Do you ever find yourself scrolling through social media, wondering, “Why doesn’t my life look like this?” Perfect lifestyle, perfect bodies, dream holidays, flawless skin – But the question is, how real is this? Social media influences everyone, which is why the popular people on it are called “influencers”; they set a standard that feels almost impossible to reach, leaving viewers feeling like they have failed. Constantly comparing ourselves to influencers whose job it is to carefully curate posts raises the question: Is social media setting unrealistic, out-of-touch expectations for young people growing up in a digital world?
Scrolling through social media can feel inspiring and decompressing at first, but how often do you find yourself comparing your life to others after a while? Because I know we are all guilty of it. From social media influencers with “perfect” bodies, always on holiday, a set routine, and polished content. We often seem to forget that this is not the “normal” lifestyle and what we see online has been carefully curated, edited and sometimes even staged. Are we comparing our life to someone’s planned Instagram post?
With social media becoming more and more popular within the younger generation, this can have a huge impact. Young people are still trying to figure out who they are and what they want to be, seeing these “standards” can cause uncertainty and feelings of “why am I not good enough”. Making them feel as though they have to reach the standard, putting massive amounts of pressure and insecurity into their minds.
Put it this way, influencers prompt a lifestyle that feels easily achievable – expensive clothes, holidays, PR gifts, perfect photos, perfect skin, and constant happiness. But really behind the scenes, they are as stressed as we are, filters, makeup, sponsorships, editing tools, are all part of this “luxury” lifestyle. Really – these may take hours to create. Making viewers believe this is normal when really it is not.
So now the question is... How can we stop ourselves from falling into the comparison trap?
Start off by reminding yourself that what you see on social media most of the time is not really real pss. People rarely post their struggles, and social media would be even more negative than it sometimes comes across. Another way is to control what you consume, meaning follow accounts that make YOU feel good, that promote authenticity and positivity rather than perfection. And most importantly, focus on YOUR goals, not someone else’s. No one should be giving you ideas on what you want to achieve. Stay on your own path, you are amazing!
Social media should be a tool used for connection and positive inspiration – not a source of pressure and stress, because we all have enough of that in our real lives. The more we acknowledge that social media is influencers’ jobs, the more we can see behind the scenes of a simple post.
In conclusion, while the social media influence can be inspiring and a positive place to decompress, it often creates an illusion and unrealistic goals. Leading us to compare ourselves to others. What we see online may not always be the full picture. By becoming more aware of this and focusing on our own goals, we can avoid negative comparisons.
Soooo… next time you scroll, ask yourself, “Is this reality, or has this moment shared in a single static picture taken hours to create?”