Gen Z and Millennials Need Hobbies, Not a Personal Brand

[@Bonserak23]

I fear we are slipping into some late-stage capitalism horror show where to make a living everyone has to advertise to each other, and everything has to be monetarized or you will live in a tent.

[@yourkingreturns]

Million dollar merit is closer than we think 😭

[@JadeAgard]

You might be on to something there

[@myas.6485]

we are living in black mirror

[@nuggetts_momma1324]

​@@yourkingreturnsI said the same thing 😂

[@sayhaje]

Yall watched that Black Mirror episode ? We’re in it

[@JackH_123]

The concept of identity has become so foreign to Gen Z that we reinvented it but through the lens of business and money. We’re so cooked

[@westphalianstallion4293]

Isnt that the running gag of gen Z. Reinventing stuff in the most toxic form possible.

[@marsx5886]

​@@westphalianstallion4293 I'd say we've tried to reinvent everything to fit what we've grown up being taught are the most important things in life

[@marshall1003]

​@westphalianstallion4293 no idea why gen z feels the need to do this

[@westphalianstallion4293]

@@marshall1003 Dunning Kruger Effekt at its best. Everyone before us was evil and dumb, you know?

[@phoenixmunro1992]

Fr

[@milkisreallygood8957]

I feel like some genz and millennials obviously didn't watch the highschool musical movies cuz this is literally what troy was having mental breakdowns about

[@intergalacticbnb]

“Stick to the status quo!”

[@markigirl2757]

I think they need to sing to it haha

[@TheYoungKilljoy]

"This is not what I want... This is not what I planned..."

[@kphoria1009]

@BBallantine223how do you know they were shit if you didn’t watch them…

[@Ultralined]

have you tried not sticking to the status quo tho? When I tell you I have been shunnedddd. Left social media, no pics to post, I just keep them for memories, no accounts. People just forgot I existed. Even my family don't remember my bday or remember to call😂 I'm always the on reaching out. Been on my own for 4 years, I try to make friends and because I have no socials, it's an automatic red flag for some people, nobody wants to have an ancient phone call or send normal texts😂no one wants to go out, take pics and have no one to tag apparently... Only like 2 recent friends I made understand my stance and that took a while to get them to understand I'm off the grid hopefully things go well or I'll just get ghosted again😂😂 Otherwise I'm still patiently waiting for my free thinking friends to come and find me but they only exist as strangers in KZbin comment sections😂😂 So I started to think and debate that the only way I can be on socials is to eventually try to make money as a business/page especially after seeing all the fakery and dependency that goes on... I'll continue being faceless tho, I'd rather my name is my name and the brand is the brand for as longgggggg as possible😂😂😂I'm happy to currently be free of the status quo, but it came at a heavy price for me personally. Still trying to navigate things and debating on whether to keep on this path or not.

[@roxycauldwell544]

Lack of well paying jobs and toxic work environments are fueling this

[@zenleeparadise]

This is such an important variable in this whole problem! I couldn't agree more!

[@skitterly]

Everyone needs a “side hustle” to get by now and with the rise of the “gig” economy, everyone has to be their own marketing and PR department

[@desology111]

i agree!! our last semester of graphic design, in college, was all surrounded by “creating our personal brand” for ourselves when we graduated.

[@ashcash1801]

Lack of having a life and community offline is a bigger culprit.

[@fireponyyy]

Nailed it.

[@longlivebeans]

If anyone IRL tries telling me they’re a brand I’m just gonna go to sleep because it’s getting so goofy at this point. Like okay Kelloggs 🥴

[@cherryivana1129]

I’m ctfuuuuuuuuu

[@MelanatedHomesteadher]

😂😂😂

[@anderson.ribeiro]

LMAO

[@Amariz-ATL]

😂😂😂😂

[@sabeenie21]

Hey ‘Olay’. I see you ‘Pantene’!

[@meagan.phillip]

Harvard business review’s definition of a brand “how you want people to see you and representing your personal values” is literally just describing a personality. We’ve been so conditioned by social media and capitalism we’re starting to capitalize human behavior 😂

[@jonno.alexander]

I feel like this might allude to some of the modern pitfalls described in Guy Debord's Society of the Spectacle?

[@mwng4538]

Your personality is innate though, it has nothing to do with external factors, especially "how you want people to see you"

[@_linlin_]

Legit I told myself that other people perceive me a certain way so I have a personal brand without realising it but then I was like - NO, GIRL THAT'S CALLED HAVING A PERSONALITY.

