A new social media trend is encouraging people to showcase their realness by sharing photos they might normally post with ‘honest notes’. People are sharing the things they struggle with against the backdrop of how they’re perceived online. Here’s why it’s such an important wakeup call:
Global (10 March 2024) — A new social media trend is adding a dose of realness to a world where people are constantly comparing themselves to the lives of others, and it is a big wakeup call for anyone who feels behind or alone in their challenges.
Showing off the ‘highlights’ of our lives is a big part of social media’s attraction. We want to be inspired, share our happy moments, and, of course, the moments where we felt really great about something we experienced. But on a human level, consuming so much information about so many other people at such rapid speeds is bound to have adverse effects, especially when those ‘happy’ and ‘inspiring’ moments are staged for likes and views.
The backlash against the comparison crisis social media has brought upon users (especially the more susceptible younger generations) has been the cause of many mental health concerns as the ever-damaging ‘keeping up with the Jones’ experience has amplified to ridiculous heights.
But combatting all the fakeness we face on a daily basis are the people brave enough to share their own, real truths.
A new social media trend aptly dubbed ‘social media is fake’ has popped up primarily on TikTok where against the backdrop of social-media-worthy photos people would normally share (or very in-the-moment shots), they’re adding ‘honest notes’ about their own experiences.
Scores of videos begin with the intro “social media is fake so here are some real things I struggle with,” or “here are some not-so-glamorous things about me” before launching into very human experiences ranging from job insecurity to worries about money, feeling behind in life and other things that we don’t always consider when we look up to certain kinds of people and even influencers.
How Can Sharing Struggles Be a Good Thing?
In a world of screens where not much is as it seems, a balance of a little more realness can be a breath of fresh air. Not because we want people to struggle, but to understand that so many experiences are universal, and they make us beautifully human.
Someone else feels behind in their career trajectory at the same age you are, even though they look like they have it all figured out.
Someone else deals with the same money struggles you do, even if you’d never think it from what they post.
Everyone questions their choices, gets lonely and wonders if they’re on the right path.
But a big part of being human is being brave, and sometimes being honest is the bravest thing you can do! And sometimes, tipping the scales to a little more realness is the best way to remind others that no matter how we’re perceived (whether online or in real life) we’re all just figuring this existence out.
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