When Instagram Doesn’t Translate

By Khaya Mnisi

I went to an event some time ago and saw one of the pioneers of South African fashion. I won’t say his name…

What struck me wasn’t what he was wearing or who he was speaking to. It was the fact that I couldn’t get myself to walk over and introduce myself.

Which is strange, because as a journalist, events are where I’m most comfortable. I enjoy conversations. I build my work around them.

We made eye contact more than once. I’m almost certain he would have engaged.

But in that moment, he didn’t feel like someone in the room. He felt like a figure. And that subtle shift created distance.

___

That moment stayed with me. Not because I missed a networking opportunity, but because it made me think about how we understand fame.

When someone moves from being “known” to being “highly visible”, something changes -at least in my experience. They stop feeling like a peer and start feeling symbolic. And even if they are still building, still human, still figuring things out, we project completion onto them(i did😅).

We assume they’re too busy, they are operating on a different level.

We assume they don’t need anything, they wouldn’t benefit from this conversation.

But visibility doesn’t automatically mean support systems, right?

It doesn’t guarantee financial stability.

It doesn’t mean someone isn’t still in the process of building something real.

Sometimes you’re just famous.

And that’s where I started thinking about Instagram.

A lot of us are chasing followers — 10k, 20k, 100k — as if the number itself is the opportunity. But numbers don’t automatically convert.

You can have 20,000 followers and still struggle to monetise.

You can have reach and still lack partnership.

You can be visible and still feel isolated.

An audience scrolls, likes your posts etc

A network shows up, collaborates, buys the tickets, the merch.

And yes, visibility is powerful -but only when it translates into something tangible: work, ownership, aligned partnerships, community, income, growth.

Before chasing numbers, it’s worth asking: what will this visibility actually become?

And to be clear, I’m not suggesting that this particular designer is experiencing any of this. That moment simply made me reflect on how we relate to people once they become “famous,” and how easily perception can create unnecessary distance.

Sometimes the biggest barrier in the room isn’t hierarchy- it’s perception.

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Hey,👋

I’m learning that real influence isn’t about being seen everywhere, it’s about building work that lasts.

Through my publication- PAVED MAGAZINE, I focus on documenting and archiving the global creative industry and the people shaping it -not as distant figures, but as active builders of culture.

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