Social Networking: Growing Pressure on Singapore’s Youths during Pandemic

MOVIDA KATRIZIA, MARK IGNATIUS FERNANDEZ and JANA ANTONIA NG explore the impact of using social networking platforms on youths.

A teenage girl feeling the pressure to social network at home during Singapore’s heightened COVID-19 measures. PHOTO: JANA ANTONIA NG

The pressure of social networking has a substantial impact on the mental health of youths nowadays. Singapore youths like Hinata Raza feel the need to be available on social media sites 24/7 and respond to text messages or posts immediately.

Especially in this time of pandemic, the heightened restrictions put in place by the Singapore government drove many to stay home to control the spread of the virus. This led to many Singaporeans relying more on social media platforms to keep them occupied during this period of uncertainty.

According to a survey conducted by News Z among Singaporean youths, 68 per cent of the 50 respondents felt pressured to social network. PHOTO: MARK IGNATIUS FERNANDEZ

The prolonged usage of social media comes with many societal pressures, particularly on the youths.

Hinata Raza, a 17-year-old polytechnic student, one of the survey respondents, says that she would feel like she’s “comparing [herself] to [others on social media]” based on whatever they post.

“[Before COVID-19,] I would have the leverage to hang out with friends,” she continues. “[But now,] most of my life consists of scrolling through social media… which makes me feel more insecure as I would constantly look at what everyone else is doing and ask myself if I’m doing enough.”

Hinata Raza browses through Instagram for updates. PHOTO: HINATA RAZA

Mr Chong Ee Jay, a therapist at FamChamps, says, “[They] get drawn into… social media narratives, and [they] start believing in those perceptions, and start comparing and despairing [their] own lives.”

The social phenomenon, ‘Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)’, is also often experienced by youths, increasingly so during the pandemic.

Mr Donavan Teo, a counsellor at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, says, “Anyone who doesn't have a phone nowadays will be like, ‘What are you, a dinosaur?’… facing that risk of being left behind again [and] not having that information.”

According to an article by ImPossible Psychological Services, one of the signs of FOMO becoming a problem is social comparison, where youths pit their experiences and progression against their peers.

Hinata explains that teenagers in Singapore “want to keep up to date so that [they] won’t feel left out [of the loop]”.

“In the early stages of the lockdown I would see people sending food deliveries to each other and felt kind of pressured to send my friends deliveries too… hoping I would receive something from them as well.”

Mr Chong encouraged youths who feel pressured to social network to “disconnect from the place that is affecting [them] the most”.

Mr Teo also says, “People around can support as well [but] the individual needs to want it for themselves”, highlighting how one has to be open to receive help from others to cope with the pressure.

“After all, it takes two hands to clap,” he adds.

Hinata has taken a similar action to combat her feelings of pressure towards social networking by deactivating her Instagram account for eight months last year to help her focus on her O-level examinations.

She says, “I didn't want to see what everyone else was doing and I just wanted to focus on my own life.”

On the flip side, Mr Chong mentions that while social media does have a fair share of disadvantages, it also has its perks. He says, “You broaden your perspective of learning by hearing from people, not just from your classroom, from your social circle of friends, but all around the world.”

Additionally, with the various Covid restrictions constantly coming in and out of play, Mr Teo also shares that these online platforms have enabled us to maintain relationships. “Technology has definitely helped us a lot to stay in touch, even though it's hard,” he says.

In regards to social media, Mr Chong says, “I would say it's part of life [and] it's almost default. For all of us, like you and I, we connected on social networking through both the real network as well as right now.”

He also adds, “In years to come, there’s bound to be more upcoming and new social media platforms, which will indefinitely replace one another and continue to create pressure around social networking.”