There is a strange type of performance happening in high school, where the audience is not always physically present. They are present in screenshots of GPA progress, commitment posts, Instagram stories, and grind sessions nobody actually witnesses. We are constantly seeking applause, but sometimes the audience is not present.
For some students, achievement is now something to be displayed, not something to be experienced. College acceptance letters are shared before they are even mailed out. Awards are shared before they are even given a home on a shelf. Even hobbies have the potential to become a means to another item on a resume, another badge of being productive. Achievement is no longer about the feeling of success, but about its visibility.
Social media has also contributed to this silent competition. It is very easy to measure oneself against someone else’s success. When students post internships, scholarships, or major achievements, it can give the illusion that everyone around them is succeeding at a higher rate than they are. The applause is loud online, but secretly, someone is exhausted, but what happens when the applause dies down?
Students may confess that, after attaining a long-term objective, the feeling does not linger for as long as they anticipated. Instead, there is the pressure to immediately start pursuing the next achievement. The victory is short-lived. The cycle begins. This relentless pursuit can make us forget why we started in the first place. Were you in that club because you loved it? Or was it because it looked good on college applications? Were you in that class because you were curious? Or was it because you wanted to beat your friend? High school is an ambitious place.
We are in the midst of creating our futures. However, in between striving and surviving, it is worth asking: “Who are we performing for?”
Real growth is not always rewarded with applause. Real growth can be quiet, in small increments, in quiet failures, and unpublicized achievements. Should we quiet our ambitions? Or perhaps redirect them in order to strive for the things we want to do, even if no one is watching. Even with all of these questions, regardless of what you aim for, the most important audience is ourselves.
