“30 And Tired”: Instagram Account Explains Millennials In 42 Memes

We got in touch with the person behind this hugely successful account (as of this article, "30 And Tired" has over 225k followers), Tyler Mann, and he agreed to tell us more about what goes into managing it, which has become pretty much second nature to him.

"When it comes to finding a meme or an image, it could be from anywhere," Tyler explained to Bored Panda. "Some sources that stand out would be Imgur, Reddit, and other meme accounts that I've communicated with. I'll also think of memes while watching a show or movie or just walking around Target."

Tyler said that there aren't any fixed criteria that determine if a picture is worthy of a feature; if it makes him laugh or he finds it super relatable to his own life, he'll just post it on the page.

In fact, his personal experiences also make it into the page's feed. "I also use my life and random thoughts or scenarios that pop into my head to create memes and tweets that others might relate to," he said. "I have a pretty sarcastic personality so it makes it pretty easy to find the humor in most situations. Memes have just become the way to express that humor for me."

Since the source of the content can be virtually anything, the subject matter is also loose.

"Honestly, the posts about the everyday stress or exhaustion of getting older and dealing with life or a [lousy] job probably get the most traction because we're all experiencing some form of it, especially in our thirties."

"Our thirties are funny, because we join this strange club where no one knows what is going on and we're all trying to figure out how to be adults all while clinging onto the youth of our twenties and I like to find the humor in all of it. Which it turns out, so do a lot of other people!" Tyler said.

Tyler really enjoys when people connect to each other through his content; his favorite comments are of the "I feel seen!" type.

"It's almost like these relatable posts have become a form of therapy or self-validation for all of us."

"Nostalgia posts are also a hit. Anything and everything '90s or early 2000s. Nostalgia posts are probably the most fun because I get a lot of interaction from people in the comments talking about whatever it is I posted and how they shared the same thoughts about it that I had."

Looking at student debts and real estate prices, it's tempting to think that millennials are leading a life nothing like the generations that came before but Tyler thinks deep down we're all the same.

"I only know what being a 30-something is like in present times, but if I had to guess, I would say that all generations have their differences and their similarities."

"I think in your 30s, you're still figuring life out. You still ask yourself so many questions. Should you have gone to college? If you did, did you pick the right major? Did you pick the right career? Is it too late to change careers? Why does my knee always hurt? Do I want kids? And if you have kids, you're trying to figure out what does it mean to be a parent and how to be a good one. Some people are married. Some aren't. If you aren't, maybe you love it. Maybe you think it's too late, and on and on and on it goes," he said.

In a previous interview for our list of hilariously true adulting memes, Diana Divecha, Ph.D., who is a Berkeley-based developmental psychologist, focusing on the science of how children, teens, and families grow and develop, told Bored Panda that "developmental scientists consider adulthood to begin when the prefrontal cortex, the front-most region of the brain, finishes developing, at around 25 years of age."

Dr. Divecha pointed out that in WEIRD societies (Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, Democratic), the on-ramp to adulthood has become very long—a period of about 10 to 15 years. She thinks of 'entering adulthood' as having three phases.

"The first phase begins with puberty, when the [intimacy] hormones begin their real job, to remodel the brain in order to prepare for adulthood. This is a time when respect from the peer group takes on new importance as nature prepares young people to eventually leave the nest and form new social groups."

"But this can be a bumpy period at first, so it’s helpful for teens to stay open and optimistic, and to have a few different peer groups. It’s also easy to be impulsive in this phase, so cultivating discernment (wise decision-making and action), and taking a moment to think before acting can be helpful, and at times, even life-saving," Dr. Divecha said.

The second phase, according to the developmental psychologist, is identity exploration —a time when we start asking ourselves questions like: 'Who am I?' 'What's important to me?' And 'Where do I fit in?'

"This is a period of great creativity, so to the extent possible, it’s helpful to try new things and explore possible interests," Divecha explained. "Some will fit, others will not, but all will be helpful information about what matters to each individual. Learn how the world works: Get real-world work experience, learn how corporations and social media manipulate the public for profit, work on real-world problems, and find adult mentors—they offer crucial bridges to adulthood. And finally learn skills—practical skills like cooking, laundry, cleaning, and personal finance, as well as interpersonal communication and emotion-regulation skills."

The third phase is early adulthood and it's usually defined with first commitments to jobs/careers and relationships. "Learning from mentors and gaining emotional and interpersonal skills continue to be important. Flexibility and adaptability are key, too, as young adults frequently change jobs until they land one that feels like a good fit or they create their own independent/entrepreneurial path," Divecha said.

"It seems you just have to figure it all out on your own," Tyler said. "So in that way, I think every generation is similar. How we're all different? I don’t know, previous 30-something generations probably weren't making TikToks and running meme pages. They were probably buying a second home or something by now."

Tyler also wanted to explicitly thank all of his followers. "I really didn't think when I started this page at the start of quarantine 2020 that it would turn into what it is and it has been incredible so far."

"I'm just glad that I'm able to provide some laughs to people during these crazy times. I have plans to expand the page into more at some point, I just need to find the time to do it, but I’m excited to see where '30 And Tired' goes!"

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