A recent trend on TikTok has brought to light an important question for teens to consider. How should individuals experience the most enjoyment out of life?

The popular trend consists of mostly females, and has users post various videos of themselves enjoying life with a soundbite telling listeners to “treat your life like you’re the main character in a movie.” 

This trend adds another feather in the hat of “don’t believe everything you see on the internet.” While those who may portray their lives as a movie online, almost all of these creators are more shallow than a pool in real life, and certainly not someone to spend a significant amount of time around. 

Being contained in the mindset of “what would a main character do?” will lead to a shallow life and personality. The world of a coming-of-age movie takes place in is far easier and predictable than the real world we live in. 

Going on a late night drive, or going out on date for the sake of TikTok content, is extremely shallow, and will inevitably rip any meaning or enjoyment once possible from these same experiences. 

Go out on that midnight drive. It’s important for high schoolers to go out and live spontaneously while young, dumb, and broke. The difference between organic fun and forced content is very easy to identify, PHONES!!!

In modern society, any joy or memory possible from that midnight drive is zapped as soon as that phone is pulled out to put the dark road on Snapchat. It makes the experience trivial, and not something that will evoke positive feelings when looking back at it. 

For the next adventure, keep the phone away, and start taking mental photos instead, it will be for the better.  Not every enjoyable moment in life needs to be shared, usually the best memories are the ones that start with “remember that time…”