You work at a mall and you see teenagers walking on all fours. Someone dances on the counter, and someone else sings their order at a fast food restaurant to have content for TikTok. Then you think - do you even fit into this world?
You could say that life on the Internet is on steroids, figuratively and in reality. The pressure on appearance, happy relationships, social status, and reactions to certain things are especially exaggerated. Even peeing in a diaper is over-excited.
Facing this painful reality can be devastating for the next generations entering adulthood. Because life, in general, isn't that exciting. There really aren't many people in society who can become millionaires by peeing in a diaper.
After work you go online and it doesn't get any better. You see above-average people everywhere - in the media, in advertising, on YouTube, on Instagram. On Facebook, even that bad student you know from school... even HIM succeeded and became a surfer. And suddenly one thought comes to you - I'm 25, I'm average, there are no fireworks in my life. You feel bad, you feel like a failure.
And this leads to the following conclusion - being ordinary and normal has become humiliating nowadays. People may feel that something is wrong with them when they see exciting lives posted on the Internet. Even dogs with their own Instagram profiles have more exciting lives than you.
Every day you probably notice things that are difficult to find on the Internet. You enter a Biedronka store and you can't cross the aisle because the pallet is unpacked. You wonder why only the ladybug has this problem. You clean up dog poop and you have problems with procrastination and insomnia. And on the Internet you see happy, rich and above-average talented people. You feel a certain pressure that you can't explain. That's why in today's episode I will explain to you that you have fallen victim to mass illusion . A certain pressure has been forced into your head, which takes away the taste of life. This film is intended to free you from the shackles of oppression and regain yourself.
Not only should it not be something shameful to get up every day for a regular job, but let me tell you straight: even I get up every day and work in a media agency on a regular job. Yes, with 710 thousand subscription on YouTube, I still work full-time. But does that mean I'm worse? This is what it might seem, looking through the prism of life on the Internet, where everything that is average is demonized.
“Demonizing Average Life” – that's what this episode should be called, but it wouldn't be clickable enough. I would like you to treat it as an essay with a collection of thoughts about today's world. But I also encourage you to leave a comment. Several thousand people go through the comments section and your opinion is also important on such an important topic, which is even a taboo topic.
Preparing for the episode, I entered "Demonizing average life" in the search engine in Polish, English, German and even Spanish. I expected heated discussions about how the perception of average has changed as we are constantly exposed to the above-average segment of society. But I found nothing, literally nothing, to help me think about it. It's strange that a problem that concerns, I would venture, most people, doesn't actually exist in the online space.
I recently hosted a high school graduation event called "TurboInspiracja" , where I accidentally heard the words of a young boy, to paraphrase: "well, a million zlotys is not enough, now with the rushing inflation it is a small success. I will earn a million before the age of 25, and if I succeed, before 20. "
If you're watching this, I don't want to offend the ambition of a young person like you. However, at that moment I thought how much social media had harmed that boy. To earn a million zlotys cleanly, you need to remember about taxes, business costs, everyday living costs, and the addition of emergencies such as illness. Thinking about a million zlotys in pure terms and that it is a small success is, in my opinion, a disservice, especially in terms of the way of thinking used by especially young people, who from an early age are focused on above-average appearance or earnings.
But you have to ask yourself an important question - what if this guy doesn't make it? I'm seriously asking. What if he doesn't get that easy million zlotys?
Look at this photo of the Bolt courier sticking it on his bag: I thought I was born for something bigger.
What I'm about to say in 5 seconds may be quite demotivating, so turn off this video now if you want to avoid it. So, most people won't make a million dollars. Moreover, most people will work full-time. A world in which everyone will be millionaires with their own businesses not only does not exist, but will never exist. Most people will lose and we won't do anything about it, but at the same time - there's nothing wrong with that. But when we browse the Internet, we compare ourselves and observe people who have succeeded.
But back to the boy who wants to earn an easy million. What awaits him if he fails and ends up in this demonized and evil job? He will likely feel ashamed, frustrated, and perhaps even likely to become depressed. He will feel like a failure, not because he is a failure, but because of the pressure the world has put on him.