[@darkskinnedboy1782]

This is not what personality is tho ? Personality is innate, you can be compassionate and nice without wanting people to perceive you that way, the reverse works you can be rude and people perceive you like a piece of sheit yet don’t want this perception

[@darkskinnedboy1782]

Then it’s not reputation too because reputation is outside of your own control, you can have a bad reputation yet you did nothing ,in your opinion, to earn it

[@theogturnip]

doing personal things for a check rather than doing it for yourself is the road straight to burn out

[@thepinkkush]

First hand experience here to say I 1000000000% agree

[@anastasiarose4482]

And personal hell

[@sambeezy007]

Just like hobbies. Don't make a career out of it. Just do it for fun. When you're forced to do it to survive, the fun fades away

[@iHongBuns]

About the hobbies, and how people can’t help but to try to make money off of it, I always remember how people would do hobbies growing up and be told by older generations that they can’t make any money doing xyz, such as art or journaling - we grew up being told we can’t make money off of it so I’m not surprise so many people are trying to do so because they feel like they’re proving the older generation a point

[@Lockeditin]

Makes sense

[@TheYoungKilljoy]

Also, we're in a total economic crisis. We can't afford to do many things just because we enjoy them, but it's getting out of hand

[@RamboQuellz]

Exact reason why I'm unplugging from all social media, including youtube! All summer to spend time with myself and my thoughts to figure out who i want to be when my phone isn't consuming all of my attention

[@prettyroach]

good for you! it’ll be such a positive experience

[@RamboQuellz]

​@@prettyroach❤

[@TamTam9-15]

I gave up social media around 3-4 years ago and just kept KZbin. I gave up KZbin along with it for 6 months I think it was eye opening. I’m going to do it again. Once content starts getting redundant and repetitive again yt loses its appeal and I regret coming back.

[@RamboQuellz]

@@TamTam9-15 exactly! Once, I found myself scrolling on KZbin endlessly bc I have nothing to watch or nothing else to do. I'm like yea youtube gotta go too!

[@skitterly]

Good luck! I might be trying the same thing

[@PrincessAkua]

Yes! It's like we're all being encouraged to become sims and become a source of entertainment for others and I think that's the reason why so many people either act or look the same. This is definitely going to be the reason for a rise in identity crisis if it hasn't already.

[@nuggetts_momma1324]

It's literally that one Black Mirror episode... 1 million merits is the episode I think

[@Beapoem0802]

@@nuggetts_momma1324Wasn’t it ‘nose dive’ with the actress from Jurassic World? Where she always gives star ratings to people in real time and everything in her world is based on that rating?

[@diandriasmith889]

​@@Beapoem0802 Not that you asked me, but yes lol. And it went sooo far downhill.

[@Beapoem0802]

@@diandriasmith889 It’s by far my favorite episode! I always tear up at the end when they can finally release all their pent up anger and scream silly insults at each other. It’s such a great ending.

[@thewewguy8t88]

You are not wrong like even getting tattoos like it feels like you are more unique if you don't have tattoos at this point just as a random example lol.

[@LittleMissDeeDee]

It’s so embarrassing, honestly. I feel like no one is authentically themselves anymore especially those who get much of their inspiration from the internet. Same bags, same shoes, same hairstyles, same cosmetic procedures, same make up - all to fit into an image they believe gives them more meaning.

[@Hannahbets]

Not everyone! 🫶🏻

[@capsulamental]

And communism would take people's liberty/individuality away from them. The👏 hypocrisy 👏 is top notch

[@100frogbucket]

People like you see something that is caused by capitalism and then say “see? This is communism” like what are you even talking about? Lol

[@slimecorn]

It’s hilarious because “communism is when capitalism “ is the most NPC talking points lmao

[@kayIeighb]

​@@capsulamentalyou brought up communism not this comment lol

[@solbutton1611]

I usually don't use the whole "this feels dystopian" phrase a lot.... But this truly feels dystopian.

[@Hg-jy3tb]

“Personal brands” was the reason i stopped used tiktok in 2021, i just was constantly seeing people who i could never keep up with (in art and in personality and in looks) and it genuinely made me feel depressed and self conscious. Like i wasn’t even that insecure in high school OR middle school, like not even the insecurity of puberty could compare to tiktok when i started college 💀

[@bradleyharris774]

Can't we just live our damn lives in peace. Daily Life is already stressful, why do we have to stack building a "personal brand" onto of that jenga tower too.

[@Hannahbets]

We don't have to if we don't want to 🫶🏻 Long as we don't let the robots take over all the real jobs 😋

[@everydayangel]

the whole surveillance thing sucks so much cause before if you did something kinda dumb or silly at a party etc, people would just maybe talk about it. But nowadays there's an actual risk of someone filming you do that AND posting it for the world to see. I especially wish that filming people wasn't so normalized

[@samuelp2133]

As I was studying medicine we had lessons on personal branding as a doctor, and how to SEEM that we are not racist, and how to SEEM professional and it was soo horrible, that we were not talking about how to substantially work on your prejudices, and unprofessionalism, it was just about appearance

[@annab8980]

My personal brand is finding a damn job as a fresh college graduate

[@l5468]

Hahahahah same. Tbf as much as I am discouraged to use social media, I'm always happy to see I'm not the only person struggling during this student to full-time employee transition period. Like finding a job is so hard these days, it makes me cry sometimes lol.

