Human beings are social animals, and in every social setting, they bring a set of social anxieties. Most people today suffer from stress from the use of social media platforms. For instance, a mother can be worried about being on Pinterest because they are not creative or crafty enough. It may be self-selecting, but this shows the pressures of Pinterest or social media platforms. Every social media network rewards various elements of human behavior and gives rise to an inferiority complex. What type of oppression do we subject to ourselves as we engage with social media sites? Some fears are new, others not so much. Below are anxieties you can get from various social media platforms.
1. Fear of missing out
Instagram encourages users to document everything in pictures and videos. Places they go, sights they see, people they hug. Therefore, Instagram is the official platform for fear of missing out. People pick up their phones to scroll through Instagram first thing in the morning because they do not want to miss out. It is about comparison, self-pity, and the cooler and cuter beings than the others. Thus, this makes your own life feel drab. Therefore, everyone is busy with their phones to update everything they do over the weekend. Yet most of these things did not stress you until you joined the platform. It is better to buy the cheapest Instagram likes to boost your Instagram performance instead.
2. Fear of domestic inadequacy
This is common in Pinterest as it shows off domestic tranquility. The inferiority complex levels from Pinterest affect many people, especially younger people trying to make their homes look better. Place settings can be simple to do, but you saw a centerpiece at your cousins’ place, and you feel if they can have it, so can you. So, if you do not practice self-control, you are encouraged to desire the materials goods, but you cannot own them immediately. Therefore, it is all a dream lifestyle to you, and you are not sure if you will achieve it. And the pinned inspiration rooms have little resemblance to their real-life, thus depressing them. Yet, before joining Pinterest, you did not worry about having a photographer, color coding closets, or plating your meals.
3. Fear of personal failure
Facebook encourages anxiety about things like engagements, graduations, new baby pictures, job updates, pictures of your new home. It is an all-encompassing space for relationships and life events. The success of others inspires jealousy, like discovering the school bully is a successful executive. Plus, with every birthday notification, you wonder if you made any progress. The job status is the same, your friends’ couple’s portrait is better than yours, among other worries and fears. And before joining Facebook, you did not stress about your frenemies judging your ring size from your engagement, your weight gain from the many followers you have, and others.
4. Fear of career failure
LinkedIn is the go-to site when you want career connections. But it will only come up if you are feeling professionally unsatisfied. For instance, you cannot be on a dating app if you are happily married. So, you cannot be browsing LinkedIn if you are not looking for a better job or you are jobless. Thus, the anxieties here are associated with placing your resume in a public setting and professional insecurities. Plus, it shows how the number of times you were fired and had to compete with your embarrassing college major. Yet, before joining the platform, you did not worry about the photos you took, expanding your network, among others.
5. Fear of looking dumb
There is the fear of missing out on news events and inside jokes. It also translates to fear of looking dumb. It is finding out what the new hashtag is, trending news topics, and if everyone is tweeting the new trending link. People on Twitter fear looking stupid, behind the times, and ignorant. However, before joining Twitter, you did not stress about the memes, retweeting, if you made a joke too soon. All these things and worries lead to anxiety, and you need to be on the lookout to protect your mental health and general wellbeing.
