I don’t have regard for the American Dream and I don’t think anyone else does either. It’s an outdated, obsolete standard of success. There are a multitude of avenues to achieve success; no longer is there a one-size-fits-all mold that determines how much or little an individual has achieved.
The structures and confines that our parents grew up with have been done away with, and the structures that existed before their time are even further removed. Some people make money from reviewing food on TikTok, posting day-in-the-lives on Instagram, or creating ASMR videos on YouTube. Success can be whatever you want it to be, as long as an individual is content with their way of life and feels adequate about themselves and what they achieved.
The American Dream was once the standard for success in the United States; it centered around individual achievement, with a notable ethos of hard work, equality, freedom and opportunity. Important goals along the way included homeownership, starting a family, achieving financial stability, starting a business, and climbing the economic and social ladder.
However, the American Dream has changed, reflecting how our perceptions of success have changed. Success is no longer rigidly defined as a white picket fence, a beagle with two and a half kids. Now, young people are reshaping success as a more personalized concept: prioritizing passive income, autonomy, work-life balance and work-from-home jobs.
Being employed is becoming more conceptual than concrete in today’s workforce. Work has shifted from being in the office from 9-5, to working from the comforts of your home or, for some, not having to “work” at all. In the time out the office, many employees found less intensive yet lucrative ways to source income, transforming social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram into networking tools used for marketing products and expanding businesses.
Namely, creators like Mr.Beast and Druski have excelled and built themselves up as notable creators with an unfathomably large amount of wealth, obtained through their social media presence and fan engagement on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. They are the entity that creates and sells a product, service or experience.
Mr.Beast has built his fame and fortune without any formal vocational training or advanced degree, his success can be purely attributed to his humor and ability to entertain and engage an audience on social media. His YouTube channels, Mr.Beast and Mr.Beast Gaming, have respectively amassed 208 million and 38.9 million subscribers. Which have given him the power to leverage sponsorship deals that yield lucrative payouts of around $2.5 million to $3 million.
Furthermore, the American Dream is no longer attached to the four-year college pipeline into stable careers. Online learning platforms, coding boot camps and affordable educational resources are enabling people to develop valuable skills outside of traditional college pathways.
The United States, home to a diverse array of individuals from all walks of life, can’t offer a one-size-fits-all pathway to success. The rise of different voices shaped by race, gender, sexual orientation and cultural backgrounds has broadened the definition of success. The United States’ diverse nature encourages individuals to define their ideas for success. Ultimately, the American Dream has become a more fluid, diverse and individual aspiration, reflecting the complex, interconnected world in which we live.
Technological advancements have further transformed the landscape of opportunity, reducing the need for strenuous labor while creating new avenues for success. As more people gain opportunities for learning and improving their skills, they are better equipped to pursue their goals, regardless of their background. Granting opportunities to those who otherwise would be at a disadvantaged playing field.
Today’s modern world creates windows of opportunity and hope for a level playing field between the lower to middle class and the upper class. There is an array of unique opportunities and technological advancements that have merged the gaps between rich and poor. Less emphasis is placed on traditional vocational or educational backgrounds and more emphasis on what skills you naturally possess that can be leveraged to achieve success.
