Read More《从“向上”转向“守住”，年轻人的成长变成伪命题了吗?》
Positive Comments: Growth and Innovation in the Face of Uncertainty—From Passive Adaptation to Active Reconstruction
In the current era when the traditional linear growth path has broken, young people are not completely lost in confusion. Instead, they have demonstrated strong adaptability and creativity, and are reconstructing the growth logic of this era. This reconstruction is not only a passive response to the changes in the external environment but also an active exploration of the essence of “growth”, which contains positive social values.
First of all, the growth model of “horizontal expansion” and “instant gratification” anchors a sense of meaning for individuals in the face of uncertainty. When the vertical upward channels narrow, young people no longer cling to the single – goal “ladder – climbing” approach. Instead, they turn to the multi – faceted “garden – planting” approach: by developing side hustles, learning skills based on their interests, and participating in community activities, they build a richer range of identities. This model breaks the shackles of the traditional “delayed gratification” growth model and emphasizes “the sense of meaning today”. For example, a handicraft experience, a short – distance trip, or a short – term course may not directly bring economic returns, but they can provide stable spiritual comfort. As mentioned in the news, “instant gratification” is essentially a rebellion against the idea that “growth must serve utilitarian goals”. It brings growth back to the essence of “life experience” and preserves a “spiritual refuge” for individuals in a high – pressure environment.
Secondly, the awakening of the “sovereignty of self – narration” promotes the shift of growth from “being defined by others” to “self – definition”. When the authority of the external evaluation system (such as academic qualifications, income, and positions) declines, young people start to actively tell the story of “who I am” through creation, recording, and expression. This shift is not only a resistance to “symbolic growth” but also a defense of individual subjectivity. For instance, some people share their daily lives through self – media, and some use bullet journals to record their emotional changes. These seemingly “private” behaviors are actually constructing a meaning coordinate system of their own. As mentioned in the news about “existential growth”, it focuses on “how to exist” rather than “what to possess”. This shift frees growth from the anxiety of “having to succeed” and is closer to the essence of life – authenticity, openness, and connection.
Finally, the “ability – division – based” growth in the AI era redefines the core values for humans. The traditional growth model emphasizes “being omniscient and omnipotent”, but the rise of AI makes this goal both unrealistic and unnecessary. The news proposes that humans should focus on five core abilities: ethical judgment, posing meta – questions, cross – domain imagination, deep emotional connection, and meaning construction. These are precisely the “humanistic glories” that AI cannot replace. For example, in medical decision – making, AI can provide data support, but the ethical judgment of “whether to use an aggressive treatment plan” still needs to be made by humans; in the field of innovation, AI can generate code templates, but the cross – domain imagination of “how to combine art and technology to create new experiences” remains a unique ability of humans. This division of labor is not “humans being replaced” but “humans being liberated” – freed from repetitive labor and focusing on more creative and emotional work, which in turn opens up broader space for growth.
Negative Comments: The Double Traps of Growth Alienation—The Erosion of Symbolization and Capital Logic
Although young people are actively reconstructing the growth logic, the current social environment has also given rise to many alienation phenomena. These phenomena not only weaken the authenticity of growth but may also lead individuals to fall into deeper anxiety and self – consumption.
Firstly, the substitution effect of “symbolic growth” is hollowing out the essence of growth. In order to deal with the “attention competition” on social platforms and the “anxiety of being replaceable” in the labor market, many young people have alienated growth into “label performance” – showing off certificates instead of mastering skills, clocking in for learning instead of internalizing knowledge, and managing personas instead of being their true selves. This “simulated growth” can provide psychological comfort of “I’m making progress” in the short term, but in the long run, it will lead to a crisis of “substantial lag”. For example, some people learn a dozen skills for the label of “slash youth”, but are not proficient in any of them; some people create the image of “loving to read” through their “annual reading lists” on WeChat Moments, but have never finished reading a book. When symbols become the goal, real accumulation is undermined, and individuals will eventually fall into a vicious cycle of “needing to constantly produce new symbols to cover up the real gap”, and their self – identity will be weakened instead.
