Social media has grown over the years, and the internet has endless ways of influencing how we think and view things.
Trends, fashion, recipes, challenges, celebrity gossip, fitness and relationship standards are deeply rooted in algorithms and have potential to change perspectives, for better or worse.
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are full of persuasive content and accounts that can make you second-guess your own lifestyle.
Short engaging clips, perfectly edited pictures, we are addicted to scrolling, yet don’t know what is real and what is fake.
Who Inspires us the Most?
People like celebrities, influencers, and even people we know personally have an impact on the way we see our own lives and compare ourselves to others’ successes.
For example, your favourite idol posting a pic of their fancy food at a five-star restaurant with their partner may tarnish your view of what a good relationship “should” look like.
Someone going on an extravagant trip may make you question your own trips and memorable moments.
The online fitness culture influences the way you should eat, look and work out with unrealistic standards and physiques that make you pick away at your own body.
Somebody you know being ahead of you in life, settled down with financial security, whilst you are still studying or working a part-time job.
Online, there is always the potential for us to feel that our experiences aren’t as good, or we need to be in the same position as others, but this is the illusion of social media.
Who are the Main Social Media users?
According to Sprout Social, the most active age group on social media in 2026 is 16–24-year-olds, using social media platforms on about 4.6 days a week for roughly 3 hours 30 minutes daily.
The users of social media are consistently becoming younger; you never know who is viewing content online.
People in this age group are the main consumers of online content, making them an audience easier to influence, considering many influencers are within this age bracket, making them more relatable and inspiring.
Teenagers who still haven’t even fully figured themselves out yet are online and listening to strangers’ advice.
Granted, social media and the internet is a blessing, keeping us up to date with what’s going on and strengthening relationships between you and loved ones through endless communication opportunities.
However, the unrealistic standards set by influencers on social media sometimes have us feeling like our lives aren’t nearly as good as what we are seeing online.
This is a world that is immersed in social media and the internet, and it’s important to remember what’s real and what matters.
How to De-Influence Yourself
It is easy to fall under the influence of other people online, buy things because other people look good, compare your own life to others, and criticise yourself for not fitting into picture-perfect social media standards.
Be yourself and maintain your own hobbies, appreciate your circle, and find enjoyment in things you like, not because you have been influenced to like them.
Avoid comparing yourself to others online, mainly because what you see on the internet is only a snippet of someone’s life and not the full picture.
According to Help Guide, using social media positively can change the effect it will have on your mind, for example, avoiding aimless scrolling and remembering that what you look at through a screen is, the majority of the time, not reality.
Find things you like and do them, regardless of what others are promoting online.
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