Imposter Syndrome: How social media is amplifying self-esteem?
“I feel compelled to think of myself as an involuntary swindler.” - Albert Einstein in 1955
Albert Einstein, one of the most influential scientists of all time, described himself as an involuntary swindler: He believed his work did not deserve the significant attention it received. Albert was not the only one who felt this way. Many individuals also feel like they do not deserve their accomplishments, their skills are not worthy of attention, and that they are all a result of luck or a mistake. Simultaneously, they fear that others might unveil the fortunes behind their success and expose them as “frauds”, or “imposters”. This feeling of fraudulence is what we usually call the Imposter Syndrome.
Background
Psychologist Pauline Rose Clance first studied the concept of Imposter Syndrome as she noticed how many of her patients, who were high-achieving women, experienced a sense of self-doubt, believing that they did not deserve their success. Collaborating with her colleague Suzanne Imes, they studied the phenomenon, came up with the term “Imposter Syndrome” and later published “The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention” in 1978, which explores the development of the syndrome, the challenges faced by accomplished women in believing in their abilities, how the syndrome is also established across all genders, ages, and occupations, ... as well as offers solutions and strategies to help “imposters” overcome self-doubt.
Causes
While this phenomenon has multiple causes, such as family backgrounds, perfectionism, or fear of failing, I want to focus on social comparison. Social comparison involves individuals evaluating their self-worth and accomplishments by comparing them to others. We most frequently see 3 types of social comparison: Upward, Downward, and Lateral Comparison.
Among these, upward comparison is amplified due to the rapid growth of social media.
Social media is intensifying the syndrome
Social media has significantly shaped how we perceive ourselves in an era dominated by virtual connections. Scrolling through the feeds of Instagram or Facebook, netizens can easily fall into the cycle of self-comparison. Internet users usually “subscribe” or “follow” influencers and celebs whom they idolize, admire, or look up to. While this seems inspiring, sometimes the underlying effects could be detrimental.
Constant exposure to the unrealistic world of social media platforms could wrongly shape our perceptions of our self-worth and success. Most people would only share their happiest moments, their best looks, and their academic achievements,... online, thus creating a false standard of beauty, success, and happiness. As a result, seeing the best of others through their highlighted reels makes Internet users feel inadequate as they compare themselves to that standard (upward comparison) and question their achievements and success.
Imposter Syndrome in Academia & Social Media Through My Own Lens
As a high school student, I have witnessed and experienced this syndrome more on the academic aspect. While I was a confident student throughout elementary and middle school, my high school years marked a great decline in my confidence in education. One crucial factor was that I became more involved in social media during my freshman year.
During my freshman year of high school, I created my first Instagram account to stay in touch with my friends. I also followed young influencers who became famous for attending top colleges or speaking multiple languages. Eventually, they became the reason for me to believe that I was not good enough. It got worse the following school year, as I was more aware of the intense competition between students for getting their spots at their dream colleges. I was feeling so pressured to the point where I was bawling my eyes out because of the shame that I was not good enough and that all my previous achievements were “fraudulent”, although my academic performances had always been decent.
While this phenomenon has been proven to have multiple causes, such as pressure from family background, workplace, and culture, one important factor in my case was the upward comparison I was experiencing. The more I faced others’ success and achievements, the more I questioned my ability, as I was blinded by the pressure to constantly compare myself to the unreal standard I saw on social media.
Furthermore, what made it worse was the repeating pattern of seeing similar posts. The first post I saw about another student winning a math competition did no harm to me at all. However, the more attention I paid to these posts, the more similar posts started to appear on my feed as a result of social media’s algorithm, which promotes content to users based on their preferences. This repetition reinforced the belief that everyone on social media is smarter than me and that my past academic achievements were nothing compared to those of others. This scenario could be connected to what is called confirmation bias, a tendency for individuals to absorb information or beliefs that favor their existing beliefs. In my case, the belief that “I am not good enough” is reinforced through confirmation bias the more I am active on social media, thus a false standard of success and achievement is gradually formed in my unconscious.
Combating the Imposter Syndrome
While there are multiple ways to combat the syndrome, here are some methods I have tried that worked for me.
- Realize that what you see on social media isn’t real.
Social media algorithms are powerful in that they can change a person’s perception of reality. Simply explained, social media algorithms are the backbone of all social networks, sorting out and providing users with content that reflects their interests and beliefs. As a user’s feed is personalized, an “echo chamber” is created, which is a reality filled with ideas and beliefs that intensify his/her own. Linking to my point, the reality we see on our feeds on social media is not accurate, and so are the standards of beauty, success, and happiness that are often portrayed. Therefore, understanding that it is unreasonable to compare ourselves with what we see on social media or even taking a break from social media could be a great step forward in combating the imposter syndrome.
- You are not the only imposter
A related phenomenon which is worth mentioning is the pluralistic ignorance, in which individuals feel like everyone else around them hold a different opinion from their own. This could happen with a person who believes that everyone else in the community is more educated than him/her, or even that he/she is the only imposter in his/her peer group. However, this belief is usually mistaken. Realize that people are not born smart. The people we see with achievements and successes already paid their price in forms of hard work, determination, pressure, dedication... Therefore, recognizing how other successful individuals have faced moments of self-doubt or even the imposter syndrome could be a powerful reminder for anyone suffering from the syndrome to be more optimistic on their process of growing and improving.
In conclusion,
the imposter syndrome is a common phenomenon that affects individuals across different backgrounds, such as ages, occupations, or sex. The imposter syndrome may negatively impact an individual’s perception of success and self-worth, particularly through upward social comparison. However, it is now amplified and becoming more common due to the prevalence of social media. The purpose of this article is not to prove how social media is bad for users, but rather to raise awareness of the importance of the way we, users, approach social media in order not to fall into the trap of distorted perception of success, accomplishments, and self-worth as well as unrealistic comparisons. Remember, you are not alone, your accomplishments are valid, and you are worth it.
References
"What is imposter syndrome and how can you combat it?" TED-Ed, uploaded by
Elizabeth Cox, 2018, www.youtube.com/embed/ZQUxL4Jm1Lo.
Cherry, Kendra. "Social Comparison Theory in Psychology." Very Well Mind, 13
Oct. 2022, www.verywellmind.com/
what-is-the-social-comparison-process-2795872.
The Decision Lab. thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/organizational-behavior/
impostor-syndrome.