Like young Albanians want to get rich overnight

There are a number of views on how social networks affect our society, both positively and negatively.

After all, some people spend hours each day on these platforms, so we should be aware of their impact. Already, our habits have also affected expenses, savings, and investments.

Social networks often indicate an exaggerated and treatable version of reality. People rarely post problems with child behavior at school or stress when caring for aging parents.

They post for luxury holidays, great places in sports matches and expensive evenings. This creates a distorted sense of what is normal “” and can lead to an unconscious pressure to keep the pace.

Consider an example: Follow worldly friends or influenceers, stay in better hotels, and eat in luxury restaurants. Perhaps, without realizing it, this affects the way you feel about your abnormal rest “ ” that you do on the beach, even though you have enjoyed it for years.

Or perhaps during the holidays, you see posts of friends who spend time in their homes on the coast. You may begin to feel that having a second home is more common and necessary than it really is.

Sociologist Marsida Simo recalls that social networks highlight one's best moments of life rather than their daily reality.

Because we are constantly exposed to various social networks, we have created a perfect reality, where people show only the best moments, luxury spending and the most impressive achievements. This effect is not just a momentary sensation, but it deeply touches human psychology”, Sociology says that the impact of social networks on how we view money, expenditures, and investments is undeniable.

All this creates a sense of harsh comparison, leading to discontent, inadequacy and confusion. Money and wealth, beyond practical function, are transformed into a social standard. What we see in others in the virtual world seems always bigger, more beautiful, and more accessible than what we have”, ) following Mrs. Simo.

It stops in young people, underlining that this effect is especially powerful.

“They are in the stages of identity formation, and social comparison can affect not only self-esteem but also financial decisions, increasing the chances of impulsive spending. All this to stay on that level that they've formed as an image of celebrities following”, ) highlights Mrs. Simo.

Sociologist calls on that early financial education should be made necessary to help young people understand the difference between desires and needs, manage budgets, and plan wise investments.

<x) These insights will serve as a filter, making them more careful in their financial decisions, acting ethically, avoiding fraud, and reducing irreversible risks”. Simo.

One of the phenomena that is increasingly being observed is “the memory of money”, where individuals feel financially insecure even under conditions where they are really stable.

This is because comparison is no longer done with the natural economic environment in which the individual lives, but with global luxury standards, which circulate with great intensity on social networks. As a result, there is a sense of relative deprivation that is not the product of reality, but of treatment images that stimulate pressure to consume on possibilities”, It says about “Monitor”, economics expert, Salaam Gepa.

Social networks are also increasingly affecting the financial behavior of families.

Experts say that impulsive spending, loans taken to cover unproductive spending, or hasty investments in products promoted online are just some of the risks emerging.

“in a small economy like Albanian, this behavior can create unnecessary financial tensions in individuals and families and distort their economic priorities. From the standpoint of public policies and financial education, the main challenge is building an economic culture where individuals realise that wealth is not measured by image, but by stability, savings and long-term investment. It is important that users develop a critical approach to the content that consumes and build personal financial objectives based on their reality, not on models created on digital platform”, Says Mr. The pocket.

Comparison

In the era of social networks, every user is able to create and distribute content, which makes comparisons among more frequent and inevitable people.

On platforms such as Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn, most present the best version of themselves: treated photos, beautiful images, ideal body, luxury and life - style that often disagree with everyday reality.

This selected and filtered presentation allows users more often to be compared to “above”, with people looking more successful, more beautiful or richer. An increasingly common form of this phenomenon is the distribution of wealth symbols - villas, luxury cars, exotic holidays, expensive brands.

When a person is constantly exposed to such images, the feeling that others are richer and more privileged. This type of comparison often leads to discontent, lower self - esteem, and the feeling that personal life is less valuable.

Digital marketing expert Cansel Saygin says that today the comparison is no longer done with classmates or workmates, but with people from around the world.

When this happens every day, a distorted perception develops, people begin to feel that they are financially weak, even when they are not. They feel the need to have material things that are not necessarily necessary. They often feel economically insecure, not because of their reality, but because of the reality they see online. In time, what appears on social networking begins to be perceived as a standarddy of living, even though it is only a filtered version of reality”, says Mrs. Saygin.

This process can cause what is called relative deprivation, a sense of injustice, and frustration that arises when we perceive that others have more than we do, even though we have really lost nothing.

The sense of relative deprivation may increase even more when those we compare with look similar to us in age, life - style, or interests.

This makes the economic contrast seem even sharper. The consequences of this deprivation are not limited to personal well - being. Studies show that people who feel deprived become less satisfied with their lives, more stressed, and prone to aggressive behavior.

Another important effect is the increasing hostility toward the rich. When someone constantly sees images that remind economic differences, the idea arises that the rich “” is the cause of the injustice experienced.

This can lead to negative attitudes, cold stereotypes, and, in some cases, aggressive behavior toward them, especially in online environments. /Monitor. al