Virality: Pressure to trend affecting mental health, killing Nigerian youths

In this feature, Eniola Shobiye highlights the increasing pressure on Nigerian youths to trend. Whether it is to be famous for dancing to viral songs or comedic skits, or showing off their bodies and aspiring lifestyles on social media, Nigeria’s youths are joining the global bandwagon to be seen and heard, at any cost. With expert insights from Dr Isaac Ijidale and personal experiences from various youths, it uncovers the repercussions that come with such pressure and the price for virality in present day.

With the increasing penetration of the internet and social media in Nigeria, most youths have found solace in online engagements which to a large extent dictate their lifestyle. As communication is vital for everyday life, that space of the media largely aids it.

From Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, X (formerly Twitter) to Tiktok, these platforms have, in their own ways, redefined what it means to not only communicate, but show one’s presence, status and relevance. It’s no longer enough to just communicate, one must trend.

And so today, there’s a silent pressure bubbling beneath every filtered photo, witty caption, and skit. The pressure to matter online is always fueling, never quenching. To this end, it has become like a plague that confronts many youths, especially those navigating school, unemployment, or creative dreams. Social media is more than an outlet. It’s an unofficial resume, and the employer is a mix of viewers from all around the world, and other times, social media is a full-blown identity.

Culture of online relevance

Kehinde Olaniyan, a 20-year-old content creator and skin care vendor, captures the sentiment perfectly. “If I’m not online, I feel like I don’t exist,” she says. “Sometimes, I don’t even like what I post. I just know if I stay quiet too long, people might just forget me, and my business would go nowhere eventually.”

Social media has gone ahead to be more than a shared space for community and interactions, there is a constant chase to stay present and relevant online. “More often than not, I post things I don’t even agree with, I jump on trending issues and give my take regardless of the repercussions, because I know it’ll draw some attention to my X handle,” confesses David, an X user with over seven thousand followers. “It’s not about truth, it’s about traction.”

David’s confession holds that there is a growing culture to maintain one’s presence online regardless of the content that’s pushed out. This pattern has become an unconventional practice many youths now subject themselves to.

Why trending feels like winning

For many young people today, visibility is on the same wavelength as value. If you’re known, you feel important. Even if it is just for a moment, to trend is to matter. Thus, trending offers a fast track version to being successful.

The internet feels like the only place you can be somebody and make a name for yourself without permission and little restrictions. The only validation one would then need is the validation of other internet users.

“Making a name for myself in an industry such modelling is almost unachievable without social media. I want to trend so bad so that brands can notice me,” says Anne Babatunde, a 23-year-old model from Abuja.

“I can put up with any visibility as long as I am visible, bad PR is better than no PR at all.” Omotayo Olatunde, a skit maker shared.

The catch? For many, negative visibility is just as good as any form of visibility. Trending is also tied to validation. It feels like approval, every comment feels like applause. According to some respondents, it’s proof that one exists and holds value in someone else’s world. This sets trending high as a form of emotional survival.

“I felt on top of the world when I got my first thousand likes on X. I called my friends and shared the tweet with them,” Oni Boluwatife, an X user recalls.

There is also the fear of missing out and fear of being left behind. Being seen online doing well feels like success, and not showing it online feels like failure. So, there’s the pressure to put one’s self out there to par with others and sometimes stir drama.

“If everyone around you seems to be going viral and gaining followers, wouldn’t you want to do the same? I do what I have to feel better about myself.” Boluwatife says.

The burnout beyond the buzz

The pressure to trend has turned many young people into part-time performers. In their rooms, homes or even public spaces, it is now commonplace to see them rehearsing, organising posts and adjusting themselves to fit into any current trend. The endless hashtags are testament to it. What used to be fun has morphed into survival. However, the big break many young people hope to have on social media doesn’t always come on time, and the repercussions are not usually favourable.

Esther Bamishaye, a self-taught 25-year-old makeup artist who once ran a lifestyle Tiktok account, described her decision to log off social media completely. “I tried to make vlogs daily for my followers, but the mental and physical effort I put behind always recording, editing and posting is almost never enough for the likes and engagement I get when all is said and done.”

“I didn’t even realise how much my mood and happiness were based off the likes I got on a post until I caught myself reaching for my phone first thing in the morning. That was when I knew I was in trouble.” She stressed.

Yes, the real labour lies behind the reels and retweets. For Ayomide, a 20-year-old content creator from Lagos, chasing visibility comes at a cost. “It’s like the app rewards chaos and silly,” she explained. “It is a fact now that the more controversial or ridiculous your post, the more it blows,” she added.

