SOCIAL MEDIA

FOMO, self-esteem & time management

UPbeat

SOCIAL MEDIA, AS IT exists today, is a powerful and pervasive part of nearly everyone’s lives. Beginning with roots in the telegraph in 1792, media used for social interaction has drastically evolved to become a near necessity for success and relevance in the modern world.

While there are many positive opportunities that social media creates, it can also have negative effects on self-esteem, cause FOMO (fear of missing out) and lead to poor time management.

“I do think that social media can affect self-esteem,” senior Landon Richard said in an email interview. “If the person using the social media can’t see that most people are primarily posting their highlight reels, then I would suggest for them to have time limits set on their social media accounts.”

Seniors Sophie Hurley and Jackie Espinoza also said they recognize and can relate to the effect that social media has on a person’s confidence.

“People treat social media as a place to pretend to be perfect, and there are times when I doubt myself and think that I do not live up to that standard,” Hurley said.

Having a constantly available stream of what appears to be the most glamorous, perfect or exciting moments of others’ lives can also create a sense of anxiety known as FOMO — a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which

Story and photo illustrations by Madalyn Blackshear

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one is absent — which is characterized by the desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing.

“I feel like I need to know what’s happening at the moment in everyone’s lives,” Espinoza said. “Even though I may not speak to these people in real life, I still constantly look at their new posts/stories to see what they’re up to. I like to keep up with special events, celebrations or just random things. I feel like that’s part of my entertainment and I need it.”

Contrastingly, Hurley said that although she does not feel driven by FOMO, she is still affected by it through friends who are.

“I’ve seen people be out doing something with friends, and they cannot even enjoy themselves because they are way more concerned with documenting it and putting it on social media for others to witness,” she said. “I have friends of my own that do this. They want to take pictures of everything, edit every picture, and handcraft the perfect caption. Meanwhile, others probably just want to have a good time without the stress of putting it all on display.”

Richard said he also does not feel affected by FOMO, reasoning that, “People can always go back and look at the content that they missed at a later date and time.”

In addition to self-esteem and FOMO, social media usage can also lead to poor time management.

Hurley, Richard and Espinoza said they average a considerable amount of time on social media daily, with Hurley at three hours, Richard estimating two to six hours, and Espinoza at 10 hours.

“I have managed my time poorly because of social media,” Hurley said. “If I am doing homework, it happens pretty often that I will get on my phone and waste 30 minutes on different social media apps rather than doing what I am supposed to do.”

Richard and Espinoza both admitted they have been similarly affected, spending hours on their phones, subjected to the mindless scrolling of their thumbs.

While these negative effects are undeniably real, it is still up for debate whether or not they outweigh the positives.

“In my case, I see (social media) as a positive thing,” Richard said. “During COVID, I felt extremely bored, and I was unable to surround myself with my friends. I was able to connect with them in a different manner because of social media.

“Social media also gives me the opportunity to spend time watching content from like-minded individuals. I also think that social media is a great way to educate yourself on topics that the school does not teach you.”

Hurley and Espinoza expressed more indefinite views, saying the balance between pros and cons is a complicated thing to assess.

“There are very rude and mean people online who are basically out for you,” Espinoza said. “I say it’s also positive because it’s a good distraction whenever I’m not feeling well mentally, as long as I seek out the things that I know I enjoy.”

With LinkedIn and MySpace launching in 2003, YouTube in 2005, and Facebook in 2006, today’s social media environment has only been around for 19 years — younger than many of its users. As a result, social media may be a scapegoat for larger societal issues.

“We, as a society, have to be careful that we do not blame social media for problems that we may be a part of,” Hurley said. “Social media is so new that we have not had much of a chance to do research on the long-term effects that it can have on society or an individual. So, it is likely that problems that we blame on social media were already existing and are a deeper societal issue.”

People have always sought affirmation from their peers. Nowadays, these “friends” are often strangers and it is harder to know what is real and how to react to what we see.

“I believe the first group of young people that had social media were not prepared for what it was and neither were the parents,” Hurley said. “I think, over time, people will get more used to it and be able to teach their children how to use it and how it does not define their value in any way.

“People were just thrown into it and we are still learning how to navigate this new world.”

PAGE 9 • SPRING 2022 UPbeat