Secondly, the “survival – oriented growth” under the capital logic alienates individuals into “tools for self – exploitation”. Against the backdrop of declining job stability and short – term employment relationships, “self – commodification” is packaged as “positive growth”, but in fact, it is a hidden form of exploitation by capital, shifting the training responsibility onto individuals. For example, enterprises require employees to learn new skills during non – working hours to maintain competitiveness, but do not provide time or salary compensation; knowledge – payment platforms have alienated “lifelong learning” into “perpetual self – investment”, implying that “those who don’t learn will be eliminated”, but in fact, they are just selling anxiety to harvest users. The essence of growth in this model is “enhancing the efficiency of the enterprise at the cost of individuals” – the skills employees learn may only serve the needs of their positions, and once the skills depreciate, the cost of relearning still has to be borne by individuals. What’s more dangerous is that this “survival – oriented growth” will make individuals equate “efficiency” with “value” and gradually lose the pursuit of the “meaning of life”, reducing them to “efficiently – operating tools”.
Thirdly, the weakening of the public consensus on growth has intensified social fragmentation and loneliness. When “growth” has shifted from a public narrative (such as “studying – working – getting married – establishing a career”) to a private experience (such as health, creativity, and relationship quality), the shared language and value bonds in society have been weakened. Young people define “growth” in their own ways, but it is difficult for them to resonate with others. For example, in your eyes, “growth” means finishing a philosophy book, while in his eyes, it means working out 100 times. This difference has made “growth” more and more vague in the public context, leaving only the function of self – comfort. A more far – reaching impact is that society has lost the common “reference system for progress”, and individuals are more likely to fall into the illusion of “others are making progress while I’m falling behind” in the process of comparison, further intensifying their sense of loneliness and alienation.
Suggestions for Entrepreneurs: Anchor Real Growth Amidst Alienation and Reconstruction
Facing the current growth dilemmas, entrepreneurs, as the main force of innovation, need to maintain a clear understanding, avoid falling into the traps of symbolization and capital logic, and at the same time, seize the opportunities in the AI era to explore a more viable growth path. The following are specific suggestions:
- Beware of the “symbolization trap” and return to real value accumulation: When building personal IPs or corporate brands, entrepreneurs need to distinguish between “symbolic labels” and “substantial abilities”. For example, instead of blindly outputting fragmented knowledge for the label of “industry expert”, they should focus on in – depth abilities to solve real problems; instead of chasing trendy concepts for the title of “innovative enterprise”, they should focus on core technologies or unique services. Real growth requires time and accumulation. Symbols can only be the result, not the goal.
- Balance “efficiency” and “vitality” and reject the alienation of capital logic: In self – management or corporate operations, avoid simplifying “growth” to the achievement of KPIs. For example, when setting goals, in addition to quantitative indicators such as “user growth” and “revenue increase”, non – quantitative indicators such as “team happiness” and “degree of satisfaction of users’ real needs” should also be included; when requiring employees to “grow themselves”, necessary support (such as training time and resources) should be provided, rather than simply shifting the cost unilaterally. The essence of growth is “the enhancement of vitality”, not “the infinite improvement of efficiency”.
- Leverage AI to optimize efficiency and focus on human core abilities: Entrepreneurs should actively embrace AI tools and delegate repetitive tasks (such as data sorting and basic copywriting) to AI, so as to free up energy to develop the core abilities unique to humans. For example, in product design, use AI to analyze user behavior data, but the final “user experience ethics” (such as privacy protection and emotional needs) should be decided by humans; in market expansion, use AI to predict trends, but “cross – domain innovation” (such as combining traditional culture with modern technology) still requires human imagination. AI is a tool, not a replacement. The core competitiveness of entrepreneurs lies in the ability to “define what is worth doing”.
- Build a diversified evaluation system and promote the reconstruction of the public consensus on growth: Entrepreneurs can promote the shift of “growth” from a single “economic value” to a diversified “social value” through corporate practices. For example, in recruitment, pay attention to candidates’ “relationship quality” (such as teamwork ability) and “life experiences” (such as cross – domain experiences) rather than just academic qualifications and skills; in brand communication, tell “non – star” stories (such as the growth and transformation of ordinary employees) rather than just showcase “success stories”. Through these actions, entrepreneurs can become the builders of the “new consensus on growth” and provide a more inclusive value reference system for society.
Conclusion: Growth has never disappeared; it has just changed its form. In this era of increasing uncertainty, true growth is no longer a linear path of “climbing upwards”, but a dynamic balance between “exploring inwardly” and “connecting outwardly”. As participants and leaders of the era, entrepreneurs need to break free from the shackles of symbolization and capital logic, and define a new growth paradigm for this era by adhering to real value accumulation and human core abilities.
创业时评《从“向上”转向“守住”，年轻人的成长变成伪命题了吗?》
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