Raising our children better thanks to social media

Markus M. Milder
Sep 6, 2018 · 4 min read

Parents from now on will be more demanding of their children and we will get into why. Perhaps the approach to raising children will not necessarily be harsher as the Millennial and Gen Z (iGen) generations have for the most part been raised in relatively gentle circumstances. However, we will value our children having good grades above all else, which would eventually lead to well-paid jobs. Why will social media play a role in this?

20 years ago we had no idea what life our former classmates were living. Perhaps if you were really interested how someone is doing you could ask around or hire a private detective. Also, you can see how everyone is doing at gatherings every few years. But it isn’t something that would stick with you and change how you behave in everyday life. Including how you raise you children. But through social media we can see what happens to people in the future. We are often being reminded of the current situation. Especially when someone starts at a new job, founds a company or has done something (otherwise) noteworthy. It is entirely natural as LinkedIn and other are 21st century business cards. Perhaps the only downer is that if you don’t post much, then the majority might believe you haven’t done anything significant for a while. Because why on earth would you do something remarkable and not let people know? Just FYI, this is me spitballing. I am full aware that most people do great many things while announcing nothing.

As we will see that the very people who may have been less popular in school are the ones achieving their dreams, it will change our thinking on the importance of education. Quoting Bill Gates: “Be nice to nerds, chances are you’ll end up working for one.” Even if you were to hear at a class reunion that the smartest person in the class had recently become a millionaire it probably does not create enough stimuli to change your habits. Which is why it is much more impactful to constantly witness people you “follow” succeed and see the proof more often than once every couple years in media or class reunions.

The real difference in motivation from social media (compared to media for example) is being relatable. Which is simpler with people you know as you came from the same place and had similar hardships. That is why it would be a better motivation if a best friend became a millionaire than watching a random person become a billionaire. Because often there is this feeling that the random one probably had some preconceived edge.

As we see a correlation between how much a person studies and works with how ‘good’ his life is…it’s easy to subconsciously reach a conclusion that the more you focus on studying the better you do later on. Easier than back in the day when there was no constant reminder of your peer being really well off unless he happened to be a billionaire who is often reflected on in the media. This perpetual reminder eventually transforms how new people are being brought up. Soon everyone (connected) might soon have the same work ethic as many Asian-Americans have instilled in their children, allowing them to do well in school. Quoting“Emotional Intelligence” : “Asian-Americans spent 40 percent more time doing homework than did other students. While most American parents are willing to accept child’s weak areas and emphasise the strengths, for Asians, the attitude is that if you’re not doing well, the answer is to study later at night, and if you still don’t do well, to get up and study earlier in the morning. They believe that anyone can do well in school with the right effort.” The only thing I fear is that the competitiveness might steer us in the wrong direction. Which is people hustling for the same jobs without playing for their strengths, phenomenon capable of creating unemployment faster than automation.

True, social media might end up enhancing us through sheer growth in motivation. At some point it could become too dangerous, though. Instead of being inspired by seeing our peers succeed, it will be too hard on us and backfire. Thus, for some it might become a source of depression. We might forget how to make our own life truly awesome. That it’s not about good life, but an interesting one. And that includes trying out being both homeless and rich. We ought to tell our children to prioritise what they are spending their time on. Is it making money, having fun or simply feeling the happiness created by routine and a loving family. You can have anything, but not everything.

All in all, the influence of social media over our desires must be kept in bay. At the same time the inspiring effect, which can be carried on to our children through a slightly stricter upbringing compared to the world without social media… should be magnified as much as possible. With some unconditional love mixed in there for the push to be in the right direction. Otherwise we are going to have a “Brave New World” scenario, but the society modifying us not through genetics, but sheer expectations and prejudice. Funny enough, it would be great to have people read/learn when they’re young and with age integrate online presence into their daily lives. That way they will remain entertained and inspired while knowing that they did all they could by hustling in their youth.

Full Random

Thoughts I'm probably not gonna do anything with so might as well let them out. Take them as tweets, without the 140-character limit, that are written and shared right away.

Markus M. Milder
Full Random
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