Envy in the Age of Social Media
If Tall Poppy Syndrome once lived in offices and social circles, today it thrives online. Every achievement post on Facebook or LinkedIn risks a quiet chorus of eye-rolls. A colleague’s promotion sparks not congratulations, but a scroll-through of their credentials to see if they “deserve it.”
V. Mouly and J. Sankaran (2002) described this as the “enactment of envy”—the process by which organizational envy turns into subtle attacks, scapegoating, or passive-aggressive behavior. On social media, it’s even easier. The anonymity of likes and subtweets allows envy to masquerade as opinion.
And yet, not all envy is toxic. Some forms of envy can motivate us. The key, as Garland (2018) argued, is how we channel it. Social comparison is inevitable—it’s how we gauge progress—but when it curdles into resentment, everyone loses.
A Personal Reckoning
Years after that Sydney internship, I often think back to my mentor’s story. Her company, once a struggling start-up, became a successful education service provider with clients across the Asia-Pacific. I remember asking her once if she still experienced the Tall Poppy Syndrome. She laughed. “Oh, it never goes away,” she said, “but now I have my own garden.”
Her words stayed with me. The lesson wasn’t just about resilience- it was about cultivation. You don’t escape envy by shrinking—you do it by growing taller together.
Here in the Philippines, perhaps that’s the challenge- to create workplaces where achievement isn’t a threat but an inspiration. Where the star employee isn’t ostracized but celebrated. Where success stories are shared, not whispered.
A Call to Let Poppies Bloom
We can’t build a thriving economy, a dynamic academe, or a world-class public sector if we’re too busy cutting down our own talent. The research is clear: organizations that reward excellence instead of resenting it perform better, innovate faster, and retain happier employees (Dediu, 2015).
It’s time we outgrow our fear of standing out. Let humility coexist with pride. Let excellence be shared, not hidden. The next time someone in your office wins an award, resist the urge to joke, “Nagbida ka na naman.” Instead, say, “You made us proud.”
Because when we allow tall poppies to bloom, the whole field becomes more beautiful.
And perhaps, one day, we’ll no longer warn each other against shining too brightly. We’ll simply say, “Keep growing.”
***
Columnist Bio
Nicasio A. Pimentel III is a UK-certified human resources practitioner and educator with over 15 years of experience spanning HR strategy, analytics, systems integration and talent management across several Fortune Global 500 companies and public sector institutions in UK, Australia and the Middle East. He holds an MSc in Management and Human Resources from the prestigious London School of Economics and a BA Psychology from the University of the Philippines Diliman. A former Christian missionary to marginalized ethnic minorities in Cambodia, he now teaches psychology at the University of Antique and continues to serve underserved communities in Western Visayas through grassroots ministry and education advocacy. He is also an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (Assoc CIPD) in the UK. For questions, e-mail nicasio.pimentel@antiquespride.edu.ph./PN
