotel, the mountain viewpoint, the café, and even the exact angle for the photograph before booking the ticket. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. Delta's 2026 global Connection Index found that 73% of travellers had taken a trip specifically to see something they first discovered online. At the same time, 79% said that experiencing something in person feels more meaningful when so much content can be generated or altered digitally. That contradiction is worth noticing. Social media can make us want to leave the screen and experience something for real. The screen can actually become the reason we travel. The rise of the “hidden gem” traveller There is another change happening. A lot of young travellers aren't interested in visiting only the obvious tourist attractions. Travel itself is changing too, from set-jetting and coolcationing to noctourism and wellness trips. They want quiet beaches, lesser-known villages, small cafés, mountain trails, and places that don't already look like everyone's holiday album. The phrase “hidden gem” has become almost a travel category of its own. And social media is very good at finding these places. A creator discovers a quiet viewpoint and posts it. Thousands of people saved the video. A few weeks later, the “hidden” location may be sitting on hundreds of travel itineraries. Research backs up the influence of this content. A 2025 study examining travel influencers found that influencer content can affect how people process information and make destination choices across different stages of the travel journey. Another study focused specifically on Indian Gen Z found that the perceived authenticity of influencer content can influence attitudes and intentions around sustainable travel. So yes, people are being influenced by what they see online. But that doesn't mean they're travelling only for Instagram. A photo can be a memory, not a performance This is where the conversation often becomes unfair. Someone taking photographs during a trip isn't automatically showing off. Maybe they want to remember the place. Maybe they want a video of their friends laughing five years from now. Maybe they know that life changes quickly and want something tangible from a particular moment. There is a difference between documenting a memory and performing a memory for an audience. But what does travel look like from the creator's side? This video explores the reality of creating travel content, including the part that viewers don't always see. The first one can make an experience more meaningful. The second can sometimes take us away from it. Imagine standing in front of an incredible sunset. You could take a few pictures and then put the phone away. Or you could spend the next 20 minutes changing angles, checking the lighting, recording another take, choosing music, and wondering whether the final Reel will perform. The sunset is the same. But your relationship with it isn't. When the camera becomes the reason for going The real problem begins when the content becomes more important than the trip. A destination gets popular because it looks beautiful online, so people go there mainly because they want the same photograph. A restaurant becomes a must-visit because everyone has posted about the same table. A hotel room becomes desirable because of one particular mirror selfie. At that point, travel can become less about “What will I experience here?” and more about “What will I post from here?” And there is a quiet pressure behind that question. If everyone else's holiday looks incredible online, your own trip can start feeling like it needs to look incredible too. That can turn travel into another form of performance. Maybe young people are actually travelling more for life, not likes This is the part that gets missed. Young travellers aren't necessarily choosing travel over real life. For many, travel is part of real life. They've watched parents spend decades working around responsibilities. They've seen how health, family commitments, and age can eventually make spontaneous travel harder. So, they don't necessarily want to wait for some perfect future version of life. They want to see the mountains now. Swim in that sea now. Eat that food now. Take that road trip with friends now. And if they also make a Reel from it, that doesn't automatically make the experience fake. Research from Delta's 2026 report supports this broader desire for real-world connection. 84% of surveyed global travellers said they felt a strong desire to travel and connect with new places and people, with the feeling particularly strong among Gen Z and Millennials. The content may simply be the record of something they genuinely wanted to experience. So, has travel become more about content than experiences? Sometimes. But not as much as the question might suggest. Social media has changed how we discover places, choose destinations, and remember our trips. It has also created a temptation to turn every experience into something shareable. But taking a picture doesn't mean you weren't present. Posting a video doesn't mean the trip was for attention. The better question is what came first. Did you travel to experience the world and create a memory from it? Or did you choose the destination because you already knew it would look good online? Maybe the real luxury in travel today isn't visiting the most expensive place or finding the most Instagrammable view. It's being somewhere beautiful and, for a moment, not feeling the need to prove that you were there. Keep reading The ScreenLight for more travel stories.

