Media: the various means of communication that transfer conversation between people, including print, broadcast and digital media. With a constantly evolving and digitalized world, the public increasingly garners their information on politics, the environment, trends and other bright ideas from online sources — specifically social media. From gaining business attention and engaging with consumers to sharing bits and pieces of an individual’s proudest moments, posting on social media represents one of the immediate responses to any typical action in life, particularly due to physiological needs triggered by social media. In particular, media applications target adolescents who easily become susceptible to the media’s magnetizing influence. As individuals, from children to young adults, learn to navigate this online turmoil, they must adapt to social media’s whirlwind of addictive attention and flattery.
Scientifically, reactions stemming from social media trigger numerous reactions in the brain, stimulating further motivations to share glimpses of life online. In further detail, incentives for posting on social media originate from creating a presence online and feeling connected to a community or group. However, a separate motivation for social media use raises major concerns today: validation and attention. While various social media users focus on curating the perfect or prettiest Instagram profile to amass attention and reassurance, a deeper problem lies behind the seemingly harmless affirmations.
“I think that people sought validation before social media was a thing. I think there are certain aspects of human nature where we look to other people a lot of times for approval, for connection, for a sense of who we are; especially, I would say, adolescence does that. So I think for me, social media kind of just gives us tools to do something that we’ve always done, which is to connect with other people, try things out, see how they land and kind of be social and be in conversation with each other,” University of Massachusetts, Amherst Communications professor and author Erica Scharrer said.
Notably seen in the reactions to the recent TikTok ban trials that took place throughout January 2025, a large portion of media arose involving exposed lies, from social media fans and creators themselves. After the work-up of the TikTok ban and the letdown of results — a temporary ban that resulted in the app being available for everyone — influencers on the app exposed their past lies out of guilt in fear of the app’s permanent exit, only to face their fans with repercussions the next day. This situation alone showed falsity within the world of social media and put into perspective the amount of popular media that exists as the truth.
Additionally, social media approval strays from simply posting based on the application of beauty standards and what the public sees as “acceptable.” This focus on appearance includes the dominance of trends throughout social media: makeup, clothing, actions, styles and other similar ideas. However, because trends inevitably and constantly change, the beloved stamp of approval oftentimes ends up chasing one’s tail. For individuals active online, it feels as though when finally mastering the current trend, the newest fad has already taken over the media, creating another loop of trend-chasing and unsatisfied users.
Individuals tend to turn to social media when contemplating their self-worth, especially younger teens susceptible to the digital age. Posts that perform well online can contribute to a sort of confidence boost or recognition that results in a sense of belonging against the largely communicative online world, as well as monetary appreciation.
“Validation can also be not just about kind of who we are, but what we look like. The response that we get in terms of how people react to the content that we put out there about ourselves… The likes and positive comments can be very affirming, but they can also be very diminishing to your happiness, your self-esteem and your sense of self. We spend our hours and our minutes scrolling through other people’s content and a lot of times, that can trigger negative responses if we’re comparing ourselves to whatever we see, either in terms of our looks or our bodies, or people having fun without us. And this is the worst if it’s actually people in your social circle and you know that they’re doing something and you’re not included. All of this is amplified in the age of social media. People have felt included, excluded, good, bad about themselves since time began; the difference with the social media era is that there’s no escaping it,” Scharrer said.
With the rising and transforming trends that tend to take over media in swarmed phases, online personalities among both influencers and generic media users alike can shift. Because specific trends can help individuals gain attention, influencers will avoid a plethora of their views and personalities to conform to opinions and attractions that gain popularity. Desirable fame, however, can cause myriad problems as it erases true character and beliefs, causing conformity to trends and ideas surfacing online.
Additionally, beauty standards and aesthetic comparison stand as major incentives for uploading pictures onto social media, specifically in the area of adolescent women. The concept of likes, shares, comments and other interactions with online posts remains the sole validation that can easily and heavily impact mental health and social interaction. While these miniature buttons may appear as a minor part of social media function, numerous people take the notifications seriously, as praise and acceptance.
