Will there be a future for the next generation?
Without Change – No!
The pressure to seek acceptance and validation through social media is more prevalent than ever. Maintaining false existence is hard work; it becomes a chore and adds additional pressure onto already busy lives.
We must prioritise our goals; live our own life and not that of other’s. By taking individual responsibility and implementing the 3 P’s – Personal, People and Place we begin to encourage a sustainable change (UNI 2020). What’s important to you? Why do you compare yourself to others? Where do you affiliate yourself to? (Healy 2019).
“We often don’t feel good about ourselves, as we look to our left and our right and we see someone else doing better … Doing it at your own pace and not comparing yourself to others is key.”
– Dr Remis (Nast 2020)
We all, individually and collectively have the ability and responsibility to influence change.
‘Perfection on social media does not make you perfect’.
(Rice 2014)
Steps are needed to protect ourselves. The average female checks her phone more than 200 times a day (Barr 2018) …FOMO and comparisons aren’t important, take time out and concentrate on real life connections.
Influencers are integral to today’s society, the money poured into them is astronomical. You can’t always blame the influencer; would you turn down large sums of money to put your name to a brand?
They have a moral and ethical responsibility to reduce societal pressure. Influencers are moving away from companies linked to child labour in favour of more sustainable brands.
More needs to be done to smash the acceptance that living a digital façade is perfect, this will reduce the pressure on individuals to create and strive for something that isn’t real or attainable. Brands needs to use their moral compass to protect the sustainability of social media for the next generation.
A London based model and journalist has created a second Instagram account for her followers depicting real photos showing a true reflection of her life. These accounts are called ‘Finstas’ - ‘fake’ Instagram accounts. A complete contradiction as the ‘Finsta’ demonstrates real life, compared to the original Instagram account that depicts a digital facade! (Nast 2020).
Society demands that Millennials and Generation Z live their lives in the fast lane, burning the candle at both ends and achieving everything. We adopt a belief of “sleep when you are dead” (Nast 2020) however; we don’t consider how long we can maintain this for before burnout. When does the pressure of life and social media become too much?
What does this teach young people, the next generation? Is self-worth and mental resilience less important than societal pressure to boost likes and capture the perfect Instagram selfie (TEDx Talks 2017). We need a positive change, influencers currently using social media for the greater good include Greta Thunberg, Jaz Jennings, and Blare Armani (Caramura 2021).
Humans are social creatures and deserve the truth not the “distorted sense of reality which the cyber world creates” (Jacobson 2013).
The social media world we are engulfed in is toxic and not sustainable, it breaks peoples resolve and ruins peoples mental and physical health. This isn’t fun! This isn’t why we joined.
Change is beginning to happen this needs to continue to ensure social media is sustainable for today’s society and the next generation.
Thank you for taking time to read my series, hopefully there is a lesson for all of us to learn...
Reference list
BARR, Sabrina. 2018. “Quarter of Women in 30s Check Phone 200 Times a Day, Survey Finds.” The Independent [online]. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/women-phone-use-30s- social-media-facebook-instagram-a8532236.html?amp [accessed 23 Mar 2022].
CARAMURA, Tiago. 2021. “Social Media Management in the Event Industry ➡ EventsCase.com.” Eventscase | Always Aiming Higher [online]. Available at: https://eventscase.com/blog/social-media-management- in-the-event-industry [accessed 23 Mar 2022].
HEALY, Aisling. 2019. “Social Media Pressures.” A Lust For Life - Irish Mental Health Charity in Ireland [online]. Available at: https://www.alustforlife.com/tools/mental-health/social-media-pressures [accessed 19 Mar 2022].
JACOBSON, Sheri. 2013. “Internet Addiction Disorder: How We Can Become Hooked in a Cyber World.” Harley TherapyTM Blog [online]. Available at: https://www.harleytherapy.co.uk/counselling/internet- addiction-disorder.htm [accessed 19 Mar 2022].
NAST, Condé. 2020. “How to Reduce the Pressure of Feeling a Relentless Need to Succeed on Social Media.” British Vogue [online]. Available at: https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/reduce- social-media-pressure [accessed 19 Mar 2022].
RICE, Wendy. 2014. “The World Is a Scary Place, Anxiety Therapist in Tampa FL.” Rice Psychology [online]. Available at: https://ricepsychology.com/behavior/the-world-is-a-scary-place/ [accessed 23 Mar 2022].
STATISTA. 2022. “Topic: Social Media.” Statista [online]. Available at: https://www.statista.com/topics/1164/social-networks/#topicHeader__wrapper [accessed 23 Mar 2022]. 15
TEDX TALKS. 2017. “Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? | Bailey Parnell | TEDxRyersonU.” YouTube [online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czg_9C7gw0o [accessed 19 Mar 2022].
UNI, Bath. 2020. “How I See Me: The Power of Identities for Encouraging Sustainable Actions.” Bath Business and Society [online]. Available at: https://blogs.bath.ac.uk/business-and-society/2020/05/01/how-i-see- me-the-power-of-identities-for-encouraging-sustainable-actions/ [accessed 23 Mar 2022].
WIELGUS, Paul Holland and Ben. 2013. “Sustainability: A Complex World of Interconnected Challenges.” the Guardian [online]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainability- complex-world-interconnected-challenges [accessed 23 Mar 2022].
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