Hobbies are the quintessential tool for developing our own unique skills and interests by partaking in various activities as a passion or simply for one’s own enjoyment.
This is where we draw the difference between chores and hobbies: the former could be considered a servile activity whereby you are either required or tasked to complete a certain activity either for your own living means or to adhere to a specific requirement, whereas the latter would be considered voluntary and something you would often do to enhance the quality of your time i.e. they’re enjoyable.
In fact, never has it been more apparent the benefits that hobbies can bring to your own day-to-day living, especially as learning, viewing, and talking about hobbies is much easier since the advent of the internet.
Hobbies are here to stay and definitely aren’t dying, but if you aren’t convinced, why not check out some of our top reasons below?
1. Hobbies are easier to learn now
As mentioned above, hobbies are much easier to learn these days compared to in the past whereby people couldn’t access information as easily as they can now through modern mediums like the internet.
This includes things like YouTube, search engines (Google, Bing, etc), and even dedicated subscription programs that can help teach you all the basics and even more advanced skills in your chosen area of enjoyment.
It also means for skills that can’t be learned fully over the internet you can at least get a taster of what to expect before trying them out; good examples include things like horse riding, archery, swimming, and/or any other kind of practical skill.
However, even if you can’t easily find demonstrable information online for your chosen hobby, you can at least find contacts or sources for places or people who can teach you the skills needed to get good at whatever it is you’re wanting to pursue.
2. It’s easier to connect with others than ever before
Part of what prevents hobbies from dying out is that they’re constantly being perpetuated through the sharing of information, whether that be online or through practical demonstrations in real life.
Obviously, it’s easier to find an audience these days especially with the internet at your fingertips as it means you can potentially reach millions of people in just minutes or hours rather than over months or years, or potentially never as it may have been in the past.
Basically, since the advent and popularization of the internet, it has never been easier to connect with others whereby hobbies can now have a more far-reaching effect than they ever could have in the past, and thus, more community emphasis has spawned as a byproduct.
As long as there is at least one person to teach a certain skill or hobby then it means it won’t die out, or at least not as easy as it may have done in the past where information was entrusted to books or a person’s memory which we all known aren’t as permanent as the internet.
3. They’re good for your wellbeing
Another reason for hobbies not just up and disappearing as some would expect is in the fact that they’re extremely good for a person’s wellbeing and can help people feel like they have a purpose and something to get up for each day.
This understanding is part of the reason for what drives the promotion of various different skills and hobbies which means it’s rather unlikely they’ll die out.
Basically, hobbies are a great tool for channeling one’s frustrations or negative energies into and turning them into something positive that can be shared with the world.
Things that make someone feel good are more likely to be shared and that’s just the case for hobbies — most people who partake in them often enjoy them enough to talk about them and share them to more permanent mediums like the internet where they can be enjoyed by others for years to come.
4. The power of social media
Social media has come to dominate many of our lives and it’s not hard to understand why. We’re constantly sharing the best parts of our lives and trying to construct a sort of faux-identity from what we display to others to make ourselves seem more unique and interesting.
One of the ways to create an identity for ourselves is by embracing hobbies or partaking in various interests to help us stand out amongst a very seemingly homogenized crowd and sharing it online for the world to see, or at least for our friends and peers.
This constant sharing and talking about different hobbies/activities means it’s more likely that a hobby will become perpetuated throughout the internet and wider society; it becomes almost imbued as part of the eternal online consciousness and not unless something were to wipe it out entirely, it’s unlikely these things will ever be forgotten (or die out).
5. Hobbies are experiencing a modern renaissance
Hobbies went through a bit of a lull throughout the early parts of the noughties whereby everything became dominated by pop culture, reality TV, and the early developments of the internet.
In fact, hobbies didn’t die out during this period, but they did lose a sort of coolness factor or at least disappeared from the spotlight for a little while.
Conversely, it’s almost impossible not to see someone talking about their pastimes these days as they’re thrust upon us almost daily on social media feeds and through modern mediums like YouTube. Who’d have thought millions of people would addictively watch woodworking projects being made?
In truth, the internet has become the catalyst for a modern hobby renaissance whereby people are showing off their individuality and that almost any hobby can be cool with the right kind of effort and creativity.
Relevant Articles
Instead of debating the death of hobbies, why not try your hand at something new and become part of the reason that something goes on to survive and thrive within society? Here is a selection of some hobby lists to inspire your choice:
Ultimate List of Hobbies
Our Favorite Hobby Lists
- 31 Quirky Hobbies for People Who Enjoy Something a Little Different (Not to Be Missed)
- 28 Cool Hobbies To Try Right Now (Exciting and Surprisingly Fun)
- Good Hobbies That Anyone Can Do Right Now (Top 30 Roundup)
- 21 Community Hobbies to Get You Involved With Others (Accomplish More Together)
- Here Are 25 of the Most Unconventional Hobbies (Carve Your Own Path)
Conclusion
Hobbies aren’t dying, period.
In fact, never has it been more popular to have your own unique skills or pastimes that you can show off to your mates all over your social media feed or with communities on Reddit.
Not to mention, video streaming has become extremely efficient and fast meaning we can watch exactly how to do something in no seconds flat — the internet truly has become a wonderful place for perpetuating and talking about your hobbies.