[@ms.mayhem9607]

Us

[@Hannahonthemove]

Facts! J O B!!!!!

[@Life-Is-Random]

The younger generation likes labels and to put themselves in boxes. As you get older you'll realize that's not the way.

[@bettiiblu]

It's a combination of self-discovery, mixed with what happens when your life is defined by Internet algorithms, and the feeling of looking for control when you feel like you have none. Imagine, your real life is not what you want it to be, but you have tool that rewards you if you define your life in a very specific way. Wouldn't you be inclined to go where you are being praised, and everything is in a nice, neat box?

[@EoinGilligan]

It’s so limiting to have a personal brand. Self expression is so limited when you pigeon hole yourself into one style or ideology and it also radicalises you into that style. Rather than being a moderate, it feels like society has gotten to the stage where we all need to pick a tribe and not ‘sell out’ from it which is very unhealthy imo as it means people feel like they can’t change their minds on things and must be 100% committed to a particular lifestyle. Changing your mind on things these days is equated heavily with being a sellout or having no integrity.

[@sweetpeaon3]

THIS!!! like omg, people get so mad when you don't make a certain kind of video or post even though you have lost the passion for it. nothing is permanent, not even businesses!! most don't last a year, let alone 5 years. human beings have a rare superpower: to be able to master and/or get bored with things and move on to something just as good!

[@CGillie]

12:18 - You did in fact eat that. If your script was a paper, the ELA teacher in me just wrote “Great Transition!” In that random space between the second and third paragraph!

[@ahstiasummers5583]

I find this online branding somewhat contributes to people judging and ghosting others for superficial reasons. Totally disregarding that people aren't carbon copies of each other, and they don't have to be such to develop a strong friendship

[@lalailm]

Sometimes I wonder: what about us, the people who dont want to “build our brands” or “become a content creator”? What about us, the people who are happy with our lives and our jobs outside of social media and just want to relax and consume the content we are interested in and maybe every once in a while post a selfie, but are met with a toxic environment that is making us sick and a new ad every 30 seconds? I feel like the social media landscape today is hyperfocused on the creator and completely neglects the other side of the equation. So yeah no wonder more and more people are deciding to quit social media. Bc they are noticing that the cons are outweighing the pros!! When social media started, it was all about socializing and people would post with the intention to share stuff with their circles. There was no pressure to go viral or make a career out if it. It was just for the fun of posting and thats what made it blew up! But slowly it became more about the numbers, and the followers, and engagement and now I feel like are constantly drowning in crappy content and advertisements, all while being shamelessly brainwashed and exploited by companies that want to keep us hooked for as long as possible, even if it means getting us sick!!! I get it: social media changed the lives of so many creators and the financial incentives literally generated a modern gold rush, but eventually I feel like we are going to have all these creators and all these content but it be harder to get people to consume it. Because people are leaving the building!! I honestly feel like social media companies should start looking at this matter ASAP. Bc think about: consumers ARE the majority. Every creator is also a consumer but not every consumer is a creator. Maybe its time to stop focusing solely on creators and start worrying about keeping the consumers interested and happy, instead of sick and miserable.

[@fandominspired7779]

I really felt this when I first wanted to write a blog. I didn’t want to make a business, promote a product, etc. I just wanted to share my experiences for anyone who would benefit from them. But every article, every how-to, and every tutorial id found was about SEO, monetization, and nothing about just writing quality content. I eventually found great writing advice but I had to really dig for it. I hate the assumption that everything must be monetized

[@jangucreates]

THANK YOU. I'm a designer who works on branding, logos, visual design, brand identity, and creating apps, software, and user experiences for digital products. And a millennial. so in theory, I have the skills to build myself as a brand, but I stopped at my freelance personal branding because that's a capability that I need to sell to clients. Ive been told before that I'm missing a big opportunity by not crafting my own online brand since that's what I do for a living.but I've always stayed away from that and fought myself because... Of this! This idea that each person NEEDS a brand. No. You're a normal person, and social media is social media. In the real world, unless youre a celebrity, a company, an ambassador, influencer, someone who sells something to someone, you don't need that. Keep that off your Christmas list.😂

[@QuirkyTJones]

There are sooooo many buzzwords that I hate that people learned and overly used.

[@OutragedPufferfish]

Examples?

