The lives of today’s youth are almost inseparable from the online world. When they wake up in the morning, many teenagers immediately reach for their gadgets to check social media, even though the first thing they should do might be opening a window or drinking a glass of water. In reality, however, many of them turn to social media platfroms such as Instagram, TikTok, and even x (formerly known as Twitter). Information on these platforms moves continuously and never seems to stop.
On the other hand, social media brings many positive effect, such as freedom of self-expression, the ability to expand social network, and easy access to information. On the other hand, there are also brings negative effect, especially trends that change very quickly. These trends can make some teenagers feel pressured to follow them and buy things just to look relevant or gain social status.
With the rise of FOMO (fear of missing out) among teenagers today, they can feel torn between being themselves and following current trends. Research on FOMO has found that the feeling is related to social media engagement and lower levels of mood and life satisfaction (Przybylski et al., 2013). Social media can also influence what teenagers see and what they think is popular. These change in technology can affect the way teenagers interact, think, and build their identities. Therefore, this essay will discuss how social media and trends influence teenagers from psycological, social, cultural, and economic perspective, as well as how young people can respond to this phenomenon wisely.
Identity Shift: Between Self Expression and Digital Validation
Essentially, youth is a phase of exploration identity. According to developmental psychologist Erik Erikson, adolescence is related to the stage of “identity vs role confusion,” in which young people develop their place in society. (Erikson, 1968).
Before social media became as popular as it is today, this process of discovering oneself mostly happened in limited environments such as family, school, neighbors, and close friend. Now, the process has moved into a much wider digital space. Social media gives teenagers a place to show who they are or who they want other people to see.
However, presenting yourself on social media often involves a lot of editing and choosing. For example, photos may need the right lighting, a good angle, and an aesthetic background before they are uploaded. Because of this, honest self-expression and the search for validation can sometimes become difficult to separate.
When a post receives many likes, positive comment, or share, it can make someone feel happy and appreciated. Some teenagers may gradually become more dependent on digital validation and start paying too much attention to numbers on the screen, such as followers, viewers, likes, and engagement. Social comparison and feedback seeking are among the factors discussed in research on the relationship between social media use and adolescent mental health (Saleem et l., 2024).
This also can lead to self-presentation that focuses too much on looking perfect in front of others. Teenagers may begin to think more about what their online audience expects from them instead of focusing on their own potential, interest, and desires.
The FOMO Phenomenon and the Illusion of Perfection
FOMO, or fear of missing out, is feeling that other people may be having rewarding experiences without us. Research by Przybylski et al. (2013) found that FOMO was associated with higher social media engagement and lower levels on mood and life satisfaction.
Through social media, teenagers are constantly exposed to small parts of other people’s lives. The problem is that what people usually show online is often their best moments, achievement, and most attractive pictures. For example, teenagers may see their friends buying new clothes, going on vacation, visiting popular cafes or achieving an important milestone.
When teenagers constantly compare their lives to ideal lives with the ideal lives they see on social media, they may become dissatisfied with their own lives. Social comparison has been identified as one factor that may help explain the relationship between social media use and mental health among young people (Piteo & Ward, 2020; Saleem et al., 2024).
This comparison can create several negative effect:
1. Persistent anxiety: a feeling of worry because someone thinks their life is moving more slowly than other people’s lives.
2. Mental exhaustion (burnout): feeling tired from trying to follow the newest trends so they do not feel left behind.
3. Low mood and depressive symptoms: in more serious situation, constant comparison and problematic social media use may be associated with depressive symptoms (Piteo & Ward, 2020; Saleem et al., 2024).
The Pressure of Consumerism and Hyper-Trend Culture
The impact of social media affects does not only affect the psychology of teenagers but can also affect their economic well-being. Social media platforms use recommendation system that can adapt to users’ interests and behavior. Research has shown that recommendation algorithms on major platforms can quickly adjust the content shown to account based on users behavior (Hilbert et al., 2025).
Todays trends can change very quickly. Fashion trends that used to stay popular for months can now become outdated within a short time. On short-form video platforms, new aesthetics, lifestyles, products, and places can became popular almost every week.
For the example:
1. Lifestyle trends such as “frugal living” and “soft living” can sometimes make teenagers confused about which lifestyle they should follow.
2. Fashion trend such as “coquette”, “Y2K”, and the “clean look” can encourage teenagers to buy new clothes and accessories.
3. Food and cafe trends can encourage teenagers to visit viral cafes or popular places mainly because they are popular on social media.
