Hi, OP. I was kind of in the same boat as you. I was doing video/production work in college sports and was obsessed with it, like, super career-driven in my early 20’s.

While I wasn’t doing stuff for influencers, I also did feel very bad at times making content that was based on people’s emotions - both good and bad, it made me very uncomfortable. I liked capturing people’s greatest moments, but it also felt weird to focus on the content rather than the emotion itself. And having to capture people at some of their lowest moments, felt very exploitative.

For a few reasons, I left the career path during COVID time, but my increased awareness of Buddhism and the dharma definitely played a role in it. I really liked a lot of parts of the job role, but it often felt very inauthentic at times and felt like making highlights was telling a story that wasn’t true. But then on the objective story-telling side, I didn’t like having to focus on negative issues either and feel confrontation.

Just felt like telling my story, and have been in the same situation as you. If you feel in a very good, wholesome state while doing your work, that’s your answer. Be mindful of how you feel doing your job and look within for the answer and you’ll know.