Abstract
The essay examines the correlation between Instagram and the feeling of anxiety caused by concerns about productivity, specifically among users belonging to Generation Z. It emphasizes the crucial role of Instagram as a forum for inspiration and comparison, resulting in increased levels of stress and self-doubt among young individuals. The essay explores the various aspects that contribute to this issue, such as the culture of comparison, unrealistic standards established by post on Instagram, and the fear of missing out (FOMO). Instagram exacerbates FOMO and fosters feelings of inadequacy regarding work and achievement with its meticulously curated posts and real-time updates. In order to navigate the effect of social media, the essay finishes by highlighting the significance of self-awareness and individuality and by encouraging acceptance of regular unproductivity as a normal aspect of life.
Introduction
Social media platforms have been fully integrated into people’s daily lives in this era of digital technology, particularly members of Generation Z, who were approximately born between the late 1990s and the early 2000s. As stated by Dean (2023), one of the top four social networks in the world is Instagram. This is because it has more than 2 billion users overall. As reported by Dixon (2024), over 32 per cent of Instagram users worldwide are members of Generation Z, comprised of persons between the ages of 18 and 24 as of January 2024. Instagram can attract people due to the visually appealing content it provides and the emphasis it places on curated pictures and reels. According to Sharma (2024), Instagram is widely recognised as one of the most influential social media platforms. Nonetheless, a phenomenon that has caused anxiety can be found lurking beneath the surface. It is possible that a post or trend on Instagram could instil a fear of unproductivity, which is frequently referred to as productivity anxiety, among members of Generation Z. There is a trend on Instagram that includes phrases like “The ‘it’ girl routine” and “productive a day in my life,” as well as posts that discuss accomplishments, trips, self-appearance, and a variety of other topics. Even though some people believe that Instagram could help inspire its users to be more productive, the content published on Instagram can lead users to suffer anxiety regarding their current level of productivity. This essay examines how Instagram could exacerbate the fear of being unproductive, which could stem from a comparison culture, an unattainable standard, or fear of missing out (FOMO).
Productivity Anxiety
In our everyday lives, numerous individuals place a high priority on productivity as a mean of maintaining our attention on our ambitions. Determination alone is not enough to achieve productivity; we also need tolerance and a great consciousness of who we are to be successful. This condition, which we call “productivity anxiety,” may be the outcome of our work to maintain our productivity if we do not have these factors. Whenever we become extremely concerned about keeping our productivity streaks, we stress the effects of even a single day that seems non-productive. This tendency happens when we get extremely concerned about keeping our productivity streak. Productivity will either cause us to feel nervous about it or completely exclude all of our troubles (Codecademy Central India, 2021). In everyday life, productivity plays a double role. As the Economic Times (2023) claimed, productivity anxiety is described by a persistent concern of “not being enough” when it comes to being associated with productive activities. This feeling of inadequateness can be brought on by several factors, like being a “perfectionist,” terrified of failing or having a strong desire to be validated (The Economic Times, 2023). The concern of being unproductive is becoming increasingly common in today’s society as an effect of social media, including Instagram, one of the most popular social media platforms. The fact that Instagram emphasizes visual storytelling makes it an excellent platform for capturing the audience’s attention. Through picture and video reels, Instagram showcases great creative inspiration. Examples include “productive a day with my life” and “the ‘it’ girl routine” or simply a post of someone’s achievement. It is possible for viewers to worry about their productivity as a result of viewing this content, which initially serves as a source of inspiration for viewers.
Culture of Comparison
In today’s fast-paced society, where productivity is valued, individuals regularly find themselves trapped in a loop of comparison, and self-doubt. There is a particularly high incidence of productivity anxiety, and the culture of comparison that is associated with it among members of Generation Z. Generation Z is frequently subjected to images and narratives that promote the virtues of productivity and success, which might lead to the development of a culture of comparison or social comparison. Kayala (2023) defines social comparison theory as the concept that individuals should do self-evaluations in order to have an understanding of their value in relation to other people. The author Kayala (2023) clarifies further by stating that it is the inclination to utilize other people as sources of information to judge how we are doing compared to other people or how we ought to behave, think, and feel. One of the key processes that contribute to the development of a culture of comparison, which in turn generates productivity anxiety is from the frequent exposure to the accomplishments of others, particularly through the use of social media platforms. Comparing oneself to others has become much easier because of the rise of social media and Generation Z, which can harm one’s sense of self-worth (Amber Student, 2023). As a result of the characteristics of social media, individuals are constantly studying the lives of others and performing comparisons between themselves and those of others, consciously or subconsciously (Kayala, 2023). The comparisons made on social media may have a negative impact, particularly on Generation Z, because they might pressure young people to do something to be like the people they see on social media. People typically present the best version of themselves on social media, focusing on their achievements, trips, relationships, and physical appearances. Of course, they rarely post about their emotional breakdowns. As a consequence of this, young people have the impression that they need to be like them. Further, if they do not behave or behave in the same manner as the individuals they saw on Instagram, they tend to believe that they are unmotivated and not productive despite everyone moving at their own pace. The Student Amber (2023) elaborates further that members of Generation Z can experience feelings of incompetence or discomfort when they compare themselves to these idealized images of others. This is because social media has been a significant factor in shaping Generation Z for many years. As a result, we realize that posts on Instagram have the potential to generate social comparisons, which primarily result in unfavourable outcomes. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy or concern regarding productivity among members of Generation Z.
