{"id":2441,"date":"2022-11-30T16:42:58","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T16:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gustavopineda.com\/?p=2441"},"modified":"2022-11-30T16:42:58","modified_gmt":"2022-11-30T16:42:58","slug":"maitreyi-ramakrishnan-instagram-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gustavopineda.com\/?p=2441","title":{"rendered":"Maitreyi Ramakrishnan talks Instagram, wellbeing, and making positive connections online"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It’s unlikely, if you peruse Instagram<\/a> or Netflix<\/a> with any sort of regularity, that you haven’t come across Maitreyi Ramakrishnan in the past few years. <\/p>\n

The breakout star of Mindy Kaling’s teen comedy Never Have I Ever <\/em><\/a>, Ramakrishnan has become a Gen-Z icon, an inspiration for young South Asians, and a distinctive on-screen talent. The 20-year-old was famously selected to play protagonist Devi Vishwakumar out of 15,000 audition tapes<\/a>. Her stardom has only flourished since. <\/p>\n

This is no more evident than on Ramakrishnan’s social media platforms, where countless followers engage with the young actor. On Instagram, she boasts 4.1 million of these fans, who observe her burgeoning career<\/a>, her affinity for cosplay<\/a>, and her activism<\/a>. It’s here that she has also connected with fellow creatives, such as Anu Chouhan<\/a>, a Tamil artist who once created a piece inspired by Ramakrishnan’s NHIE<\/em> character<\/a>. The two ended up meeting in person over bubble tea, after the actor came across the fan art on Instagram. <\/p>\n

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\n ‘Never Have I Ever’ review: Season 3 grows up with extreme focus on romance
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It’s this story that Ramakrishnan shares as she launches the #ExtraordinaryConnections campaign, in partnership with Upworthy<\/a>, a platform dedicated to positive storytelling, and Meta<\/a>. The campaign is inviting people, globally, to convey similar stories of connection through Instagram and other Meta apps. <\/p>\n

Ramakrishnan’s online persona, which is largely affirming and joyous, lends itself naturally to the campaign, which is hoping to amplify the more socially-conscious, community-based aspect to social media. Here, Ramakrishnan speaks to Mashable about her own relationship to the internet and how she fostered a healthy relationship with being online. Plus, she delves into what she imagines Devi’s Instagram would look like (hint: a lot of thirst traps).<\/p>\n

Meera Navlakha: The first season of Never Have I Ever<\/em><\/a><\/strong> came out at the beginning of the pandemic, and so much of the reaction unfolded on social media. What was that experience like?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan: <\/strong>It was a lot. It was a very interesting experience, because we didn’t get the red carpet, or the premiere or that fancy moment. So at first, it sort of felt like this small little thing. You can’t imagine that millions of likes and comments are millions of people. Around Season 2<\/a> is when I finally got to understand that this is really big. <\/p>\n

The power of social media helped push Never Have I Ever<\/em> to so many audiences, especially internationally. The reach that Instagram has for international audiences is so awesome. It was a double-edged sword because it was at first underwhelming. But I really appreciate how we got to get the show out there and how many people posted about it. The amount of Netflix watch parties as well that I did on social media \u2014 I crashed so many people’s watch parties after they sent me the link on Instagram. That was so fun.<\/p>\n

Did your social media use change a lot after Never Have I Ever<\/em>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Yeah, definitely. Before, it was just truly me and my friends. My social media feed was probably just, you know, pictures of family or myself, birthday parties, and my dog. Now that I say this, it’s still pretty similar. But I just think I get to use social media in a more interactive way, if that makes sense. There\u2019s more conversation.<\/p>\n

You’ve become a known role model for so many young South Asians. Have you been able to connect to some of these fans over social media?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Oh, yeah, for sure. That happens with good old comments and whatnot, but also with using the “question stickers”, or even Instagram Lives. I like to do a good old Instagram Live, because you can see: what are people saying? What photos are they tagging you in? <\/p>\n

You also see the fan art and the fan edits, and you just get to see how people get very hyped about the show. What I love is when a trailer drops<\/a>, and then people try to analyze the trailer and make their theories. But then they also get to interact with your personal life [on Instagram] in a way that makes sense to you. I feel like with social media, you can control how much of your personal life you put out there. You can invite people into the aspects that you want them to be in versus just ‘hey everyone, just come on in’.<\/p>\n

And have you been able to connect to other creatives and artists?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Yes! Before Never Have I Ever<\/em>, I really wanted to get into digital art and animation. I found so many cool visual artists through Instagram, and that’s how I was inspired by their art. Then eventually, I actually get to talk to them myself Never Have I Ever<\/em>. And with actors and other people in the creative field, I\u2019ve branched out the more I\u2019ve gotten into the industry. I get to stay connected with new people and see what creative adventures they’re going on.<\/p>\n

Who are some of your favorite people to follow on Instagram?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

OK, obviously Upworthy<\/a>, because they just have nice, wholesome, happy stuff. It’s nice to have happy stuff on your feed. It always sucks when you have the first thing on your feed just to be really dark or something. You can never get enough of the positives on social media. But I gotta say, I also just like following my friends and the people I actually know.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Have you ever found it hard to be your authentic self on social media? That’s something so many of us struggle with.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Oh, yeah. You gotta find your voice or, more so, find your balance. I feel like everyone has their own limit and their own vibe of what works for them. Some people really like to be on social media all the time, and they want to give so much of themselves on social media. It goes back to our conversation about how much of your personal life you want to put out there. For others, they really don\u2019t want to. Like with a lot of Instagram artists and digital artists \u2014 they barely ever post a picture of themselves. It’s mainly just their artwork, and that’s totally valid. So it\u2019s about finding your own individual balance. <\/p>\n


\n “I feel like everyone has their own limit and their own vibe of what works for them.”<\/p>\n