[@wil.d_sage]

@@OutragedPufferfishnarcissism, gaslighting, nonverbal, overstimulating, triggers, toxic

[@TevinRoyaldawn]

This was so refreshing. People definitely shouldn't feel pressured to post, I be out here postn away for fun and vibes, oh and staying hydrated.

[@joh2434]

Until recently I worked in the 9-5 corporate world where this kind of stuff was being talked about 10 years ago. It was bullshit then and it's bullshit now.

[@Eddysig]

I appreciate you saying you have a private quiet hobby. I've always felt like, on display, growing up with the level of vigilance on what im doing, and the lack of genuine interest by authority figures to know my personal motive for something. I have a recent disability, and I used to run all the time. I don't now as much because of my pain and recently my brothers have picked up running. It has made me so jealous and stuff because of how much of a big deal THEY make it, and how i personally have NEVER wanted the amount of attention I feel forced to endure when just doing activities. Point is, I feel validated for wanting to just do something simply, for fun, just for me. Thanks

[@humaneconnection]

I think one thing that has helped me not fall into this trap at least on Instagram is just to not put my face in any photos. My Instagram is basically just photography of what I see around me, which conveys my personality a lot better than any picture of myself posing that I would have ever taken. And same when I see other influencers - I love seeing the little photos and videos they take of a lake they're at, a pretty tree they notice, a cat that they're petting. It gives a much better idea of what their life experience is, and gives more freedom to express yourself through sharing their POV rather than their "personal brand".

[@sweetpeaon3]

yeah!! i LOVE this one tumblr account that posts beautiful pictures of the countryside at different times of the year and day. it's absolutely breathtaking and calming to me. i have a rule now where i only follow smaller creators or people whose work i either have purchased or plan to purchase. so my instagram is full of people like a guy doing backflips, a veteran who bakes cookies, and a young woman who dresses in grandmacore outfits. :)

[@humaneconnection]

@@sweetpeaon3 omgggg yesss that is so wholesome!!

[@s.m815]

It kinda reminds me of another video about acting rich just to go broke. And imo i feel like its a bit of a dangerous game with yourself because of how hard people will go just to hold onto that image they have. And try to be that it person for the public and just people in general its almost brainwashing.

[@s.m815]

And to even add onto that its sad, because I even see my own friends do it. They won't act like themselves and try to push that persona. Their socials would look a certain way to perfection no mistakes at all. And then it just starts to come off as artificial.

[@ahstiasummers5583]

Gotta wonder how long they'll keep it up and what'll happen when they inevitably break. Going into debt for luxury goods won't last forever

[@cherryivana1129]

I’m not gone hold u, this is how I feel about ppl constantly selling e-books. I’m tired……

[@ElizabethJIsHere]

After turning 26 and accepting how being so online wasn’t serving me in my mental and emotional growth, I took some weeks off to reassess my online relationship. I have to be for work and to some extent I want to be for pleasure. Figuring out how each of those manifest without group one intention for the other, I’ve been more happy to be apart of the online spear

[@Reckoning2943]

This resonated a lot with me. I like playing the guitar, whether it is by myself or on stage, I like running long distances competitively, I used to like bodybuilding and MMA, but I don’t feel like a “runner” or a “musician”, I didn’t feel like a fighter or “bodybuilder”/ “gym bro” whatever either because it’s first and foremost me, not some label. it’s the combination of MY INTERPRETATION of those interests that result in the person I am. If you slap a popular “brand” onto yourself, you erase your identity to become another cardboard copy of some trending concept. Millennials and Gen Z seem to be allergic to true individuality, many boomers and Gen Xers complain about this, they say that back in the day you could tell people apart, not only by looks but especially by their opinion and stance on things. Now you have many people but only a small hand full of opinions and styles, and for once, I don’t go “ok boomer” because they actually have a point.

[@DominiqueRamseyArt]

Many are now aware that entrepreneurs can make money from branding ourselves, but those individuals do NOT need to be doing what we are doing just to exist. Most will not be able to do that successfully and turn their hobbies into a profit, but that's normal and ok. However, in America the types of jobs available are dwindling, so people are just trying to survive. I cannot fully blame them.

[@TheAxio300]

When I first went to college in 2018 one of the classes required was how to build a personal brand, even then I thought "I'm not a fucking product I don't need a fucking brand"

[@kiaraaa54]

I was definitely caught in this at one point. I've unplugged from all social media (except KZbin and Reddit) for almost two years now, and it's been so good for my mental health. I'm living a happy, quiet life and rediscovering who I am without all of the noise. My circle/support system is smaller, but it's full of nothing but genuine love. Thanks for the video!

