Social Media: FOMO and a (very unrealistic) Culture of Perfection

Social media is my favorite way to stay connected with friends and family especially as a college student. I am away from family during the school year and away from my friends on breaks. Without social media it would be hard to keep up with all these people while still having a life of my own. It is not really practical to always have to call or message someone privately to ask what's up in their life, and it is much easier to just open social media and scroll for updates. With social media it is so easy to see what everyone is doing all the time.

However, being able to see what other people are doing all the time is not always the most positive thing. FOMO is real and is much more than just a silly acronym. The Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) refers to the idea that others are having more fun or living better lives, and you are just missing out on this. FOMO is promoted by social media and directly affects users’ perception of others which negatively impacts their mental health. On social media it is so easy to create an image or narrative of yourself or your life that seems perfect to others. Of course everyone only wants to put their best self out there and with social media it is so easy to only have this version of yourself out there for all to see. Filters and editing photos, as well as only posting things deemed ‘Instagram-able’ curate an image that omits reality. As a social media user scrolling and seeing all of these perfect people just existing can be deprecating for self esteem. The thought that you are not good enough, or should do something to be more like these people starts to form in your head and changes your attitude and outlook on yourself and life. It is easy to forget the first (and most important) thing you learn about the internet: not everything you see online is real.

From a very young age we can all remember our parents, teachers, or really anyone older than us saying this valuable piece of information. Not everything you see online is real. But today that seems to be the last thing on our minds when we are scrolling through TikTok, Instagram, and other social media platforms. Seeing people with smooth, spotless skin and shining white teeth post with perfectly posed bodies creates the idea that this is normal and flawless people like this exist in real life. At the same time, seeing your peers post from vacations, fun nights out, or even study-abroad trips can be overwhelming and you can start to feel like your own life is boring (hence FOMO).

The problem with many social media users today is our overconsumption of this sort of content. Never before have we as a society had access to this sort of exposure to what others are doing in such high quantities. Scrolling for hours online seeing people out having fun in these awesome places only strengthens your FOMO, while really these same people also have boring parts of their lives that they are not sharing. People (usually) aren't posting about working their summer jobs, running errands, or being stuck in traffic. Our overconsumption of overwhelmingly ‘perfect’ content on social media has created this new norm of perfection that is unrealistic and doesn't show realities that are present in everyone's lives. Because it is all we seem to see, ‘perfect’ has become the new normal. There is little to no transparency with social media and it is important to remember that while scrolling.

Taking breaks from social media and limiting the time you spend scrolling can help to moderate your consumption and reduce the negative impact on your mental health. Not going on social media when you know you are going to see things you don't want to see, like a concert you didn't go to or a party you missed, helps reduce FOMO because the content isn't right there in front of you.

Nobody is perfect and it is important to remember not everything you see online is real. Social media is a great tool for staying connected but comes at a great cost when not used in moderation.