9 to 5 Gen Z Worker TikTok

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Part of a series on TikTok. [View Related Entries]

About

9 to 5 Gen Z Worker TikTok refers to a viral video posted by TikToker @brielleybelly123 in which she tearfully discusses her shock and disappointment about the reality of an adult lifestyle in the U.S. In the clip, she discusses working long hours, spending hours on her commute and finding little to no time for recreational activities. The video was reposted on X in late October 2023 by people criticizing Gen Z for "whining" about a common reality for most 9 to 5 workers. However, @brielleybelly123 also gathered support from people who defended her by saying that her frustration was a normal and valid response to entering the workforce after college.

Origin

On October 19th, 2023, TikToker^[1] @brielleybelly123 posted a video in which she talked about how her nearly two-hour commute to and from her in-person workplace was leaving her frustrated, tired and overwhelmed. She tearfully discussed how she was unable to find time to cook her meals, work out, socialize or date, captioning the clip, "I'm also getting sick leave me alone I'm emotional ok I feel 12 and I'm scared of not having time to live." The post gathered over 2 million plays and 200,000 likes in a week (seen below).

Spread

On October 25th, 2023, X^[2] user @Endthemisery1 reposted the video to X with the caption, "Omg, poor baby has her first job. Like..she has to commute?? Like...she has to cook dinner?? Like...no time or energy to work out?? Like..she's working in person not remote??? Like...She. Has. To. Work. 9. To. 5 ??? What????🙄." The post gathered over 5,000 likes in a day (seen below, left).

That same day, X^[3] user @TTEcclesBrown reposted the clip, gathering over 15,000 likes in a similar timeframe. X^[4] user @Jason reposted her clip with the caption, "Oh princess… 😢 I’m sorry you had to commute and work and have a job and everything — it’s like so extra!" (seen below, right).

As the reposts garnered attention, various internet users rose to @brielleybelly123's defense after seeing the backlash she received, as seen in an October 25th post by X^[5] user @koralinadean, captioned, "she's right… 8 hours a day x 7 days a week x 52 weeks a year x 40 years of your life spent working… that's not sad to yall?" The post gathered over 120,000 likes in a day (seen below, left).

Also on October 25th, 2023, X^[6] user @AngryBlackLady quoted @Endthemisery1's post saying, "what's the point of being so mean about this? Yeah it it really does suck when you're fresh out of college, have no money, and have to commute for an hour and a half to get to work. We should all acknowledge that sucks. Why are you making fun of this woman. Capitalism sucks." The post gathered over 170,000 likes in a day (seen below, right).

Tech reporter @Jason's reaction to the video gained criticism from many internet users who found his views to be hypocritical, considering his previous stance regarding how the U.S. government should bail out Silicon Valley Bank. For example, on October 25th, X^[7] user @adamscochran made a post criticizing Jason, gathering over 8,000 likes in a day (seen below, left), while X^[8] user @ParkerMolloy's post on the 26th gathered over 1,000 likes in a similar timeframe (seen below, right).