[@RR-ut3xl]

I enjoy being known of as little as possible, if my phone rings its a bad day😂😂

[@sweetpeaon3]

I've been SEEING THE WRITING ON THE WALL. I actually have had this recommended to me for weeks now and I was waiting for the right occasion to unpack it, discuss it, celebrate it. The vibe of personal branding is so real at my university that for 2 years I felt guilty for doing nothing with my LinkedIn account. I think there have been people who have made it work for them and found their dream careers, but I've always been very private and in the business of not doing too much. The way I figure it is: if you have to fake your way into a job by posting, as you put it, your highlights reel of your life... then it isn't worth it. I've had this entire summer to myself and to find my passions again. I didn't find it in a motivational video, I found it because it was already within myself. If I ever choose to platform it, it'll be because I want to preserve the legacy of myself, the same way I would keep old notebooks full of my drawings or journal entries.

[@neebieslittleluxuries]

This main character issue is literally insane. Wdym personal brand?!? Building an online presence is NOT necessary 😂. I mean I only started making KZbin videos to reach other luxury lovers but my other forms of social media are just for fun! Not to say KZbin isn’t fun, it totally is! It’s just a very controlled peak into my life. I don’t JUST buy luxury but I play several instruments and I’m a huge rollercoaster enthusiast. That’s just a couple, but I show it all on my other forms of socials outside of KZbin. I agree people need hobbies. I could never “brand” myself. Self expression should be encouraged, not so controlled. I find it strange I guess! I wish we could all just be who we are and be freed of the social media perception shackles! 💕great video.

[@FINNSTIGAT0R]

When something starts to get pushed hard by lots of people, like this self branding, you know it's about to be over as in any way a beneficial thing. Personal brands, like everything else, are valuable only when they are rare. But when there's millions upon millions upon millions of self branded individuals out and about - then nobody cares anymore. Good luck having a huge cash flow for "just being you", when everyone has a highly curated personal brand. Who's the one who's paying all those people then?

[@fakename4683]

I am a millennial but raised by baby boomer grandparents so I have a weird mix of millennial, Gen X, and Boomer interests (computer, ham radio, crocheting, D&D) and got anxiety about 15 years ago when the concept of personal brand was introduced (HBR is not good for mental health). There are a lot of people who comment who don’t actually buy into this concept. Worked through most of this time doing work for Social Services or Public Works depending on the year. One thing I do want to note is that a lot of the culture you are reacting to is generally big city culture. A lot of small town culture Gen Z people still go to bars, do stupid things (like using a cattle prod to brand themselves) and shy away from the pull of the social media lifestyle. Truly wishing your Gen (and mine) the best. But a lot of people do live their lives devoid of personal branding. Younger people had so many traps that tripped you up. Even things like “hustle culture” mean different things to different ages. Hustle to me is learning to integrate my experiences into new approaches to my problems and not this idea of perfecting my image. Image is what it is and is fickle at best. Personal brands are harmful in my opinion. It gets in the way of developing a personal internal dialogue that is beholden only to one’s values. Especially during the years when my income would fluctuate between 0$ and 100k (Currently making a wage somewhere between that now). Can’t even imagine how I would have reacted if I tied my self worth to products. Chronically online (mainly because KZbin functions as a radio talk show I listen to while doing at home projects (electrical, cleaning, or landscaping).

[@oya-adjuasankofa7338]

Crocheting has been around way longer than Boomers lolz.

[@fakename4683]

@@oya-adjuasankofa7338 Didn’t say it was, just something my grandmother taught me as a child.

[@darksidegryphon5393]

"[...](like using a cattle prod to brand themselves)[...]" Ah, yes! Personal brand.

[@RikodiusRex]

If you're not a business, you don't need a brand. I'm a choreographer. I'm a business. I use a brand. It's not in authentic. I need a brand in order to market myself to get work the simple fact Normies think that they need a personal brand is insane.

[@kphoria1009]

calling people who don’t own a business “normies” is crazy

[@vapor4]

​@@kphoria1009you obviously don't get it

[@an_0707]

I’m not trying to build a personal brand but i did try the romanticize your life approach in social media context before and it felt like i’m performing my own life. it was subtle like i couldn’t figure out why i felt that way at first but initially it felt like i got my life together and thought that that’s who i am. but if we look at it closely when we do things in front of a camera or with the knowledge someone will see it we become self conscious and curate our every move to build this story or image of who we think we are or we want to be or how we want others to see us. while i am for living life intentionally there’s a thin line i think between intention and curation where the former feels more of being present with who you are every step of the way while the latter feels like youre looking at yourself as a project. It’s a easy to get caught up in images even the one you make for yourself not that it’s not important but it takes awareness and clarity to create your image that aligns with who you truly are

[@tylerhackner9731]

I agree completely. Just live!

[@toxyvella]

All this "branding oneself" is just a prison that doesn't allow for organic growth.

