Social Perfection. A generation so influenced by social media and affirmation it can be crippling.

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1 Social Perfection A generation so influenced by social media and affirmation it can be crippling.

2 Social Perfection Fun, optimism And anxiousness We ve seen that millennials lead lives in which adulthood doesn t come quickly so they live in an alternative lifestage called Odyssey. In part, Odyssey is very enjoyable because it has fewer responsibilities meaning they are free to pursue experiences. Pressure of perfect (Millennial Rules) Social media can make me feel like I m underachieving Of course, Odyssey would be more enjoyable if they knew when the achievements that form full adulthood were sure to arrive financial independence, property and family. To the younger millennials, these things seem less certain, so Odyssey can be both a fun time of life (like every generation when they were young, are more optimistic than older people) but also an anxious time of life (they are more likely to demonstrate clinical anxiety than previous generations did at their age 19 ). Pressure of perfect 41% 43% 39% 34% 19% Adding to that anxiety is the pressure to be perfect. I think the biggest pressure on our society today is to seek perfection. It is all driving us a bit nuts because it makes us feel inadequate and social media has put a lot of pressure on this (Older Millennial) Young people have always felt insecure about how others see them but in the millennial story, it would be impossible to untangle social media from the pressure to be perfect. 34% of millennials say social media forces them to be vainer, according to Adjust Your Set 20. Our research showed the extent to which social media makes older millennials in particular spend to keep up with the Joneses. Social media and spending (Millennial Rules) Social media makes me spend money because I see things I d like to do or buy Many millennials admit that social media is a source of such pressure. 25% 21% 29% 22% 14% 19 American Psychological Association and Harris Interactive, Adjust Your Set, millennials research 2015

3 Social media makes me spend money to keep up with others or look good 26% 23% 29% 23% 12% There is definitely pressure on me and my generation to look a certain way on social media. I won t just post a photo on Facebook or Instagram without thinking I am going to be judged for it (Younger Millennial) Social media not only triggers insecurity about looks but also the fear of not getting on in life too. With everything we see on social media this can make us feel overwhelmed. We see constant achievements or people the same age so much further ahead in life. Seeing all this on social media sometimes can make you question yourself and doubt what you have achieved (Older Millennial). Any given moment could turn into a photo shoot. They are on a quest for physical perfection. Today s twentysomethings are three times more likely to go to the gym than their counterparts were 30 years ago, according to Holland and Barrett 21. The use of protein shakes is high, exercise is personalised (meeting personal physical goals rather than being team sport focused) and lifestyles don t allow for anything that might cause physical damage so smoking, drinking and drug use is declining amongst the young. Yet all this work isn t creating more overall confidence. Rather, the bar is simply set much higher. According to Holland and Barrett, only 3% of the younger generation feel extremely confident about their body shape, whereas more than 11% of those aged over 50 said they felt secure about their appearance when they were in their 20s. Finding perspective Older millennials have started to grow in self-confidence and put the importance of social media into perspective. When I was younger I would say I was more susceptible to social media but now I am older and more experienced I am able to see the positives in my life and hold them in higher regard (Older Millennial). On Instagram and Facebook people only really post when they are doing interesting or exciting things. You can get a misguided impression that they are somehow more interesting than you (Older Millennial). Whilst I use Facebook, I do struggle with reading people s declarations of their perfect lives whilst I m sitting at home in my pyjamas. I rarely post now and that makes me feel a lot more secure in myself (Older Millennial). Millennials live lives that only yesterday s celebrities would have recognised always in front of a lens, always having to make what they are doing seem cool. 21 Holland and Barrett research 2015

