Online likes and validation: Gen Z's defense of mental health
Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Social media, particularly Instagram, has become integral to Gen Z's identity building and social validation, according to research.
- Positive online feedback like likes and comments can boost confidence and encourage content creation, leading to a sense of euphoria.
- However, a decline in engagement can result in disappointment and self-doubt, highlighting the potential mental health impact of online validation.
For many Gen Z individuals, social media platforms like Instagram are no longer just for sharing photos or connecting with friends; they are crucial spaces for constructing personal identity and seeking social recognition. Research highlights how users leverage these platforms to showcase achievements and gain validation from their online communities.
For them, Instagram is not only a medium for entertainment and information seeking, but also a medium for building personal branding, expressing themselves, showing interests and abilities, and expanding social relations.
Through features like likes, comments, and follower counts, users receive immediate feedback on their shared activities. This positive reinforcement, as observed in a study of six Gen Z individuals, can create a profound sense of happiness, validation, and increased self-esteem. The researchers noted that this positive response can even fuel a desire to create more content, leading to an intense feeling of euphoria.
The feeling of being recognized, valued, and noticed by many people at once makes them feel an indescribable joy.
However, this pursuit of online affirmation can also lead to significant emotional distress. When engagement levels drop or feedback fails to meet expectations, individuals may experience disappointment, self-doubt, and question the quality of their content. This pattern suggests a fragile reliance on external validation, where a dip in likes or comments can trigger negative self-perception and anxiety.
This euphoria is a feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness, an increase in pleasure that is desired to fulfill a person's essential biological needs.
The study by Safitri and Indra (2026) indicates that while positive online interactions can be uplifting, the subsequent decline in such engagement can be detrimental to mental well-being. This dynamic underscores the complex relationship between social media use, identity formation, and the psychological impact of seeking and receiving online validation.
The remaining feeling is disappointment, self-doubt, even a push to re-evaluate whether the uploaded content is truly 'good enough'.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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