"I Think Everyone Except Me Is Happy" Job Seekers Avoiding SNS [Heo Midam's Youth Report]

One in Three Adults Feels High SNS Usage Fatigue
Increase in Young People Limiting SNS Use
Experts Say "Comparisons and Relative Deprivation on SNS Possible"

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] [Editor's Note] How is your youth remembered? From teenagers to college students and office workers, we share the joys and sorrows unique to 'youth.'

"I deliberately don't check SNS.", "My friends are doing well, so I wonder why I'm like this."

Amid ongoing employment difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some job seekers (chwijunsaeng) are expressing feelings of relative deprivation by comparing their lives with others on SNS. They experience a kind of lethargy as they encounter others' happy daily lives on SNS while facing an uncertain future.

Some have chosen the life of so-called 'voluntary outsiders,' refraining from using SNS due to fatigue from seeing only idealized lives of others. Experts analyze that young people are experiencing fatigue because SNS makes it possible to compare themselves with many others.

The employment market has been severely contracted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the employment trends announced by Statistics Korea for July 2020, the expanded unemployment rate, which reflects the real experience of domestic youth (ages 15-29), was 25.6%, the highest for any July since related statistics began in January 2015.

In June, when youth unemployment was at its peak, the official youth unemployment rate was 10.7%, but the perceived unemployment rate was 26.8%. In other words, one in four young people considers themselves unemployed.

As employment difficulties worsen, some job seekers are becoming pessimistic about their situation and expressing feelings of helplessness. Kim (27), a job seeker, said, "What's the point of preparing for a job? There simply aren't any jobs, so it's very tough," adding, "It’s even more stressful when I see acquaintances gradually succeeding in getting jobs."

He continued, "Recently, a friend who prepared for a job with me contacted me to say they got a job. Instead of feeling happy for them, my first thought was 'Why can't I get a job?'" He confessed, "I dislike the fact that I can't sincerely congratulate others, so these days I hardly keep in touch with acquaintances."

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The development of SNS has intensified this phenomenon. News that would have been unknown without direct contact with others has become easily accessible through SNS.

Kim (25), a job seeker who recently deleted their SNS account, said, "Friends who got jobs often post photos taken at their offices, and every time I see those posts, I feel pathetic," adding, "Even though I know these are idealized daily lives of friends, I often felt shabby in comparison."

He added, "I also sometimes posted photos pretending to be happy on SNS. But I felt like I was fabricating my life, so I ultimately decided to delete my account."

More people like Kim are reporting fatigue from using SNS. According to a survey of 1,039 adult men and women conducted by Job Korea and Albamon, 50.6% of respondents said they feel a 'moderate level of fatigue' from using SNS, and 31.1% said they feel a high level of fatigue. Notably, the percentage reporting high fatigue was slightly higher among ▲job seekers (32.2%) than ▲office workers (29.1%).

Consequently, some are refraining from using SNS. In the same survey, 23.9% of respondents said they had tried a 'social blackout,' completely blocking SNS use. The reasons cited for attempting a 'social blackout' included 'exposure of personal information such as schedules and photos (40.7%)' and 'feeling relative deprivation from seeing others' posts (35.9%).'

Job seeker Lee (25) also said, "I think SNS is not helpful at all," adding, "At first, I used SNS a lot. But as I became too immersed in SNS, I felt like I was wasting my life, so I quit SNS." He added, "People say it must be uncomfortable not to use SNS, but I don't feel uncomfortable at all. Rather, I feel like I have more time for self-development."

Experts warn that repeatedly comparing oneself with others inevitably leads to feelings of relative deprivation.

Professor Kwak Geumju of the Department of Psychology at Seoul National University said, "People have a 'social comparison desire.' This desire is one of the important drives that make people achievement-oriented," adding, "However, the problem is constantly comparing oneself to people who are in much better conditions. When this is repeated, feelings of relative deprivation are inevitable."

She continued, "Especially with the development of SNS, it has become possible to compare with many people. It’s no longer just people in similar situations but various others. For example, comparing oneself to those who succeeded at a young age can lead not only to relative deprivation but also to feelings of helplessness."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.