Investigating Hustle Cultures Rebrand
It turns out money can buy happiness, and here's how. Self-help “gurus” have probably flooded your timeline, delivering tips on efficiently spending your money and time. This article will discuss how mainstream self-help is used to deteriorate interpersonal relationships and reinforce capitalism. The elder half of Generation Z has entered the workforce within the last five years and is falling victim to hustle culture dressed up as self-help like their millennial predecessors. If you fall into the age bracket of Gen Z, you've probably noticed your peers begin to suffer from burnout and depression.
The hustle culture we know today was born from Workaholism, which debuted in the 1970s with the rise of technological advancements. Hustle Culture became prominent after the 2008 recession and prompted millennials entering the workforce to put in more hours and grind to achieve in such a harsh economic climate. Seeking guidance through the chaos, millennials resorted to self-help books, which advised readers on how to maximize their time, network in social settings, and move up the social ladder. This “grind” encouraged working full-time while picking up a side hustle and performing freelance work to bring in extra cash. Inevitability, these long extents of grinding led to burnout and alienation from family and friends, urging most millennials to slow down and reevaluate their physical and mental health. These reevaluations led younger millennials to shift from self-help to self-care, while most older millennials stayed steadfast in pursuing capital gain.
The real heavyweights of the self-help market are boomers who grew up through the Workaholic era of the 70s. Most self-help books are written by men from the boomer generation, littered with capitalistic goals and misogyny. Of the 17 most prominent and top-earning motivational speakers, 12 are in their 60s or older and looking to retire. These stats show a fluctuation in the self-help market in the coming years. The primary consumers in the self-help market are women in their 40s and 50s, who may just be the next to take the reigns. But what would push older Millenials to step into the shoes of boomers?... Money.
As of 2020, the self-help industry was valued at $10.5 billion and expects to grow to $14 billion by 2025. It would be lucrative for anyone of the struggling millennial generation to take part in the market. All of this culminates in the next generation. As mentioned, most younger millennials have opted out of hustle culture and self-help, leaving all eyes on Gen Z. Gen Z has shown signs of bucking against tradition. The eldest of gen z have chosen only to work where they are valued, causing most to turn their eyes to more entrepreneurial interests. One of the top three self-help topics is Career/Interview (7.8%), showing that entrepreneurs always find their way to the self-help section. Unfortunately, these entrepreneurial pursuits will only contribute to the parasitic system of capitalism.
Self-help is advertised to gen z through literature, podcasts, and video essays. Advice given in those mediums includes cutting off relationships that can not help you move to the next level, spending copious hours in your work, and staying fit and healthy only to keep up with traditional beauty norms in hopes of being a part of the 1%. Self-help is used to keep those under a capitalistic system trained to operate under the said system. This mindset results in a competitive, individualistic outlook on the world, leading to a lack of empathy and a decrease in unity within one's community. Often many members of gen z either conflate or confuse self-care for self-help. We must stay mindful of the content entering the zeitgeist and understands where it stems from and how it oppresses. We must challenge and dismantle them to move away from such content and systems rather than try to indulge and join them.