So, we all watched the video of that girl on TikTok crying over her 9-5, right? It was so
cringe! I mean all she did was whine and moan about doing her job – a thing we all have to
do! Maybe we don’t all have ‘big girl jobs’ yet but when we do we’ll be fine with it, right?
I don’t know if we will.
The majority of people who saw @Brielleybelly123’s video seemed to be already working a
9-5 and argued it’s just the reality. However, I believe the majority of TikTok users have their
9-5 a little beyond them. When I saw this video – as a college student, it left a sense of dread.
When you haven’t began something yet but everyone is already telling you how bad it will be it can be hard to temper the storm and form your own opinion.
What struck me was less my own dread, but that of others. I want to be a journalist. I’m doing
a course in journalism and writing in any magazine or paper I can find. A 9-5 for me in
journalism is the end goal. But, if you don’t have that figured out and you’re like the 25% of
Gen Z’s (according to NPR) that would rather replicate their favourite influencers than any
old school 9-5, then her fears may be founded.
There’s been a change in what people aspire to spend their lives doing. I remember the rise of
‘I Don’t Dream of Labour’/‘I Don’t Have a Dream Job’ videos, where (mostly wealthy)
woman told their sizeable channels they weren’t all that interested in a 9-5, they’d rather stick
to filling their days with activities and just sharing it with the world of YouTube. A quick
scroll down to the comments sees many agreeing with the dream but showcasing the creators
disconnect with the world as only a slight handful can make that their reality.
The rise of the YouTuber, and later the Influencer has lead children to aspire to a different
type of working life – one of seemingly fun and fabulous places where you are your own
boss. If this isn’t true, why is Southeast Technical University in Carlow set to begin a BA in
Content Creation?
In a world of idyllic ‘Van Lives’ and sponsored vacations, working a 9-5 with little time to
spare for yourself in between is hard. Even Brielle herself pointed this out in a follow up
video to her ‘meltdown’ saying: “Influencers will come on this app [saying] “busy day today”
and it’s lashes, hair and groceries”. While kids and teens may plan to be influencers – most
won’t make it. And even a viral moment isn’t enough to leap-frog from! TikTok is said to pay
between 2 – 4 cents per 1,000 views – meaning even with a million views, that’s only $20 –
$40. Unless you have the backing of managers or sourcing sponsorships and are gaining
opportunities elsewhere, even influencing itself isn’t cutting it.
Brielle’s video has sparked a lot of contention. Nevertheless, the discussion is important even
if sparked by a TikTok. The most important part of a job is to find some meaning in the work
you do. Whether its helping someone else or creating something important. Oftentimes, I feel
the idea of being an influencer is missing this key characteristic. It is utterly vapid. I hope
Brielle feels better soon at her 9-5, because even though her video has 3.3 million views – she
might only make $60.