Modern Adulthood is a Scam (Solo)

Modern adulthood feels like a bait and switch.We followed the rules we were given, school, career, stability, only to enter a world defined by uncertainty, rising costs, institutional failure, and constant change. In this solo episode of Interesting People of Earth, host Onyi breaks down why adulthood feels harder, more unstable, and more improvisational than what previous generations experienced, and why that feeling isn’t a personal failure.This episode offers a grounded, big-picture analysis of how economic, cultural, technological, and geopolitical shifts have quietly rewritten the social contract of adulthood. From globalization and automation to housing crises, education inflation, climate anxiety, and declining trust in institutions, we explore how the old “adulting” script collapsed, and what’s emerging in its place.You’ll hear:• Why the traditional adulthood model worked for some, and excluded many• How global instability and rapid change reshaped work, identity, and belonging• The emotional toll modern adulthood takes on young adults worldwide• Why anxiety, burnout, and restlessness are adaptive responses, not weakness• How change is a feature of human history, not a modern glitch• Why this moment, despite the chaos, may be an opportunity to redefine adulthood on our own termsThis conversation draws on global research from the WHO, OECD, IMF, UNESCO, Pew Research Center, and more, while grounding the analysis in lived experience. If you’ve felt behind, disoriented, or like the rules changed without warning, this episode is for you.Adulthood isn’t broken. The script is.And that means we get to write a new one.Sources: Utrecht University — Youth in a Digital World: Complexity & Social Polarization (2023)ScienceDirect — Technological Change, Automation & Labour Market Impacts on YouthWHO — Global Mental Health Update (2022–2023)World Happiness Report 2023 — Youth Well-Being TrendsThe Atlantic — Young Adult Mental Health in AmericaUNESCO — Global Education Monitoring ReportOECD — Housing Affordability & Wage Stagnation DataIMF — Global Employment Outlook & Youth Labour Market ChallengesAfrican Youth Survey — Youth Mental Health & Economic Conditions in SSAPew Research Center — Global Trust & Political Participation Among Young PeopleEdelman Trust Barometer (2023) — Trust in Government & InstitutionsNCBI — Jeffrey Arnett: Emerging Adulthood TheoryDavid Graeber — The Utopia of Rules