It’s Getting Out Of Hand!

Welcome to 2024, where your Instagram feed has become more than just memories - it's basically your social currency.

The pressure to maintain an 'aesthetic' social media presence has created a whole new market. One that turns FOMO into profit, and feeds on your low self-esteem.

FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out

That's where businesses like "Get Your Flex", “get.flexedd”, and “AuraMark” come in. They're selling carefully crafted social media moments for just ?65 to ?300.

But, their anonymous founder is surprisingly candid: "This month, we earned about ?35,000 in a week. Gen Z cares about social media approval, so we're fulfilling this need."

This works and that’s why it’s scary.

Take influencer Anushka, who bought a fake tag for Diljit Dosanjh's concert. While she called it a "social experiment," her insight reveals a deeper truth:

"Buying tags helps people who can't afford such events feel closer to the experience."

But how does this monetizing actually work?

These services let you buy fake tags for everything - concerts, fancy restaurants, trending events. Each is priced by how much social envy it'll generate.

Fake Instagram accounts (with perfectly curated profile pictures, of course) tag you in stories, making it look like you were there.

Once tagged, you just repost it to your profile and secure instant validation. it's not just about flexing - it's about belonging.

But, behind the screens and filters lies a deeper struggle with self-worth. A recent study found it takes just 38 minutes of scrolling before the comparison trap hits - bringing along its friends: anxiety, imposter syndrome, and that nagging feeling of never being enough.

The study also revealed that 62% of Gen Z is desperate to hit reset on their social feeds. So, the digital pressure is getting too real.

Ironically, while we're all playing this game of digital dress-up:

• 49% of us are lying in bed, stressed and anxious after another doom-scrolling session
• 54% feel completely powerless over what shows up in our feeds
• Three in four of us KNOW it's messing with our mental health

Yet here we are, still chasing that perfect feed, by giving “Fake it till you make it” a whole new meaning.

We need to be worried as this isn't just about social media addiction.

We're watching a fundamental shift in how we value ourselves and our experiences. The business of fake flexing is just a symptom of a larger issue: our increasingly complex relationship with digital validation (or rejection), isolation and low self-worth.

As psychiatrist Dr Sneha Sharma explains:

"Gen Z is in a stage of life where their identity and social media provides a platform for self-expression. Validation through likes reinforces their self-worth and confidence."

These fake flexing services have made our lives into commodities & we should be worried about where it’s headed.