When did productivity start becoming about posting your life online and proving you did something rather than getting things done? Social media has transformed the idea of productivity and social life into something of a performance. The constant being busy, going out, doing the most you can in a day, and making sure it uploads onto social media can really take a toll on your mental health. The media portrays being successful and having a productive lifestyle in a stereotypical way, especially promoted by influencers. While it may seem that resting and staying in creates an idea of being lazy, there’s actually not much of a difference between the two; you’re still productive in your own way.

Those 5 a.m routines and get-ready-with-me posts really make you wonder how people have the time to sit, film, and edit these videos, all while actually doing productive stuff within the clip you see. What they don’t expose about themselves is that most of the time those 5 a.m routines actually happened at 10 a.m., and those getting ready with me to go out were just them getting ready to film that video. Social media acts as a multi-use mask; anyone can put it on, and anyone can hide behind it. Meanwhile, influencers never really expose what they look like under the mask.

Hustle culture rewards being busy, and the reason why these influencers try so hard to promote such “productivity” is because they are rewarded by it; we give them the benefits of likes and followers that help fund their lifestyle. As the viewers watch their extravagant content, you start to feel what’s called FOMO “(fear of missing out).” Health.UCDavis.edu describes this as, “The use of social media increases feelings of FOMO for many people. Checking in on your friends and family through social media may make you feel that others are having more fun or living better lives than you are.”

Watching these videos can make us look deeper into our everyday lives and pick at ourselves and what we do. This hobby is different from what she’s doing, or he has a more productive morning routine than I do. Why? Even looks begin to create illusions in our minds on how we should appear on social media. “The ability to easily alter physical appearance and hide imperfections can create false illusions,” reads UC Davis Health.

Social media and these content creators have put a new twist on what wellness truly is. Thalia from Medium.com expresses that “wellness is being pigeon-holed into a curated, visually appealing routine that consists of yoga, meditation, skincare, and juice cleanse. Rituals which are promoted as ‘hot girl habits.”

Not knowing what these media figures are promoting on their platforms turns the search for wellness into an unhealthy cycle of constant judgment. Beginning to overthink every little aspect of our lives and pick apart our insecurities isn’t what wellness means. Falling into this false world of looks and productivity can be exhausting and at times seem like our biggest problem in life, when in reality, it’s just other insecure people trying to make themselves seem like these celebrities who are dealing with the same issues. It’s an everlasting cycle of constant distortion, “But by putting their own aesthetic spin on wellness, are they ultimately creating a toxic culture that is both intimidating, unattainable and probably unnecessary?” asks medium.com.

Some people will argue that these media platforms motivate people, and seeing others wake up early and work hard, even if it’s for a post, can inspire viewers to build better habits. Productivity content can create structure and even accountability for others. A research study from the National Library of Medicine found that social media actually influenced people’s productivity in a beneficial manner: “The results indicated that the features of social media, including availability and symbol variety, had a significant influence on their work efficiency through work-oriented usage of social media.”

It seems unlikely that this wellness culture will die down, or at least without still promoting unhealthy behaviors, but it’s important to realize what’s fake and not compare yourself to these false realities. The media has and always will show a false reality in people’s lives. It’s unfair, but it’s true: you’re always going to deal with never really knowing if what you’re watching is real.

True productivity isn’t supposed to be an aesthetic or a perfectly filmed video; it looks different for everyone. I think it’s important to keep these unrealistic expectations in your mind, because what you’re comparing yourself to may not be true. Understanding that these videos aren’t showing the realistic and productive life these influencers have, but rather what they want themselves to be perceived as, shows the most productive thing you can do is log off.