Social media is a huge part of most people’s lives today. Has lots of positives: being able to communicate with your friends wherever they are, helping us all stay connected (especially during the first lockdown), it allows us to discover new things. Of course, it comes with negatives too such as scammers, hackers, and online bullies, but one thing that isn’t talked about as often is how people use their social media to promote an unrealistic standard of living – sometimes without even knowing it.

Apps such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are mainly used to show what you are doing, and usually, most viewers will be your friends and people you know. Being able to add status updates, photographs and temporary stories means you have a selection of ways to show off your life, for example, if you’re on holiday you can post about the beach and the pool as much as you want on various platforms.

What most people never consider posting, however; is the bad parts of their life. If you opened your social media feed right now, how many posts are people out with friends, at events, or just overall looking like they have their life together? It is a lot more than those posting an accurate description of their life, that much is certain.

While there is nothing inherently wrong with posting like this (because what do people find more interesting, a mundane working day, or a fun party photo that they can live vicariously through), it can be damaging when viewing it.

I surveyed to get people’s thoughts on the matter. When asked ‘have you ever posted something on social media to make your life look ‘better’ or busier than it is?’ 75 per cent of voters said they had. This shows how common it is for people to create a false life online – a ‘perfect’ life.

Image by Emma Christie (@emmachristie.journalism Instagram) poll results

A massive 88 per cent of voters also said that they have felt down as they have looked at other people’s social media as it looks like they are happier than them.

When asked: ‘when you see what other people are up to online, how does that make you feel?’, there were a few mixed responses:

One voter said: “Mostly I feel inspired to live healthier and travel more ... sometimes I feel frustrated that other small businesses are thriving more than mine.”

Another said: “It gives me FOMO” (fear of missing out).

While having the inspiration to live healthier is an amazing thing, a lot of the ‘healthy living’ you come across online is unrealistic. A popular example of this is YouTubers’ or TikTokers’ ‘morning routines’ that often start at four or five in the morning and include things such as an hour workout.

Not everyone has access to a gym, and not everyone has the luxury of being able to get up so early due to work or childcare, as you would have to go to bed early as well. It is good that these influencers try to promote healthier living and motivate people to be productive, but viewers do have to keep in mind that many of these influencers have YouTube or social media as a full-time job, they don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn then work an eight-hour shift.

A couple of people also admitted spending too much time on social media.

One voter said they spent “hours … too long [to be honest].”

Another said: “[Probably] half [of] the day.”

An interesting result was when asked: ‘when you are out with friends/at an event, do you feel like you have to post pictures to show what you’re doing?’ 80 per cent of voters answered ‘no’ to this.

However, maybe answers would’ve been different pre-Covid, as we are used to being stuck inside and isolated, not having anything to post about now, and when we do go out, we make the most of it.

Covid has amplified the effect of creating a false standard of living online, there is nothing worse than being stuck inside and seeing people posting pictures with friends – even if most are old pictures due to the lockdowns, it still creates a FOMO effect.

Again, there is nothing wrong with posting your highlights and fun moments online, but it is something to keep in mind next time you’re scrolling and feel down – no one’s life is perfect, they have bad days too, as not everything is how it appears online.

The Secret Side of Social Media