By Aalia Akbarali and Miley Otobe

Walking into a classroom, posting a picture online, or speaking in front of a group can all bring the same question to mind: What will other people think?

For many students, the fear of being judged can affect the way they act and the decisions they make. Students may worry about their reputation, appearance, or how their friends and classmates perceive them. With social media adding another place for people to share their opinions, that pressure can feel even harder to avoid.

Sophomore Berk Yalcin believes that people care about others’ opinions because they feel like they have a reputation to maintain.

“I think people care so much about what others think about them because they think they might have a reputation to uphold.”

Berk said that having a negative reputation can make students worry about how others will treat them. He believes students may be concerned that people will talk about them behind their backs or that they will have a harder time making friends.

The opinions of others can also change the way students view certain situations. Berk described a time when a friend gave him a different perspective about a teacher whose teaching style didn’t work as well for him. After hearing his friend’s perspective, Berk said he was able to respect the teacher more.

While opinions from people at school can have an impact, social media creates another space where students can feel judged. Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok allow students to share parts of their lives with a larger audience, making reactions from others more noticeable.

Berk believes social media has made people more concerned about how they are perceived. He said students may worry about how people respond to their posts because negative reactions online can sometimes carry over into their lives at school.

“If they get a bunch of hate on that, then it might transfer to another school, as well.”

Freshman Eman Hastor also believes social media has increased the pressure people feel about their appearance and how others view them. According to Eman, social media can create high standards that people feel they need to meet.

“To some people, appearance and how other people view them as a person is really important.”

For Eman, the opinions of others have also affected her personally. She recalled being called a rude name by someone, which made her feel insecure about certain things in her life. That experience shows how a comment from another person can have an effect beyond the moment it is said. Even a single opinion can influence the way someone thinks about themselves or the choices they make afterward.

Both students said there are things they would do differently if they knew they could not be judged.

Eman said she would be more willing to explore new things because she would not be afraid of what other people might think. Berk said he would be more comfortable speaking in public.

“I would probably speak in public a lot more and not be as afraid or nervous to do it”

Although the two students had different experiences, both described situations where other people’s opinions affected their actions or confidence. Whether it is worrying about a reputation, dealing with comments about appearance, responding to social media reactions or simply being nervous to speak in front of others, the fear of judgment can influence everyday decisions.

For students like Berk and Eman, being free from judgment would mean feeling more comfortable expressing themselves and trying things they might otherwise avoid.