I would like to get you out of this Matrix now, to leave a world that is not programmed for your benefit. To show you what this system looks like, we need to go back in time. Or more precisely, to your childhood, when you had no pressure on yourself, you dug nettles, built sand cakes and drank Frugo. But at some point something changed. It's going to school and being told that if you don't study, you'll dig ditches. First, demonizing normal work and mediocrity. Because if you asked a teacher at the age of 10 - what's wrong with normal, honest, necessary and taxed work, she would probably answer - I don't know.
But why did she say that? Because she had an advantage in it. If you studied better, she wouldn't have a problem with you and your class would be better in some statistics. And all in all, this pattern of demonization always works the same - people demonize the work of ordinary people because they benefit from it. Your mother telling you to study because you'll work at McDonald's, or a random girl on the Internet convincing you to quit your bad job and join her business - an example of recruitment to a financial sect.
People who derive various benefits from it are responsible for this matrix, demonizing mediocrity and normal life. However, a special role is also played here by corporations that demonize mediocrity because, for example, they have a profit in the form of creating a consumer society. “If you don't want to be average, buy our product, you will feel better” - thought every corporation trying to convince customers to make purchases.
And later, influencers add a Christmas photo with a Louis Vuitton gift under the Christmas tree . But we no longer talk about the fact that in order to get this worthless piece of clothing, people become workaholics and lose interpersonal relationships. This is no longer visible in a photo on Instagram.
This will probably be the most controversial statement on the Internet, but the greatest heroes are ordinary people we pass on the street every day. Think of the lady from whom you buy breakfast in the morning or the conductor who sells train tickets. Or when there is a light failure in the estate. Someone has to come and fix it. I will not mention doctors, nurses, firefighters and other professions that are currently experiencing a perception crisis. Young people want to be YouTubers wearing Louis Vuitton, and the real heroes are the people who work every day in these demonized jobs.
Think about a situation that I won't give you proof of, but it probably happens often in Polish homes. The son or daughter does not feel the authority of their parents because they earn ordinary money, and the child is exposed every day to people on the Internet who may seem to be better, because the parents have less money than influencers.
Social media makes us strive for materialism and evaluate people based on how much they have, not what kind of person they are. That's why we don't appreciate that our parents, even though they may not earn as much as influencers, still devoted their entire lives to building our society.
You probably know Karol and Tadek from "Honey Years". These are a motorman and a municipal sewage worker who would probably be discredited in the eyes of other people nowadays, but thanks to such people society functions. In a word, Karol and Tadek are real heroes. In music, in movies, in advertising, there is pressure that works for your benefit, but not for you. Now I will list 7 reasons why you feel like a failure even though you shouldn't. You are probably a young person and the pressure may be taking away your taste for life. But what causes it?
First, comparing yourself with others: On social media, people often only showcase their successes, positive moments and achievements, which can lead to comparing themselves with others. No one brags about their divorce, everyone brags about their weddings - a golden phrase that will help you stop comparing yourself with people on your phone.
This comparison to idealized images can lead to feelings of inferiority. This process of comparison can distort reality by suggesting that others achieve more, are happier or more fulfilled, which can generate a sense of failure in the individual, even though such comparisons are irrational and simply: meaningless.
Secondly, you don't want to be left out. And this is understandable, after all, no one wants to feel this way, which is why we do everything to belong to a specific community. Society often imposes certain standards on us that guide most people who are afraid of exclusion. You have to look a certain way, have enough money, be happy enough, get enough sleep, and be productive enough to gain social approval. And the influence of social media may further reinforce these expectations. If you don't meet them because, for example, you're having a bad time, it leads to the feeling that you don't meet the social norms that everyone expects you to meet.