Unrealistic Standards
A big contributor to the phenomena of productivity anxiety among Instagram users is that Instagram has evolved into an ideal platform for standards that are impossible to achieve. The curated content of the platform contributes to the creation of a culture of perfectionism, in which individuals experience the feeling of being under pressure or create anxiety to achieve unrealistic levels either in productivity or achievement (Bonnhy, 2023). Further, according to Bonnhy (2023), social media can trigger feelings of inadequacy when users compare their lives to the flawless lifestyles exhibited by others. These standards can be seen in postings such as “the ‘it’ girl routine,” as well as in the ideal lifestyles depicted by influencers. Due to the fact that Instagram feeds are curated, users are given a biased impression of the world around them. The only things shown to the audience are the best part, while the difficulties are kept hidden from the audience. An inaccurate perception of reality is produced as a result of this. Those who use the platform are flooded with photographs of lives that appear to be flawless, featuring immaculate homes, perfect looks, wonderful relationships, and endless amounts of accomplishments. On the other hand, these images are frequently very different from the truth; they are deliberately intended to offer an impression of perfection that is impossible for the normal individual. Because they will look up to the people they admire on social media and draw inspiration from them, people in Generation Z will experience a sense of obligation to live up to their ideals of perfection. This ideal life establishes an unachievable standard that compels us to be like them and be continually active every day, despite the fact that it is completely fine for us to have a day in which we are not productive. Hence, it becomes evident that post on Instagram might establish impractical benchmarks for productivity, leading individuals to experience feelings of inadequacy or anxiety when they regard themselves as falling short of the expectations set by others.
Fear of Missing Out
In this digital era, social media sites like Instagram have changed the way we connect and communicate to each other. However, they have also created a problem called FOMO, which stands for “fear of missing out.” According to scholars, FOMO includes both the perception of missing out, which triggers anxiety, and compulsive behaviours, like checking and refreshing sites, to maintain social connections (Laurence, 2023). The impact is exacerbated by the real-time updates and stories functionality of Instagram, which generates a constant stream of content that may induce feelings of inadequacy and anxiety among users regarding their perceived lack of success and productivity in comparison to their peers, as well as concerns regarding their self-perception, perception of the world, and perceived judgements of others (Djisseglo, 2019). Because Instagram updates happen in real time, users can immediately see what their friends, coworkers, and other people they know are doing. When a coworker posts about their accomplishment, a friend posts about their latest trip or about their relationship, these real-time updates create a sense of immediacy and urgency that can make FOMO worse (Djisseglo, 2019). People may have to constantly check their feeds to ensure they do not miss any important news or chances to be productive and successful. These carefully chosen snapshots of success and achievement can give people the impression that they are always productive and successful, making them feel bad about themselves. People may start to doubt their result and worry about falling short as they see story after story of their peers reaching their goals, crossing off tasks, and reaching important milestones. Mixed with the stress of staying linked and involved, the constant flow of curated content makes people feel on edge and worried about not being as productive as their peers. This proves that Instagram’s real time reporting and stories feature exacerbates FOMO and increases people’s anxiety about their productivity and achievement.
Conclusion
In light of the data presented above, it is clear that Instagram has a significant impact on more than just simply inspiring through posts; nevertheless, it can also cause worry regarding productivity among members of Generation Z. The site encourages a culture of productivity anxiety among its users by providing them with content that has been thoroughly reviewed and by insisting on maintaining standards that are impossible to achieve. Several factors, including the culture of comparison, unattainable expectations, and the fear of missing out, all contribute to this problem, which in turn causes young people to experience elevated levels of stress and self-doubt. There is a need for young people to have a better understanding of themselves in order to solve this issue. Social media has the potential to alter who you are simply by viewing a single post, and not everything that is displayed on social media is suitable for us to follow. Furthermore, a better approach than mindlessly following others is to conduct experiments based on trial and error to discover the winning recipe that works for us (Kwok, 2019). In addition, we ought to make the feeling of being unproductive a common occurrence; it is perfectly acceptable for us to have one of those days when we feel like we are doing nothing. It is not necessary for us to be productive always, as seen in social media. In addition, the pace at which each individual works is varied, and we need to accept that we cannot have it all.
References
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