Credits: Social Media
TikTok’s ‘Social Media Is Fake’ trend is renouncing idealism and outing real life struggles
A new trend has emerged on TikTok called ‘Social Media Is Fake’ which sees people going against the internet’s idealism.
People usually want to share their best traits online, but this challenge is all about showing your real life and not being ashamed about it.
TikTok’s ‘Social Media Is Fake’ trend
The trend involves writing “social media is fake, so here are some not so glamorous things about me” before listing some things you wouldn’t usually share online.
It’s all about renouncing perfectionism and telling people about your true self, because every human has struggles.
In one viral video, a woman revealed that she has lots of credit card debt, can’t find a job, often has panic attacks and feels like nobody likes her.
Another said she regrets getting a degree, spent too much of her life making her family happy and has unrealistic expectations for a partner.
The trend has spread onto Twitter/X too, where many are also listing extremely personal things about themselves.
‘Best thing to happen on TikTok’
TikTok users love the uplifting trend, which is boosting confidence and making people realise that others are dealing with similar problems.
One person wrote: “I love this ‘social media is fake’ trend. Youre all just little pictures in this silly little bird app but were all real people with real problems and real feelings. Theres beauty in vulnerability.”
“I wish I could reply to every single person doing the ‘social media is fake’ trend because WE ARE NOT ALONE! SHAME IS A LIAR! YOU ARE WONDERFUL AND YOUR STRUGGLES MAKE YOU HUMAN,” said another.
A third person added: “The ‘social media is fake’ trend going around is making me CRY! it just proves that we are not alone and we all just want to be loved and appreciated in one way or another.”
“The ‘social media is fake, here are 5 things’ trend is the best thing to ever happen on TikTok,” someone else wrote.
Idealism detrimental to mental health
A 2022 study by the University of New South Wales in Sydney found that watching idealistic content can be hugely detrimental to your mental health.
Researchers showed 211 women aged 17 to 28 ten images or videos selected from the Instagram and TikTok accounts of young female influencers that reflected societal appearance ideals.
They found that viewing this content increased body dissatisfaction, negative mood and self-objectification.
“The total exposure time was only a minute and a half, and we found that was enough to have harmful impacts, the leader of the study, Dr Jasmine Fardouly, said.
So, trends like this which reject this idealistic view and show real life struggles can only be a positive thing.
