Does anyone still work?

The day-in-the-life trend has taken over social media apps like YouTube and TikTok. This is nothing new. People sharing their day-in-the-life videos often show a very relaxed day in which they wake up, have a nice breakfast, have an easy commute to work, get some elaborated caffeinated drink before sitting at their desks, work for a few minutes, and then walk around campus, chatting with other people, getting what appears a free lunch, snacks, etc.

Then they show themselves back at their desks, going for a walk, a run, a yoga class, getting juice, another coffee, etc. The whole thing is extraordinary, and it is not what most people think of as work and not the work experience most people have, especially those watching these videos. But in reality, the work they are doing is the video itself, the content is the result of that work, it’s entertainment, and that is someone’s work.

While many people continue to admire and probably feel jealous about these videos, there are also many people now who are cynic and are calling them out, saying things like “does anyone work anymore?”, “We deserve a recession,” etc.

I have always seen these videos as entertainment, nothing more than just people oversharing and exaggerating their work experience or even faking it a bit. Many companies, especially tech companies, offer food, snacks, plush work environments, etc. But it is also true that there is a lot of work to do, and a day-in-the-life video of a regular day wouldn’t look like what you see in these videos. It’s entertainment, and we all should see it as such.

But these videos show us, once again, how people are eager to be liked, recognized, and even envied by other people, mostly strangers. Also, many people who watch these videos believe that this is real life and that those people’s lives are perfect. Trust me; no one has a perfect life.

It’s entertainment, but too many people see it as real life, which is the problem. Please think of this, when you are enjoying a moment or an entire day in your life, the last thing you’ll think of doing is recording it. You’d be so into the things you are doing, the people you are with, and the food or drinks you enjoy that there is no time to pick up a camera and record a video for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, etc.

Now, capturing moments and even your day with a camera is fine. Nothing wrong with that. But people believe these videos are examples of people’s everyday lives, which can be a problem.

Who’s here to blame? I don’t know. People could enjoy these videos for what they are, entertainment, and not let themselves compare their everyday life with the ones portrayed in these videos. Just like we don’t compare ourselves with those superheroes from Marvel movies – I hope no one is.

We all have interesting things in our lives, interesting people, and interesting things that we do. We need to understand that. So let’s open our eyes and enjoy ourselves as much as possible. A day-in-the-life video is that person’s vision of a perfect day from their perspective.

It’s even possible that the best part of the day for the person who posted the video is not what they showed, but the time after they post the video and wait for views and likes to arrive.

So, does anyone work anymore? Yes, most people still do—even that girl from the video in the screenshot above. We do work to get what we want, such as money, status, followers, credibility, fame, etc. We work to achieve our goals, whatever they might be. But, our work shouldn’t be what others want it to be or their idea of what work is.

Do we deserve another recession? No, we don’t. What we deserve is a decent government that works for its citizens.

Regardless of whether or not you like these videos, the truth is that work will continue to evolve, and more people will continue to explore getting paid to do their own thing, using the tools available to them, like social media, our smartphones, etc.

The idea of working at an office, looking down at a computer for hours on end, that’s disappearing. And we need to accept that. Of course, the future of work is different, but that’s a conversation for another day.

I hope you have a pleasant day.