mind and muse

I just deleted TikTok, and I’ve never felt better. I desperately needed a temporary detox.

I highly doubt anyone in the ’80s was striving to be misunderstood. Dying to be “niche” is something we’ve adapted upon ourselves as Gen Z. Everyone since forever has been telling the younger generations, “Be yourself,” “Stay unique”… but have we taken this narrative too far?

I deleted TikTok because I couldn’t take it anymore. It easily becomes an endless addiction of listening to uncertified teenage advice and people trying to outdo one another. I’ve realized I don’t need to be aware of everyone’s opinions, because I have my own — and I don’t need my mind to be any more lost than it already is.

All I feel is irritation with today’s youth. It’s either all or nothing when it comes to any topic, and we really can’t win, especially as women. If you’re an Alpha Phi sorority girl in Utah, you’re called diluted and brainwashed. If you’re a matcha-drinking indie girl who only listens to Radiohead, you’re called performative. If you’re a girl who goes to a rap concert every weekend, it’s said that you do everything for the male gaze. All said in a comment section by people who have no idea who you are. Whether your dreams are getting married and having children, or going to Ibiza and seeing all seven continents, somewhere on the internet someone will say that you are morally wrong. The truth is, no one is special or one-of-a kind. Those demographics are just ones personal life. Everyone is already unique as it is, we don’t need more defining terms.

“Niche” has to end. At least the way we define it nowadays.

You are not niche. You are yourself. Niche exists in limited terms. “Niche” is literally defined by a lifestyle that reflects a person’s interests and hobbies — it’s not a competition of who can pull off a vibe better. Now, I too have fallen victim to the niche-maxing propaganda. How could you not? It’s everywhere. It’s deeply embedded into trying to “stand out,” as if just having your own personal qualities as an individual isn’t enough.

This article isn’t necessarily trying to say anyone is wrong, but this is my effort to block out the noise of the niche competition we have going on. I’m aspiring to live a very human life — just me and the things that make my life better, not more complex.

We all want to be validated. We want to check boxes, make points, and say to others, “Look how cool I am.” Loving or hating something doesn’t make you deep. The things that make you deep are things in life that have meaning and emotions attached, not what your Spotify playlists look like. People think scarcity validates work — as if the fewer people who understand it, the more meaningful it becomes. I find that so far from the truth. It’s all attached to a false confidence, but confidence isn’t the same thing as being misunderstood or “different.” If anything, confidence seeks understanding and a sense of self — not a sense of how other people will view it.

It’s calm and peaceful. Not yelling, “Look at me, look at me.” But at the end of the day, anyone who’s woke enough to understand anything I’ve said has gotta be between ages 18 and 25. We have time.