2025: The Year We Say No to Scams, Shills, and the Illusion of “Hustle Culture”

Scammers, you’re killing us. Not softly, but in broad daylight, with knives disguised as promises and smiles wrapped in lies.

It’s the end of 2024, and I’ve found myself sleepwalking through my days. Smiling for Zoom calls, exclaiming in capital letters, performing the rituals of a productive life while quietly unraveling inside. Despite my  degrees and years of grinding, I’m struggling to file my taxes because I can’t even afford the accountant. And yet, I persist, clutching onto the hope that if I just keep pushing, some magical payoff will appear. Isn’t that the script we’ve all been handed? Work harder, hustle longer, and success will find you.

But what happens when you’ve worked to the bone, and nothing happens? What then?

The Pandemic and the Truth Beneath the Masks

Back in the chaos of 2020, something profound emerged from the cracks of our collective isolation. People began to share their raw, unvarnished lives—stories of toilet paper shortages(on the news), neighborhood kindness, and the simple, mundane struggles of staying sane. For a moment, it felt like we were all in this together.

Gone were the highlight reels and curated shills. For a brief time, humanity felt real again. People stopped selling and started connecting. The world, heavy with grief and fear, turned inward, and we realized just how much we needed one another.

But underneath it all, the scammers never stopped. They pivoted, adapting their hustle to a desperate audience. Instead of shampoo or kitchen gadgets, they sold the dream of personal success: courses, eBooks, webinars, and “exclusive” coaching programs promising to unlock your potential.

Scroll through Instagram today, and it’s hard to tell one influencer from another. They’ve become a blur of motivational quotes and choreographed “authenticity.” Can you remember even five who made your heart pause? I can’t remember any

The Myth of Meritocracy

As the world reopened, the scam game got stronger. “Hustle harder,” they say. “You’re just not trying enough.” If you’re not clearing six figures, it’s because you’re the problem.

But let’s be real: the rules of the game were never designed for everyone to win. The so-called meritocracy is a lie, a cruel joke played on those without the privileges of wealth, education, or systemic advantage.

While some influencers peddle the dream of a four-hour workweek, most of us are living a four-job reality. The mother who died in her car before her third shift didn’t lack passion. She didn’t need another webinar. She needed a system that valued her humanity.

When Content Becomes Garbage

Today, content creation feels like an assembly line. AI churns out stories that lack soul, and social media tools automate “engagement.” But what’s the cost of this easier, faster production? The loss of real connection. The loss of art.

Good marketing doesn’t sell a product—it sells a dream. It sells the idea that buying into this life, this hustle, will make you whole. And yet, for every success story they parade in front of us, countless others are left to wonder, “Why did I fail?”

Maybe the better question is: “Why does the system keep failing us?”

Redefining Success: From “Me” to “We”

The problem with hustle culture isn’t just its toxicity—it’s the isolation it breeds. Success becomes a zero-sum game: my win means your loss. But what if we flipped the script? What if success was something we built together?

We need to stop idolizing the “geniuses” who’ve gamed the system and start valuing the everyday heroes who make our lives possible. The teachers shaping young minds (like me, value me). The custodians keeping our spaces clean. The workers who grind every day, often without recognition or reward.

Let’s Build Something That Lasts

Right now, I sell used clothes. It’s not glamorous, and it’s not lucrative. But what makes it worth doing are the connections I’ve made—friends I’ve met while thrifting, conversations that brighten my days, and the small, sustaining sense of community.

This is what we’re missing: the idea that we’re not alone, that our lives and successes are interconnected.

So, let 2025 be the year we change the narrative. Let’s reject the empty promises of “get rich quick” schemes and influencer shill culture. Let’s build real communities. Let’s create art that moves people, stories that mean something. Let’s take a moment, even if it’s just a few minutes, to connect with one another—not for profit, but for the simple, human joy of connection.

Success shouldn’t be about stepping on others to climb higher. It should be about lifting others up as we rise together. Let’s start there. Let’s start with we.