Living on purpose - Shedding light on the slick camaraderie of the Wellness Guru and mogul monk- Jay Shetty

Introduction

The world we live in thrives on the consumption of the digital realm and social media influences the way we think and behave. According to studies, 4.9 billion individuals will reportedly be using social media worldwide in 2023. Furthermore, it's predicted that by 2027, there will be 5.85 billion users worldwide. The surge of the virtual world has catalyzed the growth of media ambassadors and celebrities who are building communities around the content they sell and making fortunes over the consumption of their creations that are boosted by complex algorithms. Capitalism today is forging the world to be an open market that can prey on anyone through the realm of digital platforms.

But as we grow more connected over the digital realm, the isolation that surrounds us in our real lives often makes us fall under the trap of mental illness. A recent study predicts that consuming reels daily is now termed a neurotic disorder. The lack of authentic and genuine connection, in reality, is making us hungrier for the dopamine rush that the constant grossing over social media brings to our senses.

The influencers who make their living by creating material on these platforms understand how to grow their niches and gain an advantage over the fears of the average person. In recent years, self-help and wellness material has begun to dominate the online realm, with an abundance of health gurus claiming to inspire and be changemakers seeking to improve society. People follow sexist alpha producers like Andrew Tate and Joe Rogans on social media, then there are creators like Jay Shetty and Dhar Mann who advocate wellness and holistic life. The concern is, "How much can their audience rely on the transparency and honesty behind their content when all of these creators are promoting their ideologies?" How much can their audience rely on the producers to promote their ideologies?"

In this article, I examine the ideologies of the wellness guru Jay Shetty and his entrepreneurial nurture of self-help content that helps him build a community.

About Jay Shetty

Jay Shetty is a British podcaster, author, and life coach who was born on September 6, 1987. In addition, he helped found Sama Tea. British-Indian Shetty was raised in a Hindu family in Barnet, North London, together with his parents and younger sister. His father is an Indian from Tuluva Karnataka and his mother is a Yemeni Gujarati. He attended Queen Elizabeth's School in Barnet and then earned a degree from the City University of London's Cass Business School. Jay Shetty resides in Los Angeles with his wife Radhi Devlukia Shetty.

Shetty met Gauranga Das at business school, a monk who was asked to lecture at the institution about selflessness and leading a simple life. Shetty talked to Gauranga after his presentation and accompanied him for the rest of his lecture tour in the United Kingdom. Shetty claims to have spent four summers completing business internships and training with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, widely known as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, and three years living the life of a Vedic monk at an ashram in Mumbai, India.

Jay Shetty started up his career with Accenture, where he worked on digital strategy and coached the company's executives on social media. Shetty received honours from the Asian Media Awards 2016 Best Blog and the National Geographic Chasing Genius Council. Shetty won prizes at the 2018 Streamy Awards and the 2016 ITV Asian Media Awards. Jay Shetty started the podcast On Purpose in 2019. 64 million people downloaded the podcast in its first year. According to Forbes, On Purpose rose to become the world's top wellness podcast by Forbes.

The Game of Transparency and Authenticity- An insight into Jay Shetty’s content

If you can build muscles, you can build a mindset. As the saying goes, "Solidarity is the power of solitude." The power of love outweighs the power of will by a wide margin. There is no denial to the popularity of Jay Shetty and his wife and wellness content creator Radhi Devlukia, with his books, podcast and tea brand, his massive likeability is unquestionable. But as we ponder deeper into his work and the brand he builds for himself, the question of the authenticity of his productions is valid.

Nicole Arbour accuses monk-turned-motivational speaker Jay Shetty of content plagiarism and inauthentic sale of mass motivational content that does not recognize the responsible author for his authentic work in a YouTube video. According to the YouTube video, many of his quotations have been taken from prominent poets, writers, and authors and attributed to him. Another intriguing aspect of this is that the Youtuber mentioned Brendon Burchard, a prominent author and writer who responded to Jay Shetty's post on social media and told him to credit the true and responsible creator of the work. The YouTuber also denied being a monk, claiming that the photos used to prove his monkhood was of him.

The YouTuber also stated that he was not a monk because the photograph used to prove his monkhood was of him wearing an orange sweatshirt rather than the orange clothing of a monk. Though it is debatable if he is a monk or not, the video says that his work was pirated by fellow writers and authors on the internet. Copyright piracy and plagiarism are serious issues that account for a considerable portion of cybercrime. Think like a monk- an all-time best seller acts as bait to a broader audience in order to sell his motivating material, which is a compilation of the thoughts and opinions of other great authors and writers.

The brilliance of Jay Shetty’s online presence- an excellent marketing and public relations strategy

The British Indian self-help entrepreneur is 35 years old and has built a multimillion-dollar health empire that includes two best-selling books, a podcast, coaching seminars, courses, speaking engagements, a video production firm, and, of course, a tea brand with Ayurvedic roots. The idea of growing in love and compassion for everyone is admirable, but it will not enable a person to support their way of life.

Hence, the target audience of Jay Shetty has been young teenagers or fairly well-established individuals who fall for his campaigns. With a following of 14.8 Million on Instagram and his podcast being named the number one wellness podcast by Forbes, his marketing and PR skills are praiseworthy.

Though he professes to be a wellness guru and motivational speaker who does charity work, his brilliant intellect might be evaluated as a seasoned marketing people. The courses he gives claim to be beneficial to the general public, but only if you are willing to pay the price. With huge celebrities on his podcast and promoting his services as a mass beneficial force, his commercial talents go beyond his title as a motivational speaker.

The bleak truth of motivational gurus and self-help material.

Self-improvement, once thought to be the way to enlightenment, has now become a profitable industry for self-help gurus who prey on people's vulnerabilities by professing to make them better versions of themselves while simply filling their pockets.

'The global personal development market was anticipated to be worth USD 43.77 billion in 2022 and is expected to be worth USD 45.92 billion in 2023,' according to the report. Big business brands and self-help gurus capitalizing on the idea of self-improvement has fueled the idea of toxic optimism and made us addicted to self-help content.

Jay Shetty is undoubtedly creating a brand. Since leaving the ashram, he has evolved into a hybrid influencer/life coach who shares knowledge and self-help tips with 72 million YouTube subscribers, 14.5 million Instagram followers, and more than 30 million Facebook users. By endorsing self-help motives, these content creators claim to heal the world but we should also not forget the fact they are not licensed or trained mental health professionals who can counsel and guide us coherently.

Conclusion

Though self-help literature and influencers such as Jay Shetty promote concepts of self-improvement and personality development, it is critical to note that becoming addicted to any sort of external stimuli for internal healing and action is harmful. The billion-dollar self-help industry overlooks the core causes of problems and instead concentrates on quick fixes that only temporarily enhance consumers' spirits. This creates a vicious cycle of dissatisfaction and product dependence. It is past time for us to recognize that these social media influencers who profess to inspire and help their followers are actually pushing their own selfish interests in the name of wellness. The only way to enhance yourself and your personal development is by internal realization and action.

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