Reasons Why People Fake on Social Media (Essay Sample)

Reasons Why People Fake on Social Media
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Number and Name
Instructor’s Name
Due Date
Reasons Why People Fake on Social Media
The number of social media users has increased from thousands to billions in the past two decades following the global development and advancement of multiple platforms. While these sites have proved efficient and effective in sharing information, they have also resulted in an increasing tendency of people to fake their lives. Social media has created convenient models of curating people’s lives to portray positivity and progress. Today, users are more likely to post news or information that depicts them as happy and thriving than anything that would show negativity. In consequence, their friends and followers may have a false impression, leaving them more driven to try to attain fake lifestyles. People try to lead fake lives on social media due to societal pressure and competitiveness for popularity.
Principally, the pressure to fit in society motivates people to portray bogus lives on social media. Schroeder & Cavanaugh (2018, p. 33) find that “individuals can indeed manipulate Facebook profiles to present themselves in a specific way”. The tendency is common when the user’s actual lifestyle is considerably lower than the expectations of others, such as friends and family members. For instance, people who cannot afford a glamorous and happy life are more likely to fake it on social media because of increased anonymity (Lieberman & Schroeder, 2020). Also, leading unreal lives on social media is associated with competitiveness, given that “faking is not a skill for which every applicant is equally proficient” (Schroeder & Cavanaugh, 2018, p. 30). Therefore, users who seek popularity are driven to control how others perceive them.
In brief, people fake their lives on social media because of social pressure and the desire to become popular. Social media sites provide virtual