A first-person reflection on how platforms like Instagram and Facebook have widened the stage for popularity signals, why younger people are more vulnerable, and what parents and adults can do to reduce harm and preserve self-worth.
Social media expands who sees and responds to popularity signals, turning local cliques into a public stage and increasing pressure to compare.
Younger people are more vulnerable because they grew up with continuous access to curated images and claims about other lives.
Parents and older adults can help by limiting early exposure, teaching skepticism about online portrayals, and strengthening a child’s internal sense of worth.
Comparison, Popularity And Self Worth At Any Age Is Even More Relevant In The Age Of Social Media. It didn't disturb anyone else–there were tons of people with suggestions on where she should send her daughter. Businesses paint walls with colorful murals in the hope that people will go there and post pictures.
They have to be the best that they can be and not pay attention to what's out there. When tragedy strikes, she is forced to face the truth: the only person who can make you feel small is you, and sometimes you have to lose everything you thought defined you to find what truly matters. Read More Inspiring Content Mothers In America Are Being Gaslit By The System September 17, 2026 September 10, 2026 The Non-Fiction of "Female Rage" Found In Fiction Novels September 16, 2026 September 9, 2026 More Women Are Studying Medicine Than Ever Before.
September 25, 2026 September 21, 2026 What Happens To Beauty Standards. I remember thinking how crazy and, frankly, gross that was. I grew up in an age before social media, as did my mom.
Comparing ourselves to other people is one of the most natural things a mind does. It is how we figure out where we stand, whether we are doing well or badly, fast or slow, ahead or behind, and in small doses it is both useful and impossible to avoid. The trouble is not comparison itself. […] The post The danger of con
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I can be happy with my marks until I see someone who scored higher. I can feel proud of something I did until I see someone doing it better. Nothing about what I achieved has changed, but suddenly it feels smaller. I used to think this was jealousy. But maybe it is not always jealousy. Maybe it is comparison. I compare
People have become servants to social media. The ultimate flex is to walk back to real life Think of your online life as a garden. At first it’s just a few seeds here or there – a Facebook profile where you created entire albums from a night at the pub, or maybe a Tumblr or a Myspace page listing your favourite bands.
By Ellen Klein Scroll through social media, and you’re never far from the latest beauty ideal. Trends such as ‘fitspiration’, ‘thinspiration’ and ‘looksmaxxing’ rack up millions of views, shaping how women of all ages see beauty, bodies and themselves. Self-improvement can be a resoundingly empowering journey. However,
“I’d cry before going into work because I’d see people my age on social media on yachts, in high-rises, with all these bags and purses, and think, ‘What am I doing wrong?’” View Entire Post ›
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