[@projectalice8119]

Paying to watch other people have a life rather than having a life of your own is probably why some many young people are on anti-depressants.

[@aca-scuseyou2043]

As someone who is constantly eager to change n evolve into the better me and cannot stick to a particular style ig im constantly "rebranding"💀💀😭😭 this bs needs to stop unless ur actually earning from it

[@msss7451]

That bit about LinkedIn that flashed on the screen. All the sudden makes a lot of sense to me because I am how I am online and how I am offline and data flies to LinkedIn too lol which explains a lack of interaction. I get on there whenever I'm looking for a job 😅

[@Kenya449]

I prefer to live a more authentic life on and offline. It’s better for me mentally not feeling like I have to keep up or update everything I do/buy. I don’t even post often like how I did when I was younger trying to act like I’m just living this great money getting life. I love it that way.

[@jjongolose]

i’ve been the centre of cyber bullying and targeted harassment constantly since i was very young, so this january i finally realised that social media isn’t for me and wanted to quit for my mental health. the tiktokers advising me to “create a personal brand” is lowkey scary lmaoooo

[@kphoria1009]

just be a nice and compassionate person who lives to enjoy life

[@nikkiu.2148]

I was so confused as to how someone could monetize running (outside of being an athlete) until I reached 9:55, wild to think abt how we can really monetize anything

[@Mistardmuster]

The concepts of self care and working on the self have become so skewed now because the self has become a product. The inner self exists to be a spectacle. Even in the privacy of your home (which let's be real it isn't private, your phones and Alexas and doorbells and whatever are always there listening to you), it's inescapable because we're so used to having some vast unseeable audience watch us constantly. We're always wondering if our thoughts and actions are approved by the masses and make us appealing, and what kinds of labels can we slap on our preferences to make us look most desirable. We weren't made for that. We weren't designed for any of it.

[@vvitch-mist20]

When it comes to monetizing hobbies, people don't realize that there is a whole different mindset when creating for public consumption. I'm a writer, and have always intended to be published. My whole writing style developed to cater to others, and I can walk the line between what I want and what my potential audience wants without much issue. Hobby writers might have a hard time adjusting to criticism that will be launched their way when reviewers critique their work, while someone like me would be more welcoming to it because that's just what you expect.

[@blj1523]

13:25 that is SOOO sad lol us older millennials made our entire late teens and early/mid 20’s posting pictures of our random drunken nights out the next day on fb as a means to purposely embarrass, spark laughter and re-create the night we were too drunk to remember. the fact that people are scared about this now and that people devalue authenticity is REALLY sad lol

[@rackynjeff]

We lost the moment we started monetizing our lives. It’s gross.

[@Its_Akeria]

About the hobbies, I had to relax and eventually found freedom when I allow myself to just try things and let them go when I was no longer interested as opposed to trying to stick to something just so that I could learn how to monetize it. I.e. pottery or creating resin jewelry.

[@maple4633]

My university is so obsessed with this concept- even more than I see online. In my final year of Graphic Design at one of my countries' top universities, all I hear is lecturers recommending us to specialise, have a look/ feel, present ourselves in a certain way so that employers can easily see if we would be a good fit in their company. I wonder if part of this phenomenon is due to social media & the rise of the global culture, but maybe also because Gen Z is getting older and trying to work out where they fit not only in the world but also in the workspace?

[@HerbnAura]

You can also apply this to online dating. The personal brands of people on their dating profiles do not always translate to IRL relationships. Its easy for people to present themselves a certain way online.

[@silsperspective4828]

Gen Z is cooked 💀

[@yourleastfavouritpodcast]

And gen Alpha is Burnt

[@SailorCanisMajoris]

Just realized how unintentionally i went against the grain with this "trends", or rather how much i despise capitalism. As soon i see anything i enjoy as a money making gig i will just abandon it without a second thought. Can't be bothered to even think about it, cause it just sucks all the joy out of it, gonna be bad at my hobbies forever and it's just fine, noone but me is gonna benefit from it. Same with social media, i will just post anything and everything, unfiltered, no career in politics or influencing for me, cause i will be put on blast day one 😅

[@Jules2439.5]

Basically everyone’s expected to become a walking advertisement if they’re going to live comfortably in this day and age. It’s very weird and sad. You can even see how the authenticity of art like movies and shows has declined. Everything feels like corporate sludge, even people’s entire personalities. I can’t even blame them.

[@amantemotshewa3611]

Im so glad u msde this video. I am really feeling this as im just finishing my first year in uni and figuring myself out thank u❤

[@view-camera-queen]

I think there’s some kind of connection to depression and aniexty linked to this… doing this personally and for a company. A doctor I went to said they refer to it as social media heart when social media workers come in with chest pain. I left a job being a director of media because I had panic attacks and chest pain all the time. There’s something not right about it, and I think it is harmful.

