Hobbies Are Dying

Have you ever asked someone, “What do you do in your free time?” and they say “Uh, I don’t know…scroll on TikTok?”

There was a time when asking someone what they did for fun would lead to something interesting. You’d hear about photography, baking, knitting, or other activities. These days, that same question is more likely to be met with a pause, followed by laughter, and an answer like "Nothing really, I’m busy” or “I go to the gym” (no hate to gym attendees, I just hear it a lot).

So why is it that we’re so “busy” that we are unable to engage in pastimes besides scrolling? Has modern life impacted how we spend our time? And if so, what have we lost in the death of hobbies, and how can we fix it?

The Need to be Produce

Hobbies are dying is because we stopped assigning value to things that don’t need to be done, even if they are enjoyable. These days, activities are expected to produce measurable outcomes such as money, followers, skills, or growth. For instance, earlier, I mentioned the gym. Going to the gym can be fun, true, but for some, gym results must have tangible change. If you don’t have a six-pack in six weeks, you’re doing something wrong. Or, if you do have rockin' abs, but aren’t posting weekly progress updates about it, then you are wasting the potential to grow your brand. You're not proving your skill or growth. The pressure to turn passion into productivity can kill the joy that activity once gave you. That said, perhaps the gym wasn’t the best scenario for this case, as for many, there is a strong link between going to the gym and it boosting efficiency by default. 

So let’s look at another case. You may be someone that enjoys painting. If so, “Why don’t you start a YouTube channel?” or “Why don’t you sell your art?” If you’re a baker, “Why don’t you start a small business selling baked goods?” While there can be value in turning something you enjoy into a side hustle, hobbies start to feel like work, and rest starts to feel irresponsible. It's discouraging.

Easy Dopamine & Short Attention Spans

Many pastimes require continuous attention for a single task. Whether it be sewing, woodworking, or even reading, they demand repetition and gradual amelioration. Unlike scrolling, there is no instant payoff. With our ever decreasing attention spans, it is becoming more and more difficult to sit through a task that doesn’t have an immediate reward. Especially, if that task requires thinking or labor not required when scrolling.

Modern entertainment such as social media, music, and television provide constant stimulation without requiring you to put in much effort. Instead of going through practice, struggle, or failure, you can feel an instant rush of dopamine straight from your bed. Modern entertainment doesn’t ask much of you, but you still reap the rewards of engaging with it. Take gardening, for example. You have to go outside, plant seeds, wait for your plants to grow, and maintain the garden bed. It's a long process relative to simply turning on the TV and watching your favorite show. 

Overall, it is because of the design of our technology, and the fast-paced modern environment, that our attention spans have shortened. These things are designed to keep us engaged for a long period of time while slowly draining us of our mental and emotional energy. And as a result, many of us don’t have the capacity to sit through something that offers steady improvement or delayed gratification. 

Time is Constraint Afterall

Many people may find themselves unable to answer what they do in their free time because their time is limited. People love to say “if it mattered, you’d make the time for it,” but that is becoming increasingly impossible due to how fragmented time has become. Nowadays, even those with hobbies find it difficult to schedule time for them because of extended work hours, 24/7 maintenance of messages and emails, growing responsibilities, the list goes on. 

Hobbies flourish in long stretches of time. For example, on a Saturday morning, Sunday evening, or the weekdays of long weekends. When life is chopped into small increments, it is hard to thoroughly enjoy something. Nonetheless, with pressure to stay available and the anxiety of a fast-paced lifestyle. There’s no time to slow down. For countless people, instead of being able to something new or lengthy, it is more feasible to default to mindless scrolling to fill those tiny gaps in the day. 

An Ever-Growing Consumerist World 

Instead of fixing that broken piece of furniture lying in our homes or sewing up the ripped hem of a pair of jeans, oftentimes, it is far simpler and less time-consuming to replace it. Why fix something when buying a new one is more convenient, and easier to do than ever before?

Be that as it may, fixing things can be a deeply rewarding feeling, the start of a longtime hobby, and the more we do it, the better we get at it. Someone sewing for the first time may make plenty of mistakes, but practice, eventually, makes perfect. Yet people are not as willing to sit through such an endeavor, as it could result in imperfection or embarrassment, despite the fact that it’s all a part of the learning process. In a world of instant gratification, mistakes can feel like wasted time.

The Loss of Something Truly Valuable 

The disappearance of hobbies matters because as individuals, we are also losing authenticity. Hobbies give people a sense of identity outside of school or work, and provide an uniquely intrinsic sense of gain. Intrinsic motivation betters personal growth, creativity, and overall quality of life. Doing a certain activity for fun, or out of curiosity, is, in this way, time well spent. In addition, a person’s hobbies can tell you a lot about them. What their personality may be like, what their skills are, if they are creative, or if they are analytical. In this aspect, hobbies create community. You may find it easier to connect with someone when you discover that you enjoy doing the same as them as it allows you to have a deeper conversation and stronger bond.

Ultimately, the loss of hobbies comes with a loss of community and individuality.

So, Do You Have Any Hobbies?

This year, I've started re-exploring my old interests and hobbies, and experimenting with new ones. I thought, as I’m taking more classes this semester, why not do more things for myself? And if I, a busy college student, can do it, so can you!

If you already have hobbies of your own (go you!), feel free to skip this part. But if you are struggling to find something to do in your free time, my advice is to start small. Do a quick internet search for different activities and note down the ones that pique your interest. Choose one or two and keep yourself accountable by continuing to practice them for some actual span of time. Give your new interest time to bloom. If you make mistakes, don’t let them stop you. And if you find yourself enjoying it, then continue going...

You may have just found yourself a hobby!

Featured image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay.