Welcome to the 21st century, where everyone claims to know everything — as asserted by over a million influencers worldwide. Congratulations! You are born in an era where knowledge has taken a back seat to vibes, where peer review, informed by appropriate research and literature, has been replaced by influencers’ critiques. Most importantly, the degree you have worked for years to obtain is now valued at the level of an Instagram reel titled, “Here is what they do not tell you about chocolate.”
You see, when we were younger, success had a simple mapped route: education. You had to study pre-primary, primary, secondary, higher secondary, undergraduate, graduate school and then PhD — it sounds like too much, but don’t panic! This was all true back then. Fortunately, this is just a myth now.
I, like many others, believed the same and hence did what I was expected to do. I studied diligently. I spent years absorbing textbooks and books, understanding citations, and learning how to write and think on my own.
Little did I know, I was preparing for a world that had made TikTok its haven of knowledge. How foolish of me! To study instead of making YouTube videos on unnecessary life hacks. Rather, I chose to waste my time being aware of a world that had long lost its will to actually learn and get an education. Yet, hope is still there. Social media has truly revolutionised to aid my success in this world.
We owe this revolution to the tech industry that has truly redefined every aspect of our lives. Providing convenience even if it means draining our brains of the capacity to truly comprehend that whatever people do in their lives is not my concern, nor is it meant to offend me, or is simply about me. Every topic does not need my opinion, yet it definitely should.
Today, arguments are no longer based on reason but rather on delivery. Consider it as a theatre performance. All that matters is your confidence. So, be relentlessly confident. Even if you are completely alien to the topic. I mean, who cares that your points are well made or even if you know its definition? All that matters is that you won and delivered the vibes!
All you need to do is create a 30-second reel with a trending sound, possibly a harmonium, and make sure that you start with “Hear me out” or “Unpopular opinion.” It is a safeguard for your integrity if ever you are accidentally wrong, even though it is humanly impossible for you. Because remember, nothing strengthens your expertise more than an aesthetic reel with the most trending sound — even if your words have no meaning or any impact.
The extinction of the expert isn’t sudden but has been a slow and gradual process. Attributed to our shrinking attention span, the expert has been effectively replaced by Twitter threads and a 30-second reel that tries to dilute brain rot from our For You page.
This is perhaps great news for us all. I mean, who wants to listen to the experts who have dedicated their entire lives to building their arguments on facts! The audacity to waste our time and words (which we possibly can’t understand). Who has the time for all this when vibes and my emotions are enough for me?
It was in ancient times that philosophers such as Socrates used to wander the streets to find reason. Today, philosophy is found in every corner of the internet — though they may lack insight, reason or perhaps any logic at all, yet they are the true rebels to a society that has run far too long on knowledge that takes too much time to acquire.
Thus, the expertise arrives aesthetically on Instagram, through a reel or a carousel, and all it does is scream “heal” as if summoning it or thinking about it will heal us. But who cares? It’s great how I can feel healed without actually confronting the real problem.
We owe it to all the social media platforms that have made it essential for us to express our opinions. It has equated our relevance to our ability to talk about topics about everything and everyone. The best part is that you need no sources. You heard me! Now the truth can be customised based on what pleases you. We are not looking for logic in it. We are looking for something that “hits different at 3 a.m.”
The modern philosopher does not analyse — they post. And the modern audience does not reflect — they repost.
We are living in an age where confidence is the new knowledge. Be it any debate or any topic, facts are no longer necessary tools for progress — they’re optional, and perhaps that is what makes us truly in touch “with our emotions”. What matters is not the weight of your argument, but how it was full of vibes and made us feel “so real”.
The expert is gone. The philosopher remains — self-declared, perhaps unnecessary, emotionally compelling yet intellectually unverified.
And if you’re wondering whether any of this is factually accurate or necessary in the first place, don’t worry.
It just felt right.
And for now, that is enough.