<aside> 📢 ”Comparison is a thief of joy” - Mark Twain - Most people know this quote, but very few people integrate it into their lives, and Gen Z is
Here are a few stats:
It is evident that Gen Z got LinkedIn wrong. It is a professional social media platform to connect with other professionals, learn about their field's latest successes and trends, follow thought leaders, explore career opportunities, showcase your professional abilities/contributions, and more. It seems pretty harmless on the surface, right?
But we’re looking at someone else’s life on professional social media and thinking that we don’t measure up. Their profile picture could grace the cover of Forbes. Their headlines and summaries are just so pitchy and perfect. Their colleagues are glamorous and graceful — even in business casual. Their job titles are dreamy and desirable. Their offices are ergonomic, start-up-esque, and seemingly the brainchild of Elon Musk. Their business trips look like breezy vacations. They’re just so happy!
Yet we don't realize the social comparison trap that we are falling into by comparing our life with a stranger's life and feeling depressed and sad, letting this habit affect our mental health.
The problem at hand is that a significant portion of Generation Z (Gen Z) appears to be experiencing negative psychological and career-related consequences as a result of their engagement with social media platforms, with a specific focus on LinkedIn. The prevalence of social media-induced anxiety, depression, and career dissatisfaction among Gen Z, coupled with their misguided career aspirations and frequent job transitions, suggests a need to address the detrimental impact of social comparison on mental health and career development within this demographic.
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How might we help Gen Z, who compare one to another on LinkedIn, in an efficient and mindful way?
The Solution is to provide more context and authentic data about another person to help them compare efficiently and mindfully.
Mental Profile:
Compare can gather both present and past comprehensive background information about other users beyond superficial profile details. This information can include their childhood experiences, financial and emotional privileges and factors beyond our control like luck, genetics and generational gifts that allowed them to be where they are today. Similarly, the web app will also include the setbacks and complexities they may have overcome to achieve success and habits they may have built that significantly impacted their career interests. Providing a fuller context helps users understand where others are truly coming from.
Mindful Comparison Map:
Based on the information that both parties are willing to share, the web app would generate a data map to help one another understand how close or far off their individual experiences are and, in what areas they have/had common resources and how they utilized them for their benefit if there are failures along the way, what is a typical pattern that one can derive and learn from each other by connecting.
Skill Development:
The web app emphasizes the importance of skill development. We provide resources, articles, and tools to help users develop skills such as confidence, time management, and financial literacy. Offer skill-building exercises and challenges that encourage self-improvement.
Community Perspective:
Individuals can connect, discuss their journeys, learn from each other and complement their values and interests, act as accountability partners for their goals, and meet people with similar or contradicting pathways to explore and build genuine relationships beyond social comparisons.