“It really can be exhausting and demoralising. It’s so bad that I go several times a day going through my page hoping for more engagement on my most recent posts,” she said.

For Priscilla Oyeyemi, 21, the pressure is not just personal, it’s professional.

“I see my peers flying to Dubai, living the soft life like their fathers own oil reservoirs,” she said. She admitted that sometimes, she felt inadequate just scrolling through her feed. “I’m just here trying to finish school with a sane mind, but it’s almost impossible not to stay away.”

“Not only does this pressure spark up comparison amongst users, but addiction slowly seeps in without warning.” Dr Olusoji Ijidale, a mental health specialist noted.

Priscilla shared that regardless of the fact that she’s unhappy with most of the content displayed on her Instagram feed, she still engages with them.  A 2020 study conducted amongst undergraduates in Calabar revealed that about 20 per cent showed signs of moderate-to-severe internet addiction, with 33 per cent also reporting psychological distress linked to social media use.

“This behavioural addiction is a combination of two psychological phenomena of Upward Social Comparison which sees you comparing yourself to people you would perceive as better off, and Doom Scrolling which sees you relentlessly engaging with their content at the expense of your mental health. We often forget that on social media, what we see is often filtered, curated, or worse, simply exaggerated success. So, we end up getting the opposite of motivation”, Olusoji stressed.

The reality behind the loudest trends

Among many popular people online, there are only handfuls that make it based on their craft, career or mere celebrity status. Therein lies the tragedy. Social media more often than not rewards noise, not necessarily value. The louder you are, the more attention you get. However, there are only so many that can keep up with the demands that it presents.

“At this point, I am what you would call niche-less. I do anything and everything on my account, as long as it causes traction, I’ll be fine.” Bamidele Folorunsho, a food photographer turned content creator who shares his work online explained. “I found it so depressing that I put in so much work only to get little to no recognition for my works.”

His story isn’t rare. The fear of fading away into digital obscurity is real. It is a silent effect that comes with the always-on culture. Thus, there is a force that pushes one to do anything and everything.

“When I had my first troll on X, I was elated. It was the bad type of recognition, but I felt seen and important.” Boluwatife recalled.

What many do not take account of is that trends are as fleeting as they come, they come and go almost as quickly as they appear, and what is left is the resort to jump on the next trendy thing. The cycle never ends. 

Ayomide, 20, accounts that it is not easy to just post and trend like that. “You can’t just post your work and go viral from there. There are just as many other people doing the same content I do, it boils down to the one who does it the best or sheer luck if you will.  People assume you can just post your work and blow,” she explained. “However, if your posts are not viral, no one really sees you. So I join trends, remix songs, and use lots of clickbait captions, all because I don’t have a choice. The algorithm forces your hand.” She said.

Logging out to tune in

“We must remember the core reason for which social media and the internet was created for. Learning, connecting and building a community are all core aspects of social media. Once this knowledge is lost, it is very difficult to recover and get one’s self back, especially once addiction prevails,” Olusoji shared.

“In a culture where being ‘seen’ means being overstimulated, practicing stillness and withdrawal where necessary should be encouraged,” he adds.

Esther, the former lifestyle vlogger who once posted daily on TikTok, made that decision. Speaking to Friday Treat, she explained saying, “I used to feel guilty for not posting. Now, I feel guilty when I neglect myself and the other important parts of my life. Social media kind of made me forget what rest felt like.”

For others, it is encouraged that one learns to practise regulating posts and interactions amidst all the noise.

“Yes, social media is like a endless black hole, but it also has its perks, it is important to know how to use it well, especially for one’s benefit. Olusoji said.

Digital detox isn’t always about deleting everything; sometimes it’s about boundaries. Psychologists have recommended screen-time limits, encouraged muting of content that triggers, or even going as far as carefully curating feeds to reflect reality over showing off.

Also, according to a 2024 study on social media fatigue among Nigerian youth, participants of the study who implemented just two to three detox habits, such as no-phone mornings, scheduled scroll times reported a 38 per cent reduction in stress levels over eight weeks.

For Bamidele, the food photographer turned content generalist, and many others like him trying to make a name for themselves on the internet, detox would mean first re-centering his creativity, then finding what he enjoys while tailoring it to his audience.

The journey back up from the obsession to trend, especially on fake or weightless trend trains, is not easy, especially when everything around the society screams for relevance. However, the rewards for settling for a redefined sense of identity are endless. Visibility on one’s own terms, according to critics, are more rewarding. They opine that the bravest thing one can do is not to disappear but focus on individual identities when no one is watching.

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