Keeping up with the Joneses is now keeping up with the Kardashians.

Photographer and filmmaker Lauren Greenfield's new film "Generation Wealth" examines how the American dream has changed over the last 25 years thanks to the internet, social media and reality TV shows. "What you see in the film is everybody is striving for something, and that by definition puts them in a state of dissatisfaction," Greenfield tells CNBC Make It in an exclusive interview.

"In my parents' generation, people used to compare themselves to their neighbors, to the people that they knew, kind of keeping up with the Joneses. But what's happened is that now we spend more time with the people we know from television than our real neighbors, so keeping up with the Joneses is now keeping up with the Kardashians," says Greenfield.

But once society has hit rock bottom, how will it recover? Watch the video above to find out.

"Generation Wealth" is now out in select theaters.