These are the ones silently watching your stories. They don’t like or comment, but they’re there. Always. They want to know how you did it.
From your friendly neighbourhood marketer with zero tolerance for BS, Amantha Perera
There’s a certain species on the internet. You’ll recognize them immediately. They usually operate from TikTok profiles with usernames like
@ User183746 or Instagram accounts with profile pictures of sunsets, anime characters, or worse - nothing at all. These are the keyboard warriors. The basement philosophers. The Wi-Fi-fuelled critics of everyone doing something with their lives. Now, before we go all defensive, let’s ask the million-dollar question: Why do they even care?
The answer is simple. You’re doing something right.
Let’s be honest. Nobody throws stones at a parked car. If you’re getting hate, you’re moving. And if you’re moving fast enough to get noticed, congratulations, you’ve already won half the battle.
The Sri Lankan Syndrome: Success Must Be Suspicious
In Sri Lanka, especially, we suffer from a unique psychological phenomenon I like to call
“Suspicious Success Syndrome.”
A 22-year-old starts a social media marketing agency?
“Must be a scam.”
Someone’s growing fast online and making money?
“He probably knows someone at the top.”
Girl buys a new car from content and digital work?
“Daddy’s money, no doubt.”
Our culture has glorified "struggle" so much that when someone skips a few unnecessary steps and finds a smarter route, we lose our minds. We’re uncomfortable with ease. With success that doesn’t come from back-breaking labour, but from clicking the right buttons—literally and metaphorically. But here’s what they don’t understand. The internet changed the rules. And some of us just read the new rulebook earlier than others.
Your Haters Aren’t the Problem: Their Insecurities Are
Here’s a little psychological nugget for your next tea party:
No one doing better than you is hating on you.
Millionaires don’t troll start-ups. Athletes don’t laugh at beginners. Creators with real followings don’t mock new accounts. It’s always the ones who secretly wanted to start something; but never did. So now, they wait behind their screens hoping you’ll trip. Not because they hate you, but because your existence is a loudspeaker announcing their own inaction.
But instead of hating them back, thank them. Why? Because nothing gives you free real estate in someone’s head like their obsession with your downfall. They’re studying your every move, screenshotting your content, stalking your likes. They’re literally part of your audience now.
That’s marketing gold.
Build a Digital Business? Get Ready to Be Misunderstood
Let’s bring this back to those of us running social media marketing agencies or working in digital.
Say it out loud:
“I help businesses grow online.”
Now watch some aunty at a wedding ask: “But what do you really do?”
We’ve all been there. To the old-school mentality, unless you’re selling rice, running a clothing store, or driving a three-wheeler, your job is just “playing on the phone.” The idea that someone could earn more from digital strategy, brand positioning, influencer campaigns, or paid media than a conventional 9-5 job? Absolutely absurd. In fact, borderline offensive.
But let me tell you this:
Digital is not the future. It’s the present. And Sri Lanka is late to the party.
Social media marketing is no longer a side hustle. It’s not just “posting for brands.” It’s creative strategy. It's data analysis. It's audience psychology. It's content that drives real revenue. And if you can do that effectively, you don’t need a degree from Harvard to earn in dollars.
So, to the young digital marketers reading this, don’t let your uncle with an outdated Nokia tell you it’s not a “real job.” You’re playing in a field most people haven’t even found the entrance to.
Why Their Opinions Should Never Matter
From Personal to Practical: My Real-Life Experience
I’ve built my own agency, Organic, not just through creativity, but through clarity. I knew what I was doing. I worked in the trenches. I learned B2B strategy, I pitched to sceptical CEOs, I created content, ran ads, handled angry clients, met deadlines with two hours of sleep, and got paid peanuts in the beginning. All while hearing:
“Machan, this is not sustainable.”
“Why don’t you get a proper job?”
“Aiyo this will last two years max.”
But I used all of that as fuel.
I didn’t go to Harvard. I don’t wear suits to meetings. I don’t fake a British accent. But I speak the language that matters; results.
So, whether you’re a digital marketer, a content creator, a YouTuber, or someone just figuring it all out: your job is not to convince people you’re valid. Your job is to be so good they have to shut up.
Bro Tip from the No BS Marketer
If they talk about you, let them. If they post about you, screenshot it. If they mock you, smile and say, “Thanks for the engagement.” Because every second they spend thinking about your life is a second they’re not improving their own.
And if they really get to your nerves, here’s a simple thought to keep you going: Their bio says, “CEO at Hustle 24/7.” Yours has real clients.
See You at the Top
Let the nobodies talk. Let them doubt. Let them whisper. Because while they’re arguing in comment sections, you’re building empires. And you won’t need to announce it when you get there; your work will do that for you. Until then, keep your head down, keep working, and remember: No one hates on someone beneath them.
