Social Media

Instagram is the operating system of Shaurya's social life. It is not one app among many -- it is the primary infrastructure through which friendships are maintained, plans are made, drama unfolds, and content is shared. With 750+ DM conversations, the platform functions less like social media and more like the central nervous system of an entire generation.

Instagram Is Everything

DMs, stories, reels, group chats -- everything happens on Instagram. It is where the OG Circle stays connected across countries. It is where the school crew coordinates plans every weekend. It is where the builder friends share project updates and links. The daily conversations with Palash, the constant back-and-forth with Sheen, the never-ending plans with Param Diwan -- all of those conversations live in Instagram DMs. WhatsApp exists for specific purposes, but Instagram is where the social life actually resides.

News breaks on Instagram. In Shaurya's world, if something is happening -- a party, a birthday, drama, a breakup, a new reel -- you hear about it first through stories and DMs. The platform has replaced every other form of communication for day-to-day teenage social interaction.

Reel Culture

"Like n comment plis" -- if you know, you know. Supporting each other's reels is a love language. When someone drops a reel, their friends are expected to be in those comments immediately. The Dramaclub group chat exists specifically for this purpose: someone posts a reel, drops the link, and everyone goes to like, comment, and share. It is not passive consumption -- it is active mutual support.

The algorithm rewards early engagement, and having a crew of 10+ friends who interact with a post right when it drops makes a real difference. This is understood implicitly. Not engaging with a friend's content is noticed. Consistent engagement is how you show you care. The reel support economy is one of the unwritten social contracts of the group.

Picspam Groups

Dedicated group chats exist purely for sharing photos. Picspam energy is its own category -- memories, selfies, random screenshots, event photos -- it all gets shared in these groups. They function as shared photo albums, capturing moments that might otherwise be lost to individual camera rolls. The Butterflies & Rainbows group is one example of this culture in action.

Group Chats as Social Architecture

Every event, every inside joke, every subgroup gets its own group chat. The names are sacred -- Velle log, Pappu can dance, Diddy's assistants, Material Gurlssss. Names change weekly based on whatever is happening. People get added, removed, or leave on their own. Some chats explode for a week and die; others become permanent fixtures. This is the group chat culture that structures the entire social world.

Building for Social

Shaurya also approaches social media from a builder's perspective. Watching how Instagram functions as social infrastructure informs how he thinks about product features, content creation tools, and community design. When you have spent years as a power user of a platform, you understand intuitively what works and what does not -- and that understanding feeds directly into the products he builds.

See also: Instagram Culture | Drama Club | Butterflies & Rainbows | Group Chat Culture | Reel Support