Are we doomed? An Inside Look at Generation Z
Written by Arthur Ogden
Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, has grown up in a hyper-connected world dominated by the internet, social media, and fast-changing trends. Growing up on the internet has split the generation into a plethora of different subgroups to identify with. It’s perhaps one of the most diverse generations for this reason, with a large range of different interests and personalities, in part due to the multi-year pandemic they endured. Many have claimed different adjectives to sum up this group, but there are two that are most apt in describing us. Generation Z can be best put as being interested in self identification and in creating our own personalized online worlds.
Reddit, with over 3.4 million subreddits as of May 2022, illustrates how Gen Z seeks out spaces to connect with like-minded individuals. These subreddits range from casual hobbies like looking at cat memes to ones centered around specific identities like asexuality or preppy fashion. With the world’s history and culture readily available online, Generation Z has grown adept at exploring and adopting labels that align with their emotions, genders, sexualities, and interests. While this desire for categorization fosters inclusivity and self-awareness, it can also lead to a proliferation of overlapping and overly specific labels. But no matter if it's beneficial or overcomplicated, this trend feeds into this age group’s trend of having an affinity for grouping and being in tune with themselves.
In addition, the “screenager” stereotypes, while usually overgeneralized, tend to be accurate for this particular cohort. Growing up with screens and a world with no idea of how to manage them all has led to unrestricted internet access. Goldstar Rehabilitation claims that Gen Z on average spends about 9 hours of the day on screens. Both Business Dasher and the Washington Association of Black Journalists and Civic Science all report nearly 90% of Gen Z having or being on social media. While this doesn’t include everyone, a large portion of the group’s life is spent in a digital reality, in which they are able to craft their feeds and personalize nearly everything. A student may go to school learning about world history, then return home to a screen in which they only consume content from a narrow viewfinder. This online obsession creates a peer group of some very educated people while also creating those who trap themselves in echo chambers with constant confirmation of their preconceived notions.
Overall, Generation Z’s interest in identifiers and digital life gives us a group of people who are continuing to craft themselves and what they consume in the metaverse, thus reinforcing their personal growth. This can be both favorable and detrimental to teens and young adults, giving the illusion of endless options when algorithms make these pivotal choices. An adoption of particular self-qualifiers, while giving historically silenced groups a way to better convey who they are, can be confusing and excessive. In your formative years, you are shaped by what you consume and in the minds and feedback of other people. The endless validation and trolling online, as we look to the future, are sure to produce characters unlike we’ve ever seen before.