A Campaign on Social Expectations
As culture evolved, society has undoubtedly developed countless expectations on the way life is supposed to be lived. Reinforced by religious views, traditions, personal influences, and popular culture, growing up in the 21st century provided added challenges for those trying to establish their identities and find their way in the world. Consequently, these expectations have resulted in losing a “sense of self” by influencing decision making and increasing anxiety of one’s social status and acceptance.
Initiated from personal curiosity, my project investigates how a campaign on defying society’s expectations can relieve the stress of judgemental behaviour, and act as a voice for those afraid of speaking up. The project strives to create a new perspective on expectations, visualising an opportunity for a new ‘norm’ to be defined. Through truth, empathy, and strategic communication this project creates a new sense of belonging and acceptance for a positive impact on mental health.
Social normality defines the behavioural patterns experienced by humans and can be understood as being responsible for controlling social behaviour, impacting the way we adapt to different social environments. Behaving in such a way enables us to assess the situation and accurately implement the expectation of our reactions. This results from dreading the consequences if the assumed social expectations are not met. Fearing negative evaluation from others can develop or accelerate social anxiety, resulting in people avoiding social situations all together. While the topic of inexperience is rarely spoken about, Big Deal! So What? transparently communicates the impact judgement has on developing social anxiety, through a playful and an approachable campaign. Using bold ‘confessions’ as the main touchpoint, this campaign takes what would usually be considered a common experience, and flips these to challenge people’s expectations and invite new perspectives. As a result… FOMO; Finally Over Missing Out.
