Embarrassment is an all too relatable feeling that’s further amplified when looking at Social Media. Trying to make it big on a platform is already pretty challenging on its own, factoring in humiliation cranks that challenge to 11. Fear is a big barrier to growth, not just in real life but also in our online endeavors. Fear breeds hesitation and if there’s one thing that greatly hampers building growth momentum, it’s that. However, there is hope. Would you want to know what it takes to become a fearless content creator?

Heart of A Lion

Just the thought of being online, for some, can bring its own kind of horrifying anxiety. Though in various degrees, it’s something that affects all Social Media users, with the majority of them saying that posting on Social Media gives them a noticeable level of anxiety, according to The Pew Research Center. Despite this, a survey by Morning Consult reveals that around 86% of young Americans are still willing to try out influencing on Social Media platforms. Nowadays, most of the fear of the internet has something to do with posting something cringey or just outright embarrassing. It’s somehow founded on logic given how easy it has become to judge people online.

This kind of anxiety is only amplified when users are trying to achieve something online, like fame or notoriety. Take heart if you’ve ever felt shame for wanting to achieve something because such a thing as ‘Goal Shaming’ exists as much online as it does in the real world. To put it simply, goal shaming is that horrible feeling of cringe you get when telling a close friend that you want to try mountain climbing. Now imagine trying to tell the same thing to a bunch of people on, say, Instagram. You take them all through your prep work, training, and meals; every milestone and stumble. Combine this with the ever-growing fear of failure and the burden of proving and it becomes apparent how easy it is for goal shaming to be amplified. 

There’s a certain path to take when striving for online virality. That cringey feeling you get when starting out? That’s normal as any person wouldn’t want to display a bunder on their first go. A growing creator by the name of Rocky Kanaka, who uses his Facebook Page to spread awareness about pet adoption, told Mashable that fear of judgment from his friends was natural when he first started posting videos of himself on Social Media. He eventually concluded that a lot of his friends simply don’t follow what he does online and he came to be okay with that. As per Kanaka: 

“What I found online by simply sharing my journey is another set of friends and community. Your friends don’t have to love what you’re doing and watch every moment of what you’re doing.”

Kanaka preaches that even more than the anxiety you feel should be having purpose behind what you’re doing. Similar to Kanaka, Daphnique Springs, who’s an aspiring Facebook and Instagram comedian and currently touring with Kat Williams, told Mashable that while she too felt fear of judgment, she never let that stop her from pursuing a successful comedy career. Springs said that making people laugh is formative to her self-evolution and while sharing such online does carry with it some anxieties, they won’t stick around forever. 

The Wrap

While the answer might be way simpler and shorter than the explanation, you don’t really need a convoluted and overly engineered one to overcome the core problem. Fear, especially when having to share personal experiences and vulnerabilities online, usually with a bunch of strangers, will always be there. However, putting more emphasis on your purpose is enough to bypass that which fear stagnates. As wise men and women have said throughout history, fear will never truly go away, but learning to be okay with it causes us to eventually not notice that we get afraid, to begin with.

Sources

https://bit.ly/3Wsxfx6