Young people should be encouraged to pursue long-term, realistic goals rather than seek immediate fame and recognition.

In the era of YouTube and Instagram, young people today are increasingly confronted by the newest Internet sensation that has seemingly risen to stardom out of nowhere. Many of these Internet stars appear to have a desirable life: a legion of fans, a life of leisure, easy money, all posted for young people to consume (and envy) on their daily feeds. Now that instant fame and recognition is easier to obtain than ever before, many young people may be tempted to go down this path; however, as a society, we should be encouraging the younger generation to focus on dedicating their efforts to longer-term goals suited towards their unique abilities and that have a positive societal impact. Instant fame serving as the primary motivator for one’s life choices ultimately may come at the cost of a secure livelihood, recognition of the detriments of fame, and a meaningful contribution to society.

The inundation of content from social media and the Internet featuring society’s famous and recognized paints a misleading picture of the instable nature of fame and the difficulties in obtaining it. While many teenagers today look at models discovered on Instagram or singers discovered on Youtube and hope to emulate their careers, they fail to recognize the success stories we see are actually a small minority of those who actually attempt these pathways to success. In other words, the selection effect of these successes obscures the hoards of failed artists whose attempts at fame may have come at the cost of obtaining legitimate skills. For every Justin Bieber that was discovered, there are thousands of others who may have dedicated years of their life in hopes of becoming famous; at some point, these artists must face reality and often have limited prospects in employment because they lack the skills that come with more traditional training. A recent news story featured a former child actor now working at a grocery story; this is just one example of how tenuous fame is, even if one reaches that level.

Moreover, fame is a double-edged sword. While the glossy aspects of it are sure to appeal, the detriments of being a recognized face pervade one’s personal life and often impact one’s mental stability. There are countless stories of the perils of fame and its impact, particularly on younger stars: Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan are just two examples of child stars whose personal lives and struggles have been splashed across the pages of tabloids; undoubtedly, their fame and the premature access that came with it contributed to their struggles, and the public’s interest and subsequent media coverage of these struggles undoubtedly compounded these difficulties. The trope of the drug-addicted child star comes from a place of truth, and serves as a warning sign for young people interested in pursuing fame.

Encouraging young folks to pursue a long-term goal that is in line with their unique contributions is thus not only a more reliable and stable motivator, but it also ultimately encourages broader societal contributions. In facilitating young people’s interests and encouraging them to pursue them in a more realistic way, we as a society can ensure that they obtain concrete skills and a trustworthy means of survival. Many of society’s most influential (and incidentally, well-known) names and innovators, including our presidents, leading CEOs like Warren Buffet and Steve Jobs, Supreme Court Justices, and the like, invested years of their lives pursuing long-term goals and objectives in order to achieve their successes. These goals allowed them to significantly advance society.

Through education and dedication, we as a society can inspire young people to make meaningful contributions to the world through their own unique abilities and perspectives. On the way, they may obtain fame, but ultimately it should be a by-product of their successes, not the primary motivator for it. Indeed, most of the people who handle fame the best in today’s society are those who have pursued longer-term goals and achieved success through years of hard work, which ultimately prepares them best for the spotlight.