We are the billionaires’ guinea pigs, their sources of income, and the problem is we all know this.
In 2010, Steve Jobs—the Co-founder of Apple—told the New York Times that his kids have never used an Ipad and that “We limit technology our kids use at home.” Yet here we all are, gushing over the new Iphone 17, the new Macbook Neo and the new Ipad M3. While billionaires are teaching their kids to stay away from the same technology they created.
Kids between the ages of 8-18 spend on average 7.5 hours per day watching the blue lit screen. In fact, some high school students claim their screen time to be more than 12 hours a day. Along with the short serotonin boosts we get from tiktok or instagram reels, we get sleepless nights, anxiety and mental health issues. Yet we still scroll.
On the other hand, these billionaires shield their kids from their own products because they know the source of addiction that they’ve created and the problems with it. Mark Zuckerberg encourages his own daughters to spend time outside and try reading while other peoples’ daughters are targeted on Instagram and Facebook, platforms he created. These billionaires protect their own kids which allows them to succeed while we become victims to their products.
Why haven’t we overcome the issue at hand? The answer is overconsumption and the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). People like the idea of constantly buying new clothes to go along with the fast fashion trends so they buy on Shein for affordability; teens feel isolated not being able to snap or connect with their friends on instagram. Many buy the Matcha Latte from Starbucks to try it and fit in with everyone even if they don’t like it. The dopamine boosts that we desire is what keeps us running like a hamster in a wheel. While billionaires monetize human misery, vanity and insecurity, their children get a quality life where they learn how to become intellectual and attentive. All the while, many people struggle with technology addiction, health difficulties, and lowered productivity.
These billionaires become rich because of their awareness and mindset. And that’s why they stay rich. We could become rich too, but we won’t until we encourage ourselves to detach from the market that controls us. Instead we forever will remain, the guinea pigs of the rich.
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