18/12/2025
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18/12/2025
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Confidence looks different in 2025. It’s filtered, curated, and captioned – all for digital consumption. And what’s emerging is a noticeable gap between the confidence on social media and the confidence we’re seeing in the real world. This is a conversation we’re not having enough of in psychology circles.
We’re discussing anxiety. We’re discussing digital addiction and FOMO culture, but we’re not yet linking these back to the erosion of real-life confidence. Because online, people get to control the narrative. They can curate what they say (and don’t say). They can show up and disappear whenever they want. They can delete that status, unlike that comment, and reply minutes, hours, or even days late. They get to filter pictures, delete captions, and hide from the consequences of their digital actions. In the real world, though, people have to speak up. They have to communicate, debate, defend, and justify – all in real time. They can’t just disappear whenever they want to. They can’t just edit what they say and present it as brand-new information.
They can’t just filter, retweet, or repost that conversation because real life doesn’t work that way. And this matters because a large chunk of people are getting bolder online but less confident offline. And we’re not yet paying attention enough. Because that gap between social media confidence and real-life confidence will determine whether someone speaks up in a meeting, steps up to pitch to a room of investors or simply stands up for themselves in a heated argument. It will determine the future CEO, the founder, the leader, the innovator, the entrepreneur, and the game changers of the next generation of leaders.
Social media confidence is important, but it cannot replace real-life confidence. Because real-life confidence is the confidence people have to demonstrate when no one is liking, sharing, or swiping right. It’s the confidence people have to demonstrate when no one is watching, supporting, or backing them from the sidelines. As social media advances, it becomes important for Generation Z and Alpha to separate the real from the fake. The confidence from the overconfidence.
The articulating from the orating, and the growth from the stagnation and procrastination. Because social media can easily become a comfort zone. And anything that competes with the intentional development of confidence, leader presence, and voice will always undermine the future career prospects of that individual. Confidence will always define how someone asserts themselves in their industry. And we need to dismantle the myth that just being visible online is enough. Because real-world confidence is about how someone walks, talks, moves, reacts, responds, and regulates under actual pressure – not just how many reels someone posted in the past month.
So, the next time someone assumes that social media confidence is enough, remind them that assertiveness online will never outperform real-world confidence. Instead of being built through experience, effort, and self-awareness, it becomes something to display rather than develop. True confidence is quiet. It is not about constant expression but consistent behavior. It is the ability to say no without guilt, to speak without fear of rejection, and to act without needing applause. It is built through self-reflection, emotional intelligence, and real-world interaction – not algorithms.
As societies continue to digitalize, the question is no longer whether social media affects confidence, but how well individuals are taught to separate appearance from reality. Teaching emotional intelligence, communication skills, and self-awareness is no longer optional – it is essential. Bridging the gap between online confidence and real-life confidence starts with honesty. Confidence is not what we show on a screen; it is how we show up when no one is watching.
By Hala Bader Al Humaidhi
