Born in Ukraine, I made my path toward startups, but I can’t say that Ukraine made me do it; outside influence pushed me to it. Before I was 19, I didn’t even know what “startup” was, but it became everything. The idea of building something nonconventional and changing the game's rules never existed before I started reading English literature and watching English-speaking channels. But why? Maybe I just have been in the wrong bubble, or perhaps it is a more global issue.
When I was a kid, some natural curiosity made me question things like “Why are there so big queues in hospitals? Can’t we make it more organized or maybe electronic?” “Why do we have to go to school and listen to lectures in person if teachers can just record it?” “Why do we have to pay taxes and not see the cost breakdown on where my 1000 grivnas went?”. Those are great questions, but my usual answer was Mandalorian - “Because this is the way.”
I have never lived in a socialistic society where my parents grew up, but I believe that is a part of that. You don’t want to challenge the status quo because the status quo is a law. Even discussing changing the status quo may lead the whole family into trouble. This mindset is rigid and difficult to get rid of, and even when the country got out of the social pressure, the mindset stayed. It has been replaced from “Government will do something to us” to “Oligarchs will do something to us.” This may be true, but I can’t deny the cases that sometimes happen with very proactive people. I still sincerely believe that this is not the case in modern Ukraine.
I am glad that Ukraine is moving in the direction of capitalism and an open market by introducing more funds, more international partners, more courses more digitalization. However, I believe that the biggest challenge Ukraine has to overcome is the mindset of acceptance of a status quo that is passing from generation to generation through families, communities, and educational institutions.
When I have been in school my primary goal has always been grades and social acceptance. These metrics are pretty generalized across all schoolchildren and they are in our control. We are in control to change the definition of them. Nor the US, not any other EU countries made grades be a hand of capitalism which is interesting but understandable. It is hell hard to come up with an objective measure for capitalistic values, especially for schoolchildren. Nevertheless, social acceptance alone is enough to make it work. In fact, social acceptance can even change the perception of grates. Recent trends in college dropouts are a great example of that.
That is not a secret that media is the best way to define “social acceptance”.The perfect experiment will be to get news headlines from Ukraine and US, compare them and see the difference. In the time of war economic growth always goes in the background so that will not be reasonable to do in our case however, I have been living in Ukraine enough to be able to make a comparison from the memory. I am not claiming myself an expert in media and every claim I make in the following statement may be impacted by informational bubbles of my own, any feedback or modifications are welcomed.
The US media bubble
Even though the US is very diverse and it will be much more correct to analyze each state separately I will try to generalize it from my personal experience. I have spent 1 year in the US mostly in the states of Indiana, Texas, and California + I did some research to not sound silly out here.
In the United States, media influence is complex and diverse, with different channels reflecting different ideologies, interests, and regional cultures. Across these varied platforms, there is a persistent emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship and a deep-rooted respect for those who take risks to make their visions a reality. While the capitalistic model has its criticisms, there's no denying the deep association between the idea of personal success and the American Dream. The stories of people who start companies in garages and rise to become industry leaders are celebrated and serve as models of ambition and perseverance.
This often results in a fascinating blend of content that spans from Silicon Valley's technological advancements and their impact on society to the rise and fall of startups and the economy. The United States media landscape frequently revolves around these themes, shaping the aspirations of many young people who are exposed to these narratives.
Entrepreneurship is often encouraged, even among young children. Reality shows like "Shark Tank" present the startup culture as a desirable path, further amplifying the appeal of breaking the status quo and introducing innovative ideas. The narrative of self-made success is not just compelling, but it's also embraced as part of the national ethos.
The Ukrainian media bubble
In contrast, my experience with Ukrainian media presents a vastly different landscape. Ukrainian media tends to focus on the political situation, the struggle for economic stability, and the ongoing geopolitical tensions. Certainly, there are reports on technology and entrepreneurship, but they are often overshadowed by these pressing issues.
In this media landscape, stories of local entrepreneurs and startups breaking the mold are less prevalent. When these stories do appear, they are often viewed with skepticism rather than admiration, a reflection of the lingering mindset of risk aversion inherited from the socialist era.
It's important to note that media narratives alone don't shape society. However, they do play a significant role in setting societal expectations and ambitions. Growing up in Ukraine, I seldom came across stories of entrepreneurial success in the media. The few that were there didn't seem as enticing or attainable as those I later encountered in English-language literature and channels.
This has less to do with the lack of entrepreneurial talent in Ukraine - there are plenty of Ukrainians innovating and making significant strides in various sectors. The issue lies in the difference in narrative emphasis and the lingering societal expectations. Changing this narrative requires a concerted effort, not only from the media but also from educational institutions, families, and the government.
Even when small innovation is happening, everyone has to know about it. When the boy from Chernihiv is making a lemon stand and earning $10 per month- the country has to be proud of it. When a student is dropping out and becoming a social media influence - the country has to celebrate. Those sound silly, but more will follow, in 1 year the media will move from “Bot opened an online newsletter and making $100 per month” to multi-mullion IPOs made through not yet existing Ukrainian Stock Market.
Conclusion
By seeing all that I get only 1 conclusion. Ukraine doesn’t wanna become capitalistic, Ukraine doesn’t know how to do that, or maybe it is just the media who don’t want things to get changed. Which one is that?