If teenagers constantly follow these trends, they many experience financial pressure. The desire to be seen as relevant can make them buy things that they do not actually need. Some may even spend money simply because they want to post the items or experiences on social media.
This behavior can become a problem for their future financial situation, especially if they spend too much money on temporary trends instead of saving it for more important needs.
Changes in Communication Patterns and Interpersonal Relationship
The rise of social media has also changed the way teenagers build relationship. Messaging apps allow people to communicatewith others from different places around the world. Communities based on hobbies and interests can also form very quickly through social media.
However, although communication has become easier, some interactions can become more superficial. In face-to-face communication, people use facial expression, body language, and voice intonation to understand each other. These elements cannot always be replaced by text messages, stickers, or emojis.
Some effect of these changing interaction patterns include:
1. Erosion of Social Skills: Some teenagers may find it difficult to have deep face-to-face conversations without using a screen.
2. Phubbing: This happens when someone ignores the people around them because they are busy using their phone, Research involving adolescents has found that phone related behavior can be connected with disturbances in communication and social connectedness.
3. Ghosting: Digital communication cann make it easier for someone to suddenly stop communicating with another person without giving an explanation
Therefore, although social media helps teenagers communicate more easily, they still need to maintain real life relationship and face-to-face communication.
The Positive Side of Social Media as a Space for Activism and Creativity
Although social media has many challenges and negative effect, blaming social media as a whole is not the right approach. Social media is a tool, and its impact depends greatly on how people use it. For many teenagers, social media has become a place to express their creativity, share ideas, and participate in positive activities.
A. A Platform for Democratic Information and Activism
Today’s teenagers are not only spectators when it comes to social issues. Though hashtags, online petitions, and digital campaigns, they can speak about important issues such as climate changed, environmental awareness, social justice, human rights, and mental health awareness.
Research on social media and youth activism shows that social media can play a role in inspiring activism and supporting young people’s civic lives, although the effect contexts vary (Neag et al., 2024)
Social media allows information about these issues to spread quickly. Teenagers can learn about problems happening in different places and can also use their platforms to encourage other people to pay attention to them.
B. Opportunities in the Creative Economy and Self-Reliance
Another positive aspect of social media is that it creates job opportunities that were not as common before. Teenagers can use their creativity to become content creators, freelance graphic designers, digital marketers, or online business owners.
Some teenagers can even start small businesses from their own bedrooms. By paying attention to trends and learning how to use social media, they can turn their interests and skills into opportunities to earn money.
Navigating Digital Life: Strategies for Survival and Growth
To avoid being controlled by trends and the pressure of social media, teenagers need to set boundaries, think critically, and develop the ability to deal with online pressure.
A. Implementing a Digital Detox and Screen Time Rules
Teenagers should establish boundaries between real life and social media. It is also important to limit screen time and have specific times without gadgets for example, during family meals, before going to bed, after waking up, or on weekend.
Taking a break from social media can help teenagers focus on their activities and maintain a healthier balance between their online and offline lives.
B. Reducing Social Media (Mindful Social Media Use)
Social media algorithms are influenced by what users frequently watch and interact with. Therefore, teenagers should choose beneficial content and limit accounts that have a negative influence on them.
Following educational, creative, or positive content can makw social media a more useful place instead of only a source of pressure and comparison.
C. Developing Critical Thinking
Not everything that goes viral on social media is worth following. Sometimes, certain content may look interesting or popular but does not necessarily have a positive influence.
Therefore, teenagers need to think critically about the content they see. Before following a trend, they can ask themselves whether the trend is actually useful, safe, affordable, or simply popular for a short period of time.
D. Building Self Value Based on Real Achievement
The numbers on social media are not a complete measurement of success. Likes, followers, and views can change at any time. Real self worth can also come from healthy relationship, personal skills, honest characters, and contributions to the people around us.
Instead of always trying to impress people online, teenagers can focus on improving themselves and developing skills that are useful in real life.
Conclusion
Being a teenagers in the midle of social media and constantly changing trends can be both challenging and educational. Information comes from many directions, and trends can change very quickly. These conditions can give teenagers opportunities to be creative and successful, but they can also create pressure, anxiety, and unhealthy comparisons.
Therefore, teenagers need to have self control when using social media and following trends. Developing self-awareness and critical thinking can help them decide which trends are useful and which ones are not. It is also important to maintain a balance between online activities and real life.
Ultimately, social media is like a mirror. It can show different sides of our lives, but how it affects us depends on how we use it. By using social media wisely, teenagers can enjoy its benefits without losing their own identity.
By: Nazwa Llayla Atika Fauziyyah
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