These interactions further create a falsity in online presence in contrast with reality, even developing into a hypnotizing process to live up to beauty standards that often resemble fake or edited photos. This faux grasp on reality launches millions of social media users into emotional states of feeling unworthy or not up to standard with the quick pace of society.
The rise of influencer culture — from TikTok stars to music producers — also plays a weighty role in creating online standards in the first place. Viewers tend to see influencers on social media as the standard, leaving space for replication and trend-building that can lead to harmful headspaces and even a lack of creativity. The use of modern media allows for overnight sensations and viral videos that can instantly change a figure’s life. Leading to either short-lived fame or long-term celebrities based on the amount of effort to keep and maintain the circulating attention, influencer culture becomes completely impacted by surfacing trends and online creativity. However, posting online can also include positively sharing love and allowing creators various outlets.
“I post my music on different platforms online and have a lot of experience with it. I think social media validation can be a good thing, though, because right now as a high school student I don’t have very many opportunities to go out and share my music because of my schedule, and social media is a very accessible outlet to show my guitar music and hobbies I love to do. But it can be kind of toxic in the community of other guitar players. Some are supportive, but others are very critical for no reason, but for the most part, it’s pretty supportive,” senior Evan Fernandez said.
Unfortunately, the ease in creating a platform for internet influencers can result in giving attention to the wrong people, resulting in negative circulating media as well as harmful popularity. As brands endorse new and upcoming influencers with brand deals and PR packages, they can create a savior complex within non-worthy people. Additionally, these complexes result in attention-seeking behavior, further pushing outward false news and information for attention and views’ sake. In further detail, certain users will create false facts regarding current events, incite faux scenarios or start unnecessary drama between other people to garner views and clicks on their pages. Also commonly referred to as clickbait, these lies and negativity result from the craving for validation.
Media approval also circulates throughout business and politics online. Numerous corporations use social media as a way to gain their audiences, especially targeting younger generations. This allurement creates a need for organizations to feel validation because their audiences can propel their business into motion, as well as bring attention, whether in sales or redefining the public’s attitude. These businesses will tend to post online as a way to measure public opinion, gathering information on what consumers and viewers like to see.
“I think that social media managers have now become the new arm of advertising for companies because they’re using the comment sections, not even just on their own pages, but in other people’s pages — as a way to draw attention to their own accounts, but also it it’s a way to bring positive attention to the brand, bring humor, it makes people think about their brand in a new way. They’re marketing themselves towards a certain audience that will engage in that type of humor, in that type of social media consumption and it works in that type of advertising,” advanced placement (AP) Microeconomics teacher Tara Sisino said.
Because the idea of media approval stretches across all sorts of topics — politics, business, fashion and others — it can become nearly impossible for one to not fall victim to posting based on approval. Thankfully, becoming educated on the never-ending dilemma of obsessive media attention can prevent the dangerous rabbit-hole it sucks users into.
Social media validation tends to reside on the short-term side, pushing media literacy to become a current issue that, with work, internet users can improve on. Similarly, media dependency can also change as users become attentive to media, not knowing what sources provide false information and which sites stand as trustworthy, leading audiences to see what posts gain attention, no matter the truth. Relating back to media validation, unethical users will produce any sort of posts, no matter if the content exaggerates or falsifies information, simply for attention in the format of shares, likes, reposts and comments.
“We manage it all with trusted relationships in our lives. Parents and caregivers who care about us, friends who we can count on, and having authentic trust-based relationships is how we manage it. If we’re feeling diminished, left out, or insecure or like we don’t measure up from comparing ourselves to what we see through our social media channels, then we remind ourselves of the people around us and how they love us for who we are. It sounds cheesy, but it’s really true that at the end of the day, I think that’s how we protect ourselves,” Scharrer said.
As overall news and communication transfer to the online world, individuals must control the urges to online addiction and acceptance. Focusing on only using media for specific tasks, such as sharing memories and keeping up with online mutuals, rather than for validation and people-pleasing, stands as a simple solution to the jarring world of social media use. Knowing personal limits regarding online activity can help individuals control obsessive behavior over social media posting while simultaneously correcting false habits and behaviors regarding technological advancements. As the world continues to find its place on the Internet, individuals must also find a safe headspace, prioritizing health and enjoyment over attention.
