When was the last time you sat down to do nothing but exist? Growing up with social media has allowed us to learn so much about the world around us. Everyone who has social media tends to forget that you don’t see the whole picture of someone's life through posts and stories. One thing we sometimes fail to realize is that social media often pushes certain narratives onto susceptible teenagers. The problem is not the teenagers, it’s social media influencers who try to take advantage of algorithms and glamorize “hustle culture.”  What really is hustle culture? According to workhuman.com hustle culture is the need to work harder to get ahead no matter what it takes, often at the expense of self care and neglecting one’s physical and mental health. Overworking is glamorized and seen as a badge of honour. 

    

         Some see hustle culture as a form of workaholism. Many teenagers feel they have no other choice but to embrace hustle culture because of the need to have a successful future. Where does this need to be successful come from? This need often comes from a combination of personal ambitions, family pressure, and social media influences. For some, becoming successful is tied to their self worth. They believe the more successful they are, the more others will like and approve of them. Others want to succeed and be the best version of themselves but can feel trapped along the way because of how much work it takes to do so. For others, the need for success comes from parental pressure. Some parents tend to push the dreams they never got to achieve onto their children, almost “forcing” them to work as hard as possible to have a “better future.” They can also pressure their teenagers by comparison. Theodore Rosevelt once said “Comparison is the thief of joy”. I believe this quote heavily applies to Hustle Culture. Teenagers being compared to others can lead to feelings of them not being good enough. I believe that this need comes from social media. A lot of content, especially on Tiktok is framed around the idea that working yourself to the bone and grinding is the only way to make it in life. Tiktok has over 1 billion active users globally making it one of the most used social media platforms in the world. New videos are constantly being created and posted leaving everyone to absorb this content and adapt new ideals because of it. This makes it really easy for the lines between social media and real life to become blurred and not be able to tell the difference between the two worlds. 

 

         “Hustle culture pushes people to work for what they want and become as successful as they want. What’s wrong with that?” There’s a lot wrong with that. Hustle culture can become really toxic because it is not natural or healthy to live for work and spend your entire life chasing money and success. This is a narrative that is pushed so hard onto people that the cycle becomes endless. Not respected enough. Not good enough. Not enough. Hustle culture contributes to the need of being a perfectionist in a way people feel pressured into constantly doing more and constantly doing something for success gain. This can lead to having a fear of failing and higher levels of anxiety. Hustle culture also can take away the importance of rest and relaxation, this is because individuals believe that if they are not constantly working it takes away from their self worth and makes them feel “lazy” and “useless”. With rest, burnout is increasingly more likely to happen and wear away at you quicker. Hustle culture creates a toxic environment when individuals are constantly competing with each other instead of collaborating on work. This can lower morale and lead to feelings of isolation.  

 

         This is not to say that working hard for what you want is wrong or bad, it is to emphasize that you can achieve all your goals and still become successful with having a good work/life balance. It is important to take breaks, make time for things you love, and be okay with doing things that won't make you “more successful”. Success doesn’t have to come from the cost of your happiness or health, it’s natural to slow down, take breaks, and simply exist because that is important for you to feel your best.