Hypercompetition.

It’s increasingly difficult to stand out from the crowd when you’re now competing against billions of people from all around the globe.

– There are so many artists, photographers, writers, musicians, video game developers, and other creative types posting their works online that it’s incredibly easy to get lost in the shuffle nowadays.

– It’s harder to impress people by achieving a remarkable feat (like visiting every continent on the globe or climbing a famous mountain) when there’s an ever-increasing number of people who have done the same things as you and have already let the world know about it. Say, for example, you catch a massive fish and take a photo as proof. The average person won’t be as impressed as he/she would have been decades ago because that person has seen others post even bigger catches on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms — so your catch is nothing special by comparison. Think you’re really good at playing a video game that you spent countless hours mastering? Well, go on YouTube, Twitch, or some other website and you’ll be certain to find people who can play the game much better than you. It’s not the 1980s or 1990s anymore when it was good enough to be the best in your relatively small group of peers. Now you’re competing against billions of people for attention and recognition.

– Even something as basic as finding friends and lovers is more difficult than ever due to market oversaturation. Before, it was easier for ordinary men to find a looksmatched woman nearby. Now that same woman is getting propositioned by more attractive, taller, richer, and funnier men from other neighborhoods, cities, states, and even countries. The rise of dating and hookup apps makes it easier than ever for 9/10 or 10/10 “gigachads” to juggle multiple women, thus leaving many average- and below-average men shut out entirely.

It’s so easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged in such a hypercompetitive environment. I think I’m reaching that point now.