Do YOU have identity capital? Pressure on Gen Z to be ‘interesting person’, according to TikTokers

Forget a top education or work experience – what you really need for a successful career is good ‘identity capital’, according to some Gen Z and millennials on TikTok.

The phrase has recently blown up on the social media platform, with users from around the world explaining how those looking for success in life should ditch the traditional methods and instead opt for more self-care.

Under the hashtag #identitycapitaly, which has 191.4K views, some are suggesting that travelling, reading books, cooking, and other hobbies or life experiences are key to creating a ‘brand’ in your twenties that will lead to triumphs later in life. 

‘Be an interesting b****,’ insists Dellara Gorjian, a California-based lawyer, in a clip that has since racked up 620.1K views. ‘You guys need to stop obsessing over picking the right university major and GPA and start obsessing over your identity capital.

‘Because trust me, your identity and your career is not built off of your GPA or your major. More often than not, it’s built off of your identity capital,’ she says. 

TikTok user journalist Jareen Imam (pictured), claims: ‘If you are in your twenties, you need to do this thing that no one’s talking about. Your twenties is one of the most important times to build identity capital’

Another TikTok user, journalist Jareen Imam, claims: ‘If you are in your twenties, you need to do this thing that no one’s talking about. Your twenties is one of the most important times to build identity capital.

‘Everyone talks about building financial capital, but identity capital is incredibly important to do, especially when you’re young.

‘Identity capital is basically the things that you do and experience that make you, you. For example, the education you get, the hobbies you pick up. Those things add interest to who you are.

‘It’s important to do three fascinating things that you feel proud about that you can share with your friends, your family, talk about at dinner parties, because those experiences are going to add to your life story.’

British-based life coach Pete Cohen also posted on his TikTok about identity capital, saying: ‘Don’t you think it’s about time that you started developing some identity capital?

‘What is identity capital? Identity capital is identifying where you want to go and every single day recognising it’s the little things done over an extended period of time, that bring about greatness.’

The term identity capital was coined by Meg Jay, a clinical psychologist, in her 2012 book, The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter — And How to Make the Most of Them Now.

‘I think of identity capital as anything you do that adds value to who you are,’ Jay told Insider. ‘It is how we spend our time and invest in ourselves not just as professionals but as people too.’

British-based life coach Pete Cohen (pictured) also posted on his TikTok about identity capital, saying: ‘Don’t you think it’s about time that you started developing some identity capital?’

However, while some young professionals on TikTok certainly seem taken with the phrase, experts have warned against concentrating too heavily on the idea. 

Psychologist Zoe Mallet told Refinery29: ‘The idea that creating goals and practices will get you to the things you want quicker and more efficiently means we often focus on the outcome.

‘We need to be present for life to not go by as quickly. It’s obvious why goal setting is attractive but sometimes those goals can lack purpose, be a version of someone else’s life you like the look of and are often unsustainable.’

The coach said that self optimising can become addictive, adding: ‘It can become dangerous because we can tunnel vision on those particular goals and that means that other areas of our lives can drop off that we also need to keep us healthy.’

British sociologist Rosalind Gill told the publication that through her research with people between their late teens and late twenties, she was ‘struck’ by the pressure they felt to share ‘perfect’ version of themselves online. 

She explained that this meant being ‘happy, positive, well-rounded, with all the right kinds of knowledge’. 

Beverly Joseph, 21, told Insider: ‘I think we’re getting way too comfortable commodifying ourselves. 

‘Influencers make it seem like this super cool, fun thing that’ll make your life easier, instead of something that’ll take a big toll on your personhood.’

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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk