The Danger of Glorifying Side Hustles in Mainstream Media

We can only change normalized trends with potentially negative consequences if we’re aware of the trend.

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I recently stumbled upon this Today Show segment about side hustles.

These days, it seems like you can’t go more than 10 minutes without stumbling upon something about side hustles online (the best kinds of side hustles, how to turn a hobby into a side hustle, etc.). On the surface, a side hustle is essentially when an individual monetizes a specific task in addition to their main income stream(s).

Side hustles and hobbies are concepts that are often used interchangeably because many people do both for the pure joy of the process (i.e. crocket, playing guitar, decoupage). Many people start out with a hobby, figure out how to monetize it — and voila! — you have yourself a side hustle. For example, knitting mini hats for your dog to wear on walks in the winter: a fun hobby. Running into your favorite pet neighbor on said walk and offering to make a similar hat for…