By Immanuela Buruti
When 23-year-old Juliet scrolls through her instagram feed every morning, she joins the grand holidays, designer shopping springs and five-star food experiences with her peers’ appealing images. “Sometimes I think I am failing,” she confesses. “Everyone is living the life!”
For many young Kenyan people, the hype that comes the so called “soft life” has become a silent competition fueled by social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. An invisible weight lies behind vibrant filters and glamorous photos which in turn increases anxiety, unrealistic expectations, and in some cases, financial waste.
Rise of soft life culture
In the Kenyan urban dictionary, “soft life” refers to a luxurious and stress-free lifestyle. It paints a picture of expensive gateways, fancy organizations and enjoyment. For many youths, these pictures are not only entertaining, they become targets, often regardless of the person not being financially capable at the time.
A Daystar University student Abigail suggests that “Social media has redefined how success is considered among the youth. Young people feel that they should accept it”
Financial stress: image price
While the lucky ones can afford luxury lifestyles, many others struggle to maintain appearances. This pressure has even made some of the young people to take loans or lead their income to unnecessary expenses, all in the name of fitting in.
Sean, a 24-year- old university student, shared his experience: “Last December, my friend was going to Diani for the Summer Tides Event which happens annually and everyone was posting about it. I did not want to feel left out, so I took a loan to fund my journey and stay there. I am still paying that loan after months!”
Reports indicating an increase in youth loans especially from Youth Enterprise Development Fund, and overall increase in advanced credit by commercial banks and non-bank financial organizations have arose. The Central Bank of Kenya has tightened lending policies to curb rising youth debt. Kenyan Bankers Association (CBA) has reported a worrying increase in mobile loans among the youth between 18-30 years. Most of citing social lifestyle, which proves that pressure is one of the leading triggers to borrow beyond their means and needs.
Mental health toll
Beyond finance, the emotional toll of pursuing soft life dreams is important. Constantly comparing someone’s life to that of others can lead to one’s insufficiency, low self -esteem and anxiety feelings.
A 2023 report by Kenya Mental Health Taskforce showed that more than 60% of youth have experienced concern related to social media in comparison directly.
Beyond pressure as confusion hits in real life
This has caused a lot of cases. Lawyer Julius Miiri says, “Social media has distorted reality by showing only highlighted reels of people’s lives, not their daily struggle, not their real life. Unfortunately, the youth often forget that what they see online is not a complete picture. Lovers break up because one of them is not living to the other’s expectations. Influencers only show what they want to show.”
Impressive effect
Influencers play a big role in shaping this soft life story. Many brands earn adequate income from brands and sponsors. This gives them access to lifestyle that most of their followers cannot tolerate or live up to. However, some affected people influenced fake luxury experiences, hire expensive cars, or platform photoshoots to project a lifestyle that they do not really live.
Unfortunately, this creates an endless loop where followers feel pressure to catch the standards that, in fact, create a carefully planned confusion.
Growing change towards realism
Despite the ongoing craze, a silent movement from the Kenyan youth has begun to push back against the unrealistic demands of the soft life culture. More young people are choosing to prioritize their mental health, personal development, finances and how they will improve their own lifestyle. “I decided to focus on my studies instead of starting my small online business and chasing trends. I will start the small business eventually, but now I just want to give priority to my studies first. The soft life will come when I have created a solid ground for it,” says 22 -year -old Alex, a student Kabarak University in Nakuru.
Perhaps this is the time to redefine success for young Kenyans, not as luxury at any cost, but as stable growth, satisfaction and peace of mind. The illusion of soft life does not dominate Kenya’s social media place, it is everywhere, but it quietly shapes decisions, shapes a generation’s mental health habits and mental health. As Kenyans pursue to chase after their dreams, the danger is not in ambition but losing the touch with reality. Because behind every perfect Instagram post, there is always a hidden conflict, a filter that will never show.
💬 Fun Thought:
Name one little thing that softens your life that does not cost much? 😊