The Pressure to Be Seen
May 6, 2026 | By Andres V.
Perhaps you've found yourself doomscrolling on LinkedIn, shoulders strained, seeing achievement after achievement, internship after internship, sometimes from people your own age—maybe even younger. It's easy to start believing that attending a top college is essential for a successful life, or that constantly posting about your awards, extracurriculars, and milestones is the bare minimum.
And yet, even when you are doing all of that, it still feels like it's not enough.
There's an unspoken pressure to perform, compete, and be seen at all times. At the start of my senior year of high school, I called this feeling "performative angst syndrome." But call it whatever you want; most of us experience it at some point, and social media platforms, like LinkedIn, only intensify it.
Not everything needs to be televised
You can do what you love doing even when no one's watching—and in turn, develop an intrinsic motivation that doesn't rely on others' approval. Progress doesn’t always need to be validated and seen. It keeps your work to your own standards and not others. In a way, we're not that different from photons: just as particles behave differently when observed, so do we. Constant observation can warp and distort who we are and why we do what we're doing.
Ground yourself
For most of high school, I felt like I was moving from one epiphany to another. It took time, a lot of time, to genuinely feel proud of what I was doing, independently and free from external validation.
What finally grounded me was understanding this:
Every person is living a completely different life.
We've all faced different hardships and come from different backgrounds.
Once I quietly stopped sharing every achievement, something shifted: a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I stopped measuring myself against others and, surprisingly, began feeling real happiness and celebration for myself and the people around me.
Living without an audience
Sharing your accolades online isn't inherently bad (you should be proud of what you have done!), but to share is to be vulnerable. Not everyone will always want you to have what you have, and you don't need to prove to anyone that you deserve it.
I still occasionally check in on my high school friends on Instagram, LinkedIn, and other social media apps. When I see that someone has started a new program or landed an amazing internship, I don't feel envy the way I once did. Instead, I feel contentment. I feel joy in their success, no longer in competition with it.
Live to live, without an audience.
About the author
Andres (he/him), Andy for short, is a well-being advocate from El Paso, Texas. He is passionate about creating spaces for people to be seen and supported, inspired by his lived experience. He believes in storytelling and collective action can lead to meaningful change. In his free time, he enjoys walking his chihuahua, Peanut, video editing, and spending time with his friends.
Additional Tools and Insights 📚
GoodforMEdia’s Guide to Social Comparison: Explore why we engage in social comparison and learn strategies for combatting comparison related to appearance, FOMO (fear of missing out), achievement, and social media metrics.
GoodforMEdia 10 Tips for Taking Care of Your Mental Health in a Digital World: Discover tips for redefining your relationship with the media and finding ways to protect your wellbeing while staying connected.
GoodforMEdia Guides and Tools: Explore additional resources created by youth to help their peers and adult allies navigate the positive and negative aspects of social media.
Share Your Perspective 💬
Have tips, stories, or strategies for healthy social media use? Submit a testimonial to share your perspective and help others navigate online spaces. Learn more and share.