Amit Kilhor has built a large social-media audience by questioning the UPSC ecosystem. For millions of Indian students, UPSC preparation becomes a way of life. Years go into coaching, test series, current affairs, mock papers, and repeated attempts. Social media then adds another layer, with topper interviews, study routines, and motivational videos constantly reminding aspirants that the next attempt could be the one. Amit Kilhor has spent enough time inside that world to understand it from both sides. He is a UPSC educator, mentor, and public speaker who has taught subjects including Polity, Ethics, Environment, and Current Affairs. StudyIQ's own course material lists him as having appeared in six UPSC CSE Mains and three interviews, along with other competitive-exam interviews. His journey is also part of why his commentary attracts attention. Public material around his career describes years of UPSC preparation before he moved into teaching, including a period associated with StudyIQ. He later developed his own educational initiative, ResolveIAS, which describes itself as an Amit Kilhor initiative focused on UPSC preparation, mentorship, and simplifying the examination process. But today, calling him simply a UPSC teacher doesn't really explain his online presence. His YouTube channel has grown to more than 700,000 subscribers, while the social profiles available in recent searches show roughly 1.2 million Instagram followers and close to 100,000 followers on X. Those numbers put him well beyond the traditional coaching-class audience. He is now speaking to a general internet audience that may not even be preparing for UPSC. From Teaching UPSC To Questioning the UPSC Culture What stands out when you actually watch Kilhor speak is his manner. He doesn't always sound like someone trying to make every viewer comfortable. When he believes something is wrong, he tends to say it directly. Sometimes that comes across as blunt, sometimes as provocative, but there is a noticeable lack of hesitation. That style fits the audience he has built. His content isn't restricted to "how many hours should I study?" or "which book should I read?" He has increasingly discussed bureaucracy, government decisions, education, social issues, and the pressure surrounding competitive examinations. A recent long-form conversation with Prakhar Gupta, for example, covered topics ranging from bureaucracy and India's growth to Gen Z, social media, and public outrage. His own UPSC experience gives that commentary another layer. Someone who has gone through multiple Mains attempts and interviews knows what prolonged preparation can look like from the inside. It isn't difficult to understand why his content sometimes questions the idea that every aspirant should keep pushing indefinitely simply because UPSC is considered one of India's most prestigious examinations. That is where our headline's use of the word "cult" becomes interesting. It isn't suggesting UPSC is literally a cult. It describes the culture that can form around the examination, where clearing it can become so important that students start measuring their intelligence, career, and even self-worth against one examination. Kilhor's social media presence increasingly asks people to step back and examine that mindset. The Videos That Turned Him into More Than an Educator One of the clearest examples is his video “What is the UPSC certificate controversy?” The video has crossed roughly 269,000 views and 12,000 likes on YouTube, showing that this isn't a small discussion happening inside a coaching classroom. The subject itself is sensitive. Kilhor has discussed allegations around the use and verification of reservation and disability certificates and questioned whether some candidates may have benefited from irregular documentation. Those claims need to be described as allegations rather than established facts about individual candidates. The larger issue, however, has received official attention too. The Department of Personnel and Training ordered verification of complaints involving alleged irregularities in reservation certificates used by the civil-service officers in 2025. His content also taps into another frustration that UPSC aspirants understand very well: unpredictability. After the 2026 Prelims, his criticism of the paper became part of a much wider online discussion about whether the examination had become excessively obscure. A Reddit discussion around the paper mentioned his viral criticism and attracted more than a thousand upvotes, with users debating whether the exam was testing administrative ability or simply increasingly specific trivia. That is an important reason his videos travel. He doesn't always introduce a completely new problem. Often, he gives a public voice to frustrations that aspirants are already discussing privately. What His Audience Actually Thinks About Him The reaction to Kilhor is far from unanimous, and that may actually be one of the most interesting things about his profile. Some viewers see him as someone who says what other people are afraid to say. In discussions around his certificate-related content, supporters have argued that questioning