How Social Media Steals Your Self-Worth

I won't say the name, but there is a guy out there who wakes up at 3:53 a.m.

Removes his sinus strips and mouth tape, brushes his teeth with bottled water, stretches, journals, watches motivational videos, dunks his head in ice water, rubs banana peels on his face, and exercises

All before most people hit the snooze button. ;)

A perfectly lived day made possible with a perfectly edited video (or not, considering he spends two minutes in the air during the dive).

It might look cringe to many people, and I'm not saying it's not, but he has achieved something he set out to get.

And that's 300 million eyes (or 600 million if we're talking about the eyeballs), and everyone knows there is no such thing as bad publicity.

He might sell something, and some people might buy from him, but that's not the point here.

We can tell it's fake in this case, but there are several videos where it is impossible to tell if it's fake or not.

Almost everyone experiences this and questions their potential —

The point is that while videos like these may be free to watch, they cost us something valuable.

As Justin Welsh says, we're living in the "performance economy", where showing the work has become more valuable than doing the actual work.

These creators are just showing what's working. They are afraid (or let's say they don't want) to show what went on behind the scenes to make it work.

They hide:-

• Flop product launches behind big numbers.

• Insecurities and a doomscrolling habit behind a masculine/stoic lifestyle.

• Drinking the whole night behind waking up early to attack the day.

Everyone is guilty of this, and anyone building online gets influenced by them, thinking they have to fake it too in order to make it.

Social media today is not what it was a few years ago; it was supposed to make everyone more "social."

But now it has ruined many things, including:

• Self-esteem by making people think they are behind.

• Relationships by making people think they have better options.

• Exposure to unrealistic beauty standards leads to dissatisfaction with one's own appearance.

• Self-confidence by making people think they are worse, whether in the matter of money or dating.

And watching this has affected Gen Z the most; they either scroll or hustle 8 hours a day with no in-between.

If we want to recover from this damage, we have to change a couple of things:-

Emotional Tax

Every article is highlighting the same effects of social media, like anxiety, depression, and stress, but no one talks about the hidden tax which we pay by watching something fake.

Scrolling social media isn’t harmless — it quietly taxes your mental health over time through a few sneaky psychological traps.

Our brains are wired to compare ourselves to others instantly, even before we realize it often times airbrushed, filtered, and photoshopped to portray reality.

We naturally focus more on what’s wrong with us than what’s right, and social media makes this worse.

I know some professional who spends hours scrolling through Instagram, thinking they are a failure while ignoring that they’re financially stable and providing an incredible life for their families.

But what can we do even I experience this sometimes. (I'm not saying I have achieved a million dollars, but I'm rather satisfied with the results I'm getting according to my efforts.)

But that's the thing, social media is designed to be addictive.

And it's the job of creators to show us that perfect world of theirs and pull us in so we can spend as much time in their world as possible.

Making us think that's how they spend their life, a way for them to put food on their table.

How the Damage Adds Up

1. Small Hits Add Up: Each comparison slightly lowers our self-esteem and uses up mental energy. After scrolling, our decision-making gets worse.

2. Bad Habits Get Stronger: Repeated comparisons literally rewire our brains, making it easier to feel bad without even thinking.

3. It Becomes Who We Are: Over time, we move from thinking “they have a better life” to “I’m not good enough.”

4. Emotional Burnout: Just like draining a bank account, spending emotional energy on comparisons leaves us depleted and less resilient.

It's chaotic but —

We have the power to choose

Learning from someone who has proved their worth is better than reading everyone's political hot takes at 7 am.

Going out and talking with real people is better than looking at women who are worth more than $5.99.

Everything is fake, and everyone is chasing their own goals in their own timeline.

Some achieved them in a short time, some are still working on their goals

The difference? People who have achieved their goals are taking action rather than comparing themselves to others.

Some pro tips:-

• Replace scrolling time with something sensory (like stretching, walking, or doodling).

• Curate your feed like your diet — less junk, more nutrition.

• Follow "Normal" Creators: Find people who share honest, unfiltered moments — not just highlight reels.

So take everything you see with a pinch of salt and don't doubt your potential. Everyone has the potential to achieve everything they set out to get, and everyone is running their own race.

— Khailm