Lil Tay, the youngest flexer on Earth, used to splash social media with dozens of cash-filled and swear-ladened videos, racking up millions of views. An instant celebrity, she showcased her hefty collection of luxury cars, designer clothes and high-end apartments for her 2.3 million followers on Instagram while uploading series of clips on Youtube. However, several weeks ago, the young rebel disappeared completely from social media after her mother, Tina, was allegedly fired from her real-estate position and several leaks emerged of her true alter-ego: her brother.
But why was she such a hit? Why did she deserve to gain worldwide attention?
First, have a glimpse into her world.
Lil Tay and her $227K G-Wagon
From throwing cash into the air, calling strangers foul names and endorsing selfless materialistic lifestyles, Lil Tay was the queen of delinquent behavior. Her actions became the epitome of humor, and soon, thousands were following in her footsteps. The public soon embraced arrogance and mistreatment with pride. Students recreated her body language as a joke, which soon turned into a habit. This behavior fueled by the growing world of consumerism and publicization creates the ideal environment for Generation-Z to bloom in marred social advocacy. Lil Tay's reign of terror has left a stubborn mark ever since.
The "quick way to get rich" scheme was first exploited after the "catch me outside" girl rose to power on Dr. Phil's episode. She, too, became known for her provoking catch phrases and acrimonious actions.
Similarly, Lil Tay's assent stemmed from her outrageous behavior, criticized by all age groups. Yet, she still garnered supporters left and right. This is the hubris of this century. Inappropriate, immodest and unprofessional attitudes have associated themselves with rich and powerful figures, and the "quick to get rich" scheme became a ubiquitous goal. Thus, hard work was replaced with impressions of instant fame, and social media became the prime outlet. Gen-Z has poorly made use of unnecessary role models.
By investing time into useless online chatter, this generation faces dire consequences.
Lil Tay and her infamous crew.
Half a century ago, the Baby Boom generation and prior had no use for social media, which was conveniently non-existent at the time. Their attention focused on real life issues, such as poverty, environmental degradation, and overpopulation. Additionally, the post-war period around the 60s was no time for reigns such as that of Lil Tay. Society was busy rebuilding a crippled economy, and through year of perseverance and focus, the United States recovered at an astounding rate. While not every individual contributed to this recovery, the values of new workers were different. They could not experience luxury goods right from their phones. Most likely, they could not fathom a lifestyle so grand as social media was a foreign idea. Thus, their values, centered on education and pursuit of knowledge contributed heavily to economic success.
The thousands of scientific and technological advancements emerged as a result, which allowed Gen-Z to experience their beautiful lifestyle today.
With the skewed aspects and apirations of Gen-Z, society will head in the wrong direction. Millennials now are scared to face the truth. Money comes naturally from hard work. Hard work comes naturally from a strong work ethic. This mindset is rooted with self-motivation and good character. None of these traits are demonstrated by Lil Tay. Her image is simply a dreamstate that many want to reach, creating an illusion of false hope. Her life revolves too greatly on monetary goods, devoid of emotional richness. Her values are centered essentially on power, and if Gen-Z continues to follow in her footsteps, it will be hard to bring society back to prospect.
No doubt, many understand Lil Tay as a joke, bringing a good laugh or two, but the amount of attention amassed only reflects the subconsciousness of society. Well, think again. Is this truly worth your time? It's time to wake up.
