As someone deeply fascinated by human psychology, I’ve often noticed the immense pressure we students (myself included), put on ourselves to excel in every facet of our lives, especially academics. Although pedestalized globally, academic excellence is a different ball-game in Indian families. There’s always an unsaid promise that you’ll have to do better, anything below an A is absolutely unacceptable. And let’s not just blame the parents. Even when no one overtly pressures us, we are begrudgingly but voluntarily running a race against everyone, believing through it all that the only way to live a happy life is to get a ‘good job’ and the only way to do that is to get the best grades. Learning becomes secondary, and taking a break does not seem like an option at all. I’ve seen many friends cram hours after hours on a daily basis, burn the midnight lamp multiple nights in a row, sacrifice other aspects of their lives, and be the best student, with a streak of straight As. I’ve seen them hanging on by a thread only to ask themselves at the end of it all- Am I doing enough?

Academic discontent; the feeling of inadequacy and dissatisfaction in your academic life, even after putting in considerable effort, is all too common today. Several factors contribute to this phenomenon, including unrealistic expectations, intense competition, constant and lopsided comparisons with peers. And on top of all that, there is social media, which heightens these anxieties further.

This is not a rodomontade against prioritising academic excellence. Knowledge and education are indeed critical, but how do we deal with our near-obsession with academic achievement to the exclusion of every other area of our lives? How do we keep calm when every visit to social media becomes depressing and when do we know that we really are doing enough?

Social Media and Academic Discontent

Social media is like a black hole. Once you enter it, no one can predict when you will escape. We know that comparison is the thief of joy, and comparisons have existed since forever, but they’ve never been as omnipresent and in your face as they are now. Social media has a flair for distorting this emotion to bring out its worst form. It is a covert battlefield of competing egos; a breeding ground for social comparison, competition and even academic discontent. The competition isn't just in the classroom anymore; it's online, 24/7, and there's no escape. We are bombarded with posts on LinkedIn and Instagram showcasing our peers' achievements, whether it's acing exams, securing prestigious internships, or getting accepted into top universities. Every promotion, every victory is given due prominence. Although most of us are or try to be happy seeing our peers succeed, there’s also a lingering feeling of inadequacy, a tinge of doubt and an ask for validation for ourselves that we are also doing good. It’s human to compare yourself to others, sometimes it helps to place yourself. But, in my opinion, the biggest reason for an inflated sense of academic discontent is this social media-fuelled incorrect comparison. We compare someone’s best version with our worst, we compare the outside view of someone’s life with our inside, broken view and we compare the lies of someone else’s life with our deepest insecurities, which is not fair.

It’s important to bear in mind that the successes you see online, even if for a moment we consider them to be true, are just a tiny highlight of someone’s life and are a culmination of someone’s struggle, hard work and opportunities. You don’t know that person’s story: their strengths and weaknesses, their failures amid the successes, their priorities, what they’ve sacrificed to reach wherever they have, their connections. All you see is one tiny fraction of it, and you let that tiny fraction determine the worth of your entire academic trajectory. We often forget that what we see on social media is just the surface. And, on the off chance that we calm ourselves down, people around us make us feel low based on someone else’s social media’s version of success.

The only person you’re not being fair to in this situation is yourself. The constant comparisons and high expectations will perpetuate a sense of never being good enough within you, which only further skews your perception of your own achievements and worth (academic or otherwise), deepening negative feelings of inadequacy and frustration. Sure, analyse and gauge if you’re giving your 100% to your endeavours, and don’t be academically complacent. But let the barometer be your own time-dedication and focus on your endeavours, not someone else’s smiling pictures while holding a medal in their internationally ranked university. Their achievements do not make you any less.

Social media not only showcases carefully curated versions of people's lives but also provides a veil of protection. There are things, someone can type easily, that you wouldn’t dare say to someone’s face. This pseudo-anonymity allows people to express themselves freely, often without facing any immediate repercussions. So it not only makes someone else look perpetually more intelligent or better than you but it can very actively also make you feel like a failure. If someone is already grappling with low self-esteem and academic pressures, these negative comments can be particularly hurtful. Can someone whose mind is preoccupied with these feelings and thoughts concentrate on their academics? It would just negatively affect their academic performance and amplify the feelings of academic discontent. Now club this with the fact that many young adults lack the emotional maturity to handle the negative feelings that arise from social media interactions. The envy and dissatisfaction from seeing others' achievements, combined with the sting of negative comments, can lead to an overwhelming cocktail of negative emotions.