possible corruption is necessary and that his failure to become a civil servant doesn't automatically disqualify him from criticising the system. Others strongly disagree, calling his approach biased or suggesting that some of his conclusions go beyond what the available evidence proves. That split tells us something about his influence. People aren't simply watching him for notes anymore. They are forming opinions about the issues he raises. His videos become discussion points, his clips move across social platforms, and his name appears in conversations that have little to do with conventional UPSC preparation. There is also a sizeable group that simply finds his style too aggressive. Some Reddit users describe him as someone who has turned into a constant critic, while others defend him precisely because he is willing to criticise institutions and public figures. And that is probably the most human part of his social-media story. Watch him for a while, and you can understand why some people trust him. He speaks with the confidence of someone who has already spent years inside the system he is talking about. But that confidence can also make people question whether he sometimes becomes too certain about issues that deserve more evidence. Why Amit Kilhor Matters Beyond UPSC The bigger story here isn't really one educator or one YouTube channel. It is the changing role of online educators in India. A decade ago, a teacher's influence largely depended on classrooms, coaching institutes, and printed study material. Today, an educator can become a commentator, interviewer, creator, and critic at the same time. Kilhor's career reflects that shift. He moved from being known primarily for UPSC preparation to building a much wider digital identity through YouTube and other social platforms. ResolveIAS itself now presents its educational work as a student-focused platform built around focused preparation, simplified explanations, daily plans, and mentorship. But his personal social presence has moved beyond selling the idea of simply clearing an exam. He talks about what happens around the exam too, including bureaucracy, public institutions, social pressure, and the choices young Indians make. There is an obvious danger in that model. The larger the audience becomes, the more carefully every claim needs to be checked. Kilhor has himself faced scrutiny over content he shared. BOOM previously fact-checked a video he posted involving police officers and Khan Sir and found that the footage was old and unrelated to the claim attached to it. The post was subsequently deleted. That doesn't erase his broader criticism, but it is a useful reminder that the person questioning the system must also be questioned. Perhaps that is what makes Amit Kilhor worth following, even for someone who has no intention of appearing for UPSC. He isn't simply telling young Indians how to enter one of the country's most prestigious institutions. He is asking them to look at the culture surrounding that institution, question what they are being told, and decide whether spending years chasing one examination is actually the life they want. Not every criticism he makes will necessarily be right. Not every controversy he discusses will have a simple answer. But his willingness to raise uncomfortable questions has made him more than another UPSC educator on YouTube. He has turned the UPSC classroom into a much bigger public conversation, and social media is where that conversation is now happening. Keep reading The ScreenLight to know more about such interesting social media personalities.

Women are reshaping the future of modern fiction (Image generated by AI) For years, the publishing industry treated women’s fiction as a side category. Romance was often dismissed as “commercial,” fantasy written by women rarely received literary respect, and serious publishing conversations were still heavily male-dominated. That world looks very different now. Women are no longer just participating in modern fiction and publishing. They are driving it. From bestselling novels and BookTok trends to editorial departments and literary agencies, women have become the center of today’s book economy. The shift happened gradually, then all at once. Women Became Fiction’s Most Reliable Audience The publishing industry follows readers more than ideology. And for the last two decades, women have consistently been the strongest fiction consumers. According to industry discussions highlighted by The Guardian, women now dominate large parts of the fiction market as both readers and authors. Publishers adapted because the audience itself changed. At the same time, male reading habits fragmented. Many younger men shifted toward gaming, podcasts, YouTube, streaming content, and nonfiction media. Fiction remained culturally central for women in a way it no longer did for many men. That imbalance reshaped the economics of publishing. Instead of chasing traditional literary prestige alone, publishers increasingly focused on genres with highly engaged female readerships, especially romance, fantasy, and emotionally driven contemporary fiction. BookTok Changed Publishing Faster Than