[@lotushomemedia]

Rlly good book just came out called "The Influencer Factory: A Marxist Theory of Corporate Personhood on KZbin". Basically about this exact thing

[@veevee411]

Thanks for sharing, will def pick it up

[@purple__3819]

feels illegal to be this early

[@Web-Diane]

The issue there is no work life balance so there is no time for folks to explore hobbies or indulge in them enough for it to matter.

[@plasticbag5308]

I learned as a kid to only post big events that occur like graduations and weddings 😅 stuck by that wholeheartedly

[@zenleeparadise]

This is a good rule of thumb! I wish more people were more mindful of what they put on the internet, and I wish more parents especially taught their children to be more mindful of what they put on the internet.

[@leticiatuset1028]

And I totally agree with the fact that personal brands can inhibit personal connections bc we automatically assume they won’t “match” or “fit” our brand/personality/vibe. I cannot count the amount of times I misjudged someone and we ended up being besties fr 😂 Assumptions and impressions are just that - not facts and they’re not final. As a generation I think we need to learn to have patience, curiosity, and give people a chance. A personal brand, if you choose to cultivate one, doesn’t have to be so restrictive

[@LoveEachDay94]

The personal brand thing makes me so mad. Went to college and got a cert in media marketing. Hate it. Gotten to the point where you’re expected to have a personal brand for any job.

[@ramenaddict1676]

i never understood this. how about discover youre REAL identity and personality yknow????

[@aDarph_]

This one was surprisingly good. Usually I get a bit annoyed with many of your videos because a lot of your conclusions are based on vibes with few specifics or objective facts but this one was good. I’m a lame ass millennial who went to elementary school in the 90s. I say this because even we millennials are victims of this personal branding stuff. I am an artist (not by profession) and have made music (mostly) and other art since I was 14. At first it was for its own sake. Now after social media has hijacked our brains I started doing it for the likes, money, recognition. Finally, I realized that I always did my best work when I did these things for myself. I stopped posting on socials and then only posted again once I wanted to share my work. And I shared without expectation, on my own terms. It didn’t matter if no one saw or cared or if it sucked. We all want to share with the world but we need to drop the need to be recognized for everything we share whether that comes in the form of money, fame, or recognition of any kind. I think there really is something to the idea of going “Monk Mode” on socials and just disappearing without notice for like 6 months to a year.

[@sandydotsea]

I feel that building a personal brand is a valid reason to post on social media, depending on the intent of why the person wants to do it in the first place. Yes, it can totally bring professional opportunities, depending on how the person presents themselves and if that's something they want, but it can also help creators connect with people who have the same interests and values, which sometimes may be hard to find in our own physical environment. Building a personal brand that is actually congruent with the actual person, which could consist of one's authentic values, career and/or interests, is something I feel could be productive for the growth of a person. It may take more work to actually do so, for example, working through the feeling of having to perform (which makes a lot of sense why a lot of us do so), learning to not give in to outside trends or pressures, and getting to know how to be yourself, but I feel generally it can give someone the opportunity and extra push to self reflect and improve their character, knowing that other people are watching and may be learning from what is being shared. Not all people want to do it either, which is totally okay too. I think it really depends on the person. And I totally agree, I think one of the main problems is that people are acting different from who they are, it seems easy to fall into this nowadays. I appreciate you talking about this. Was a good opportunity to reflect on this age of social media. Curious to hear what you or other people think

[@user-bi8ko7kc6h]

I do agree we shall build our brands BUT don’t go public to advertise it. What I mean is you should be yourself, have your own ‘trend’, your style etc. I can tell majority of ‘personal brand to earn money online’ are fake. Majority of them don’t live like what we can see online. They built a ‘perfect lifestyle’ image so people follow them and want to live like them. It has a big impact on regular people especially for young people because they get depressed by thinking why I work so hard but can’t live like that, why my life sucks etc.

[@Meganyeni]

Commodifying your personality is crazy.

[@Crabernacker]

Babe you work at starbucks you dont need a personal brand

[@RomanticLoveDrama]

😂😂😂 people are delusional

[@Joshdifferent]

😂

[@kayleighdriessen]

The only "brand" I've ever been concerned with is improving myself and basically go anti-capitalism as much as I can.

[@Vincetagram]

yeah it kinda blows my mind that regular people who aren't social media figures, ceos, entertainers, politicians or other public figures whose livelihood may partially or completely depend on their personal brand feel the need to have a personal brand lol.

[@dasanii2467]

Gen z and millenlialls arent brand obsessed. you guys just need to make content so you say that. no one can afford anything right now, influencers are not majority of the population.

[@gertrude137]

You misinterpreted.

