Salem Nyati | Specialist | Consumer Financial Education | Momentum Group Foundation | mail me |
You’re lying on the couch after a long day, scrolling through Instagram. Someone is drinking cocktails in Bali. Someone else is unboxing a new handbag.
A 25-year-old is smugly explaining the “five things she did to become financially free”. Another reel tells you that your savings “should” reach a certain number by 40. That number makes your stomach drop. You put your phone down and feel vaguely as though you’re failing at life.
Sound familiar?
I think we underestimate how much social media has changed what we want and how quickly we think we should have it. We see the house, holiday, promotion, business and “soft life” compressed into a 30-second reel.
What we don’t see is the ten years that came before it. We also don’t see the debt, family money, sponsorships, sacrifices and sheer luck that may sit behind it.
Throw in #SoftLifeEra, #ItsMyTurnBafazi, #GirlMath and #GirlTherapy. Suddenly, it becomes very easy to mistake somebody else’s highlight reel for the standard our own lives should meet.
That pressure has financial consequences. When our own progress feels too slow, spending can become a way of closing the gap. Credit cards, loans and even mashonisas can fund the appearance of a lifestyle our income cannot comfortably support. Then, when our salaries increase, lifestyle inflation takes over.
Instead of putting more towards savings and investments, we simply upgrade the life we’re trying to keep up with.
This is why one of my simplest rules is this. If the content you regularly consume makes you feel inadequate, it may be time to change your feed. The same applies when that content makes you feel as though you are not doing enough with your life.
This year’s “She Owns Her Success” campaign reminds us that her success has a number. That number is personal. Your financial success has its own number and its own timeline. Neither should be dictated by a stranger online. So, how do you build a healthier financial feed?
Know who to unfollow
Pay close attention to how you feel after consuming someone’s content. If an account consistently makes your perfectly decent life feel inadequate, simply unfollow. That includes aspirational lifestyle accounts, not only questionable “finfluencers”.
Remember, social media platforms aim to keep you scrolling. Plenty of the content filling that scroll also aims to make you want something. So, if opening TikTok always leaves you wanting to buy, upgrade or keep up with someone, recognise the influence.
A social media feed can shape your financial behaviour without you consciously noticing it. Therefore, control your feed before it controls you.
Follow people who build financial confidence
Anybody can call themselves a finfluencer. However, prioritise credible sources and certified financial advisers when you seek actual financial guidance.
Good financial education helps you understand saving, compound interest, budgeting and debt. With more knowledge, you can ask more informed questions of qualified professionals. Ultimately, this knowledge leaves you better equipped to make decisions that suit your unique circumstances and goals.
A social media feed should not simply entertain you. It can also help you build financial confidence when you choose credible content.
Use your feed as a vision board, not a financial plan
There is nothing wrong with wanting the beautiful holiday, home, handbag or soft life. Let those things inspire you. However, Instagram does not know your salary, debt, dependants or priorities. Your feed can help you imagine what you want.
Your numbers must decide how and when you get there. Think of a social media feed as a vision board, rather than a financial plan. Inspiration can shape your goals, but your circumstances must shape your decisions.
Put the missing context back in
When someone else’s success makes you question your own, ask yourself: What don’t I know? You are seeing an outcome, not their audited financial statement. In other words, you aren’t privy to what they earn or how long they saved.
You also may not know whether the trip was sponsored or the car borrowed. Never measure your complete financial life against somebody else’s edited moment. A social media feed rarely shows the full financial context behind the image. Therefore, remember that comparison often involves incomplete information.
Train your algorithm
Your algorithm learns from what holds your attention. Stop feeding it content that makes you spend, compare and panic. Mute it or hit “not interested”. Then actively engage with content about saving, investing, career growth, affordable experiences and building wealth sustainably.
This approach helps train the algorithm to prioritise similar content. The soft life itself isn’t the enemy. I want women to build lives that feel secure, joyful and abundant. Just don’t finance the appearance of a soft life in a way that makes your real life harder.
