Dr. Todd Rose

In fact, more people reported being debt-free

than involved in their community at the level they want to.

It tells me that, well, we've lost that civic layer of society that gave us the way to engage and contribute, and they don't know how to do it.

So what do you think most people see as a successful life?

Same trade-off things.

It flips entirely.

They think everyone is obsessed with status, wealth, getting into the most prestigious school.

The top thing that people think everyone else cares about is being famous.

Okay.

In private, it's dead last.

Now, let me unpack why that really matters, okay?

Because there's an important thing about collective illusions, which is this.

This generation's illusions tend to become next generation's private opinion if you don't do something.

This generation's collective illusions tend to become next generation's private opinion.

So let's use the example of fame.

Because young kids don't know that we're lying.

So young kids look to culture, look to media, like look to each other.

What do we believe?

What do we aspire to?

So my colleagues at UCLA have tracked the effects of culture and media on middle school kids for a very long time.