Rise of the neo-creator class in India as influencers, consumers converge

With the lines between creators and consumers blurring rapdily, India is witnessing a rise of a new burgeoning class of creator-consumers, the 'neo-creators', observes the latest trend mapping study, ‘Consumed’ released by Stumble, the insights vertical partner of Kommune, a culture collective from India.

The report captures the understanding of the zeitgeist of contemporary times by analysing research reports and insights from over 100 experts including artists, marketers, strategists, creators, and entrepreneurs across 17 sectors like media, music, cinema, literature, and entrepreneurship.

For instance, some of the experts who have contributed to the Consumed report include Tanmay Bhat, Viraj Seth, Smriti Kiran, Amit Varma, Roshan Abbas, Mandovi Menon, and Reema Maya.

Five mega-trends

The report points out five mega trends describing the content consumption patterns, preferences, and habits of modern Indian consumers. These are summarised as 'Default Mode: Online', 'India + Bharat', 'Compulsive Convenience vs. Conscious Consumption', 'Worlds of One', and 'Humans Rewired'.

Named as 'Default mode: Online' this trend captures how the Inian consumer has become a perennially connected citizen, evolving from being a passive content-consumer to becoming a creator of content.

As the roles of consumers and creators begin to merge, it has given rise to a new, neo-creators class of consumers. Indian consumers can be seen using digital media platforms to build their personal brands while using them for creative expression and earnings, moving away from the traditional career options.

The seond mega-trend, India + Bharat is all about moving away from a single national identity to diverse regional voices that India’s vast geography houses. This trend indicates how the traditional Bollywood-centric, and English and Hindi-dominated narrative is giving way to a multicultural dialogue, prompted by the rising Indian exceptionalism and newfound pride in one’s local culture, language, and the homegrown brands.

The third mega trend, 'Compulsive convenience vs. conscious consumption' captures the rising friction between the buying behaviour driven by instant-gratification and environmental responsibility.

While on one hand Indians can be seen aggressively adopt online and app-based shopping and getting pampered by quick and same-day deliveries, there also is an emergence of awareness among consumers about the issues related to sustainability, and environment consciousness. The pulls from both these ends show a rising friction between the two forces at work leading to a 'cognitive dissonance' when it comes to consumer buying.

The 'Worlds of One' trend shows a dichotomy of present-day living where individuals create and live within self-created digital cocoons while longing for real world relationships at the same time. This trend also indicates how algorithm-led personalisation strategies have entered real life, as people share every part of their day-to-day life, resulting in a complex play of solitude and community-seeking emotions.

Lastly, the trend, ‘Humans rewired’ portrays how technology has become pervasive, dominating every aspect of human life, foundationally changing our emotional, social, and intellectual personalities. As AI and digital impact work, relationships, and routines, this trend will have a deep implication on society and consumer mindset going forward.

These trends, Stumble notes, offer a roadmap for planners, brands, creators, and agencies to navigate the complexities of the Indian consumer market in 2025. By understanding these forces, marketers can develop more targeted and impactful campaigns that resonate with the evolving needs and desires of Indian audiences. Additionally, with lines blurring between creators and consumers, we witness the rise of a burgeoning new class—the Neo-Creator.

Roshan Abbas, Founder of Kommune India, says, “At Stumble, we are cultural soothsayers decoding today’s technicolour chaos. As we went through reports and gathered opinions, we peeked into our crystal ball of post-pandemic trends, speaking to experts with surprising insights and tomorrow’s zeitgeist of our times. The output both surprised us and helped us make sense of our whirlwind present and glimpse the future that’s already here.”