Rise of microcompanionship: Social media 2.0 is changing the conversation

India’s creator economy is quietly expanding beyond reels and livestreams. Using voice-led social discovery platforms, young creators–especially women in smaller towns–are earning steady incomes through paid conversations and virtual gifts. This trend is signalling the rise of a “micro companionship” economy going beyond content creation and getting into monetised attention.

Apps such as Elevation Capital-backed Frnd, Sharechat’s Vibely and Dostt focus on voice-led social interactions and matchmaking, largely in non-metro regions. Social…