[@elzzieesther]

Amazing analysis. I love the way you speak about things. Btw you're so funny, whenever you'd laugh in the video, I'd laugh too lol. Hobbies should remain as something we are passionate of and gives us fulfillment in our lives. When we monetize it, we are giving it away to others and we tend to approach the hobby by putting more pressure on ourselves and stressing over how we can perfect it for other people's lenses. For some time, I did that with my writing and I realized how worse the quality got when I wrote the way I felt others would like to see and it didn't feel right, so I stopped. Thank you for your knowledge Imurgency 👌🏻:)

[@stretchmonster]

Yeah, I don't need a brand. I'm not a purse.

[@Ruinwyn]

The very basic idea of branding is about creating a static image. That is fundamentally problematic when talking about Gen Z. The oldest Gen Z aren't yet 30. The youngest are teenagers. Those are the years you gain most new experiences that you are expected to navigate entirely on your own. Those are the years your personality has best chances of shaping itself. You shouldn't be trying to box yourself into a brand during that time.

[@yakhalheart]

I feel like Gen Z is the worst aspects of millennials, with none of the redeeming qualities, put on steroids.

[@dohnjoe735]

Everyone is a 'freelancer' in the social sphere and the dating sphere etc

[@ellouisebadger849]

As someone that is not a content creator and not making money on social media, no I do not need a personal brand 😂

[@kairos-049]

Buying into capitalism so hard that you make an effort to commodify yourself sounds so profoundly miserable. This is so dystopian

[@EgyptianOracle]

Part of the new age model is for everyone to have visibility on social platforms. It’s how this planet ascends.

[@bleachedout805]

Running isn't a hobby that is just fitness. A hobby is something multifaceted like gardening, painting, painting figurines, gaming, urban exploration, amauter sleuthing. You get it now? Running is just a simple task now if you start doing marathons then you have graduated to a hobby potentially.

[@joelman1989]

Literally no one cares about your personal brand. You can spend hours curating your Instagram but I promise you the 100 people that like your photo looked at it for 1 seconds and didn’t give it much thought.

[@floptimus]

I worked in marketing for years, the idea of building a personal brand is so dumb it makes me want to cry. It screams those wanna be influencer spending thousands to simp for a brand hoping to be recognized by them to rep a brand officially. That is just peak stupid capitalism.

[@bumblebee-op8hl]

this is craziness. this whole problem seems like some niche issue of people who live in a bubble of wannabe influencers. this view of yourself and life in general is so surface level and shallow, and nothing was said about it. the only problem that is brought up that making parts of your personality a brand is anxiety inducing. it's like begging people to have something for themselves but low-key promise that it will make their brand stronger in the long run because they will appear more "genuine". nothing have been said about how being a greedy emotional bancropt is just repulsive. feels like no one would even dare to better themselves in silence with not even a promise of future monetization. like it's not even an option

[@Hma-q2g]

And they all have a course to sell

[@SquawkingSnail]

Why be yourself? With just a few little tweaks you too can market yourself like a commodity... It's alright, it's not shallow or superficial at all, everyone's doing it now. 😢

[@victoredwardo9485]

Remember when Fiona Apple said we think too much about ourselfs? This Is what she meant

[@andrelockridge9109]

I first noticed this brand obsession in late 70s- early 80s with the designer jeans craze and it never stopped I never cared saved money not buying into the hype.

[@DimaRakesah]

I know people love to blame social media for all our problems, but I really see this is an issue of rampant capitalism. People wouldn't need to "brand" their personality if they didn't need the money and fame to find validation. So much of our society has quickly become all about making and flaunting money in order to prove one's "worth". Social media is just a tool for them to do it on. Tech is notoriously under regulated and (at least in the US) our aging representatives often do not understand it let alone how to regulate it. Now we've got a society where for a lot of young people the most likely way to find success is to try to be an influencer or a finance bro or run some kind of scheme selling courses to other desperate people. Hell, I get ads for these scammy courses and pyramid schemes on youtube all the time! Where are the ethics? KZbin juts wants more money, so they take the ad money from these scammers and perpetuate the problem. And that's just one example. It's EVERYWHERE! Look at all the scams on tiktok shop! Everything is about the hustle.

[@starsinger5935]

Agreed it’s not social media it’s capitalism infiltrating social media

[@KakuroKing3407]

It’s so sad to see ‘branding’ be viewed as a full time situation. I take my “brand” to mean how I talk to people and how I work through problems, not styles

[@miglezation]

Hey, unrelated to the topic of the video (I guess?), but why is there a Prime Video Fallout series poster randomly unblurred in the background?

[@katiemackcomments]

okay non influencer bestie!! that was such a fun tidbit to include, loved that

[@Drbob369]

personal brand translation: narcissistic personality disorder, the genz and gen alpha stereotype