Generation Z (Gen Z) faces several unique challenges that have shaped our identities and worldviews. With the prevalence of social media and its impact bleeding into every aspect of our lives, it has created a unique challenge in how we navigate the world.
It is quite common for people to joke around about being indecisive, but it seems to be a daunting reality. Whether it’s career choices, diet, fashion or politics, the trending discourse is always changing, and with that, people’s opinions of them. From lip gloss to life purpose, the people of Gen Z are losing their ability to form a solid identity and make integral decisions about their lives.
One thing I have noticed is that the presence of social media, more specifically TikTok, has given people a forum to express their opinions and engage in debate with others through videos and comments. However, there is such an influx of opinions on each topic that it causes cognitive overload in consumers.Â
Scrolling for 11 hours a day has become so normalized, and people have allocated time for “brain rot.” Even if the action of scrolling may feel mindless, your brain is taking in each video you see and responding accordingly to it.
I was thinking back to the conversations I’ve had with my mom and realized that her generation had to decide what was right and wrong through their own lived experiences. Sure, they had the news and books and television, but most of their worldview was shaped by the people closest to them.
Our generation is going through the opposite. We are exposed to so many different perspectives that it is almost paralyzing. There is no separation in information, so we end up consuming fashion trends, diet culture and horrific images from the news all within five minutes of opening an app.Â
Rather than collecting knowledge and forming opinions, we have gotten to a point where scrolling on social media is our life experience. We aren’t motivated to go out and form our own opinions because we’ve already been told what to do and believe.Â
This causes a polarizing reality because we live in such a progressive time where anything is possible, and in theory, we have more freedom than ever. But is this reality?
When social pressures are at an all-time high, and people are criticized for not conforming to a specific mold, it subconsciously strips people of the freedom to live their lives as they please. The algorithm is always shaping our perception of the world, and whether we choose to believe it or not, these platforms that we look to for solace have a coercive power over us.Â
I’m not discrediting the fact that social media provides community and an outlet for people to express themselves. The problem is the system that exists in and the ways in which it has reinforced a vicious cycle of comparison and overthinking that stops people from truly living their lives.
There isn’t a solution to this problem, as this comes down to a widespread issue of social media addiction that is beyond any one person. But I do think that being aware of this can help us break out of this collective trance that this generation seems to be in.