4 They still take a lot of pleasure in social media and buy into the desire to show an idealised version of their life. Social media is a guilty pleasure. Of course there s pressure. I feel the pressure of it to show how brilliant my holiday is (Older Millennial) But they see other uses for social media. Initiative reported that the older millennials are less likely to use social media as Social Me (self focussed with emphasis on marketing themselves and boosting their profile) and more likely to see it as Social We (a support network linking like-minded people and old friends) 22. The entrepreneurs see social media as a springboard from which they can launch their businesses. Crucially they can use it for free, be creative and make their own story part of their business. Social media gives you the freedom to make money for yourself and that s what s amazing about social media if you want to start a business or promote anything you can do it without paying someone to do it for you. But from a social sense, I find it so stressful, same old thing, everyone trying to portray their perfect lives. But there is so much opportunity on an entrepreneurial level and that s why I think it s a good thing on balance (Older Millennial). And here s what some of the students we met at Bournemouth University said; I would definitely say I m a different person on social media you try to be the perfect you! You only post the pictures in which you feel you look your best on to Facebook and Instagram. You are seeking social acceptance and appreciation (Younger Millennial) Many people feel pressured to keep up a positive image on social media, normally an image that suggest they re succeeding in life and this is depicted by things such as materialistic items, beauty and exotic holidays etc. If you re not seen this way, people feel they re seen as a failure (Younger Millennial). On Instagram I am a reputation-conscious monster, desperate to portray a persona of coolness and attractiveness to those who don t know me in person (Younger Millennial). Immersed in the pleasure and pain The younger millennials we met were thoroughly bought in, immersed in both the pleasure and pain of social media. A millennial who is also a teacher told us; You ve got girls taking selfies when I m trying to teach or videoing me and putting it on Facebook. I thought I was tech savvy but I m not. They know so much more than I do. They try and charge their phones in the classroom saying oh no I ve only got 20% battery and I still need to get home. Their whole lives revolve around their phones (Older Millennial). 22 Initiative, Debunking the Millennial Myth, 2014

5 Peer affirmation The Importance of likes (Millennial Rules) I ve become a little obsessed with getting likes and shares on social media 29% 28% 29% They have adopted tactics to maximise their chances of getting a like. We heard about Prime-Insta Time from a student who times her use of Instagram to match the maximum number of eyeballs that will see it. We also heard about the role of purchases in the pursuit of likes. I have one friend who has to put a picture on Instagram most days and if she goes shopping the first thing she does is take a photo with the new clothing she has bought (Younger Millennial). Many Instagram users have bought things based on the rep and number of likes they will receive and I am no exception (Younger Millennial). 20% 11% Likes on social media are important to this group. Instagram is a young person s medium, where likes are as valuable as money and maintaining an attractive profile means everything! (Younger Millennial). Social media is self-promotion. It is gratifying when your post gets lots of likes or retweets (Younger Millennial). I know some people who have posted a photo and not had enough likes and have then deleted it. They think if people don t like you online then they don t like you at all (Younger Millennial). On balance, they would rather be liked in person (girls said they would rather someone in a club said they really liked their dress than just get a like on social media) but a social media like can theoretically happen anytime, not just when out and dressed up. This group is ever likely to be in front of a lens and ever likely to be critically appraised. There are very few hiding places. The role of friends No wonder then that millennials are said to be in constant search of affirmation. Friends play an important role and their advice can be sought on potential purchases even when they re not in the shop to see for themselves. We met millennials who said all shops should have Wi-Fi so they can send pictures of potential purchases to their friends and receive their instant answers. But it is also important to remember the role of competition in their lives. They are competing with the very people they are seeking affirmation and likes from. The more competitive amongst them were posting pictures of purchases already made. They were not asking for advice on purchases to be made. It is an important distinction because it says here s what I ve done and shows they ve taken another step. One more step forward in the competition one more step towards perfection.

6 The proportion posting pictures on social media of what they ve just bought outnumber the proportion posting images of something they want to buy asking for affirmation (Millennial Rules) Based on those who use social media Shared a picture of an item you re thinking of buying to see what people think about it Once I have bought a product I show it to my friends or they notice something new. It s a status thing always wanting the next best thing (Younger Millennial) 20% 18% 22% 20% 11% Shared a picture of something you ve just bought 27% 24% 30% 29% 16%