Critics Expected Social media accelerated the shift dramatically. BookTok, the massive reading community on TikTok, became one of the most powerful marketing engines the publishing industry has ever seen. Publishers discovered that readers, especially young women, could turn years-old novels into global bestsellers overnight. One reported study found BookTok helped generate a 395% increase in sales for titles published six to ten years before the platform became popular. Around 20 million books sold in 2021 alone were connected to BookTok-driven discovery. That changed how publishers market fiction completely. Instead of relying only on newspaper reviews or bookstore placement, publishers now pay close attention to online reader communities, emotional reactions, fan edits, and viral recommendations. Genres once underestimated by critics suddenly became massive commercial forces. Some of the biggest winners include: Romance fiction Fantasy series Young adult novels Character-driven contemporary fiction Writers like Colleen Hoover and Sarah J. Maas benefited enormously from this shift because their books spread through passionate reader communities rather than traditional literary gatekeepers. Why Male Fiction Readership Started Declining One of the less discussed reasons behind women’s dominance in publishing is the decline of male fiction readership. Over the last two decades, entertainment habits changed dramatically. Many younger men shifted toward gaming, YouTube, podcasts, sports media, streaming platforms, and nonfiction content, while women remained far more active in fiction communities. That difference became important economically. Publishers invest where engagement is strongest, and fiction readership increasingly became female-led. The gap is especially visible online. Platforms like Goodreads, BookTok, and digital book clubs are heavily driven by women readers who actively recommend, review, and promote novels to massive audiences. As male attention fragmented across different media, women became the most reliable audience, keeping fiction culture commercially powerful. Women Now Influence Publishing from the Inside Too The transformation is not limited to readers and authors. Women now hold a large number of roles across publishing itself, from editorial departments and literary agencies to marketing and publicity teams. Data from Statista shows how significantly the industry workforce has shifted over the years. That matters because publishing trends are shaped by the people choosing manuscripts, identifying audiences, and deciding which books receive major promotion. Publishing Area Modern Industry Trend Fiction readership Mostly female-driven Editorial departments Strong female presence Literary marketing Women-led audiences dominate Bestseller fiction genres Romance and fantasy continue growing As more women entered decision-making roles, the industry became more open to stories centered around identity, relationships, emotional complexity, ambition, trauma, and personal growth. Books that once struggled for literary legitimacy became some of publishing’s biggest financial successes. Female Authors Now Dominate Bestseller Culture The numbers reflect the shift clearly. Reports on recent bestseller charts found that 17 of the top 25 bestselling print books in 2023 were written by women. Romance also continued leading fiction sales across multiple markets. That dominance is not happening accidentally. Female authors increasingly understand how modern reading communities work. Their books often generate stronger online fandoms, emotional engagement, adaptation potential, and long-term reader loyalty. Even older novels now return to bestseller lists years after release because online communities rediscover them through BookTok and adaptation news. Publishing used to rely heavily on critics to decide what mattered. Today, readers themselves shape success much faster than literary institutions do. The Rise of Self-Publishing Changed the Industry Too Another major shift happened outside traditional publishing houses. Self-publishing platforms allowed thousands of women writers to build audiences without waiting for approval from major publishers. Romance and fantasy especially exploded in the indie publishing world, where reader demand mattered more than industry trends. Once publishers noticed independent authors generating massive online followings and strong sales numbers, they quickly adapted. In many ways, readers changed publishing before publishing changed itself. Modern Book Culture Now Revolves Around Women The biggest reason women dominate fiction and publishing today is not political. It is economic and cultural. Women became the most active readers, the strongest online book communities, the most consistent fiction buyers, and eventually many of the people running publishing itself. The industry followed where attention, money, and cultural energy were already moving. That is why modern fiction no longer feels male-dominated in the way it once did. Women did not simply enter book culture. They rebuilt large parts of it around themselves. Keep reading The ScreenLight for more such insightful stories.