Life sucks

1. Why people say “life sucks” — short, sharp diagnosis

Writers and forum posters pin the feeling on a combination of economic strain, labor-market uncertainty, and a sense that technology — especially AI and relentless social media — is amplifying problems rather than solving them; Het Mehta’s deep dive lists inflation, job markets, social media and AI as central contributors to the 2025 malaise ^[1], and a Hacker News thread argues technology hasn’t delivered broadly shared benefits ^[4].

2. Culture and rhetoric: “the year of the suck” as a narrative

Several bloggers framed 2025 as an epochal “year of the suck,” using wry, sometimes poetic language to normalize struggle and even to reframe suffering as a crucible for growth; Medium essays explicitly name 2025 that way and encourage “dancing in the rain,” acknowledging hardship while proposing meaning in endurance ^[5].

3. Technology gets blamed — and defenders reply

Critics on platforms like Hacker News argue invention alone won’t equalize outcomes and that AI risks concentrating gains ^[4]. Het Mehta’s piece echoes this, saying AI and social media have played a role in making life feel more chaotic ^[1]. Available sources do not mention detailed empirical studies proving causation; the reporting is interpretive and anecdotal rather than a formal, quantitative causal claim (not found in current reporting).

4. Climate and large-scale risks: a persistent background hum

At least one commentator singles out climate and consequential events carried over from 2024 as primary reasons 2025 feels worse, arguing the year will “set in motion” long-term consequences and that climate-driven disasters contribute to collective anxiety ^[6]. That viewpoint treats environmental stress as both immediate and structural.

5. Practical responses: self-care, small experiments, and resolution skepticism

Practical-minded sources advise tempering grand expectations and favoring incremental coping strategies: Inc. recommends slowing down, grounding practices and self-care to recover from a bad year and prepare for a better one ^[2]. Other pieces poke fun at New Year’s resolution culture and suggest humility about big promises — humor and scaled-back goals appear as common coping mechanisms ^[3].

6. Voices that reframe suffering as meaningful

Some writers urge readers to embrace difficulty as part of creative or personal growth. Medium essays and personal blogs argue that acknowledging the “suck” lets people set realistic aims and find value in struggle, positioning adversity as a source of narrative and purpose rather than only loss ^{[5] [6]}.

7. What the sources do and do not show — limits of the debate

The available pieces are largely opinion and cultural analysis: they catalog reasons people feel worse, offer coping tips, and debate technology’s role ^{[4] [1] [2]}. Available sources do not present systematic, peer-reviewed evidence quantifying exactly how much each factor (inflation, AI, climate, social media) contributes to overall well-being declines in 2025; they are interpretive essays and forum posts, not epidemiological studies (not found in current reporting).

8. Bottom line and practical takeaway

The narrative that “life sucks” in 2025 is a synthesis of economic stress, technological dislocation, climate anxiety and cultural fatigue as described by multiple commentators ^{[4] [1] [6]}. Counterpoints focus on individual-level strategies — self-care, realistic goals, and humor — as credible ways people are trying to push back ^{[2] [3]}. Readers should treat the claim as a cultural diagnosis backed by persuasive commentary rather than definitive empirical proof (not found in current reporting).