You probably know the phenomenon of FOMO. This is a state in which we feel that we may miss something important if we are not online. Such constant exposure on social media showing your participation in events, and parties, and observing the successes of others on the Internet can fuel FOMO. If we observe on social media that someone is always successful, travels a lot, goes to interesting events, and we compare it with our lives in which nothing happens... Well, it can lead to the feeling of being a failure.
Another point is the problem of cyberbullying and hate. It is nothing new that criticism and negative comments on the Internet can have a major impact on the psyche and self-esteem. And when we publish our lives online, we must take into account that we are exposed to social evaluation, which will not always be favorable. Sensitive people in particular may feel harmed, and when experiencing cyberbullying, it may increase their rejection and lack of acceptance.
The illusion of time is another major factor in why some people feel like failures. In a society that often emphasizes success at a young age, pressure can build, especially in the Internet age. There is a belief that if you do not achieve your goals before the age of 25, you are doomed to failure to some extent. However, the truth is that everyone has their own unique life path, and achievements can come in different phases of life. It is worth remembering that there is no one right pace for development and success.
Each of us has our own dreams and goals, and our needs differ. We define success and what a dream job is differently. It doesn't always have to mean working remotely, after which you can lie in the Bahamas and admire the views of the beautiful ocean. Often, it can be an ordinary, well-paid profession that will provide financial security for you and your family.
In the age of the Internet, especially on social media platforms, we are often exposed to the image of young people achieving incredible financial or professional success. Teenagers become millionaires, they achieve significant success in business before the age of thirty, and all this can be misleading as to the real dynamics of life. It is important to realize that these examples are often exceptional and do not reflect the norm. Focusing on your own goals, and individual development path and appreciating your own achievements can help counteract the illusion of time and the feeling of failure.
In today's society, where standards of performance, professional success, and social status are often exposed and promoted through the media, many people may feel pressure to conform to these standards. Those who do not meet these high expectations may begin to feel unaccepted, leading to a decline in self-esteem.
The loss of privacy in the digital era is an important factor affecting the individual's psyche and may contribute to a sense of failure. In today's society, where sharing information on the Internet has become the norm, more and more aspects of private life are exposed to public view. Not only social media, but also monitoring systems, cameras in public places, and online data collection contribute to the loss of individual privacy.
Losing control over information related to being exposed online can lead to a feeling of powerlessness. Individuals may feel that their lives are becoming subject to public scrutiny and their private moments become exposed to a wide audience. This, in turn, may generate a feeling of loss of autonomy and control over one's life, which is a key element of mental well-being.
Immersing yourself in online life and comparing yourself to the perfect people on your phone is like drinking a small dose of poison a day. The poison is intended to dull your senses - taste, sight, and hearing. Such a dose will not kill you today or tomorrow, but consuming it every day will poison your entire future. This future will be more difficult than you may think because you will have no means of receiving signals from the world, so you will feel that your life has no taste, smell, or colors.
This metaphor is intended to show you that your current life has an impact on your life in the future, so it is not worth underestimating it. It is worth starting by optimizing today and realizing that the true taste of life does not depend on spectacular events but on authentic relationships, passion, and balance. It is a message showing that the value of life does not depend on meeting social expectations, and that true freedom comes from bold decision-making in line with one's own values.
I'll give you an example of Gogginsing from David Goggins - people read development books and, wanting to be a better version of themselves, they immerse themselves in the land of SELF-DEVELOPMENT, but what does this mean? They judge their lives as a rat race, and this causes us to miss the most valuable things. Of course, you can set goals and get all these Louis Vuitton things, an expensive car, a watch, great sports results, or a big house, but what if there is no one at the finish line and you are alone in this big house.
Then you can realize that you were not free and disciplined at all, you just lived as the system told you - it programmed you for empty consumption and materialism. Ask yourself whether what you are doing is actually your decision, whether the world glorifies some things and demonizes others.
Even if you do something unpopular and unexciting, like making a cup of tea, it doesn't mean you're inferior. If you work full-time and don't have a business, it doesn't mean you're worse. Maybe the whole world has gone crazy, you stay healthy. Meanwhile, I'm off to work full-time.
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