Hyper-Individualism, Be Gone!
We are finally experiencing what feels like a warm spring afternoon in Pennsylvania today. The weather is about mid-fifties (also how I like my men), and the sun is shining so brightly to melt all of the stubborn snow that we were hit with last weekend.
It feels so good outside that I am finding it incredibly difficult to focus on typing and being indoors right now. I had one errand that required me to go out today and now that it’s complete, I am trying to find even more reasons to take in the fresh air!
I made a stop at the library and got a book about asset allocation for dummies and I also got a very simply-written book about watercolor techniques. With all of the things going on right now, I feel nothing but gratitude. How blessed am I to be able to rest on a weekend? How blessed am I to have a to-do list and to have a purpose and reason for my life? I don't want to involve anything religious because I am so far from it, but practicing gratitude has made my life feel so much lighter. More people should try it.
I had prepared this post to be published almost two weeks ago after reading an article at the nail salon about hyper-individualism. Here it is below:
“It is the second week into February and I am finally getting my nails done for the first time since December. My last manicure left my nails feel dry, brittle, and paper thin, so a break felt necessary.
Here I am back in a chair that I promised myself that I wouldn’t visit again until at least April. Oh well! I got some good reading done and I’m ready to talk about it.
A few nights ago I was scrolling aimlessly on TikTok and came across a woman creating “motivational content” and repeating to viewers that “everyone can’t go! Stop sharing your hobbies with people you know!”. I left a pretty nasty comment that unfortunately got me blocked (boo hoo). But then further into my scrolling I realized that there was a theme occurring of more and more people on social media promoting this concept called hyper-individualism.
I didn’t realize that I left my book (and my car keys omg) inside of my car until too late and I decided that this would be a perfect opportunity for me to look further into the concept and see exactly what it is, where it comes from, and who it affects.
Needless to say, I learned a lot.
It is so hard for me to figure out where to start talking about it. We can first start talking about the causes — there are a lot. The reference article below shares so much about it. There are impacts that reflect back on political figures, consumerism reflecting our own personal values and we feel the need to constantly perform for others and one-up the person to our left.
Something that truly stood out to me was in the media we consume. The upcoming generation literally grew up with social media and technology being their cornerstone for communication. I hate to age myself here, but my generation and those older than me were introduced to technology gradually as it slowly evolved and became more accessible to us. This article and a few others referenced tv shows that spotlighted people who succeeded based on how they looked, and not based on the quality of work they produced. Growing up with this sort of mindset develops a sort of entitlement that very well explains why some people believe that just arriving at work or school on time is enough for societal acceptance.
The value of learning and exploration is diminishing. Hobbies and communication are scarce.”
I volunteered last weekend as a part of my new year goal to do at least one personal growth or community favor activity per month. In January I attended the 2026 ASSA conference (an economic nerd gathering) for a weekend, and in February I volunteered at a nearby food bank. These extra events are not to be confused with my seasonal hobbies, though the schedules do overlap a bit.
At the food bank this weekend, I realized that no one looked like me – race aside because I'm pretty much used to being the only black person in the room these days. What I mean is that no one was within my age group volunteering. There were a few high schoolers that I chatted with briefly, but if the volunteer hours were not required for graduation, they’d be at home.
I can go on about why I believe we should reframe volunteering away from the idea of “giving back” and shift the reason for volunteering to “I am doing something kind because I am a kind person and the support is needed in my community”.
I may never be able to predict what social impacts result from hyper-individualism in the long-run, but I do know that we are ‘losing recipes’ as the young folks say. A solution may never come.
That last sentence sounds like I think the world is ending lol I dont. There is so much to live for.
Article link:
TTYL!
Fran.
