Society will tell you Generation Z is a different breed because of how outspoken and passionate it is about inequality, climate change, gun control and more. Many wonder how exactly we got here. Unlike Millennials or Generation X, our generation is fighting for the future. I believe that it has a lot to do with our upbringing. Meaning the media we consumed as children and the circumstance we were born into. In no way am I saying that our childhood television shows are the reason we are so outspoken, but I believe they set a type of precedent.
Beyond activism, I’ve found our favorite childhood television shows can attribute to certain mannerisms our generation is known for such as a penchant for sass and sarcasm, dark humor, a love for early 2000s fashion and want to be social media influencers.
The younger you are, the more receptive to social behaviors and cues you are. As children, we would sit in front of the television absorbing all sorts of things into our subconscious.
In an article published by Medical Xpress, it says that “children begin to become susceptible to social influence when they reach age 12.” On Saturday morning we would wake up and eat our cereal while watching all sorts of cartoons and shows on Disney, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. In a sense, we were sponges absorbing mannerisms, ideas and interests.
Doctor of Psychology Albert Bandura said “television programs spark such behavioral and social changes.” We would take cues from the television shows we would watch and form opinions and personalities. Television shows did not create our personalities, but they did give us an example of who we wanted to be.
Look at shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, which is about a bunch of teens fighting the oppression and the expansion of the Fire Nation. The Fire Nation that had a penchant for enslaving people and murder. ATLA was not your normal childhood television show it talked about oppression, war, genocide and imperialism. Moreover, it showed a bunch of teens fighting the larger system of oppression.
If you look at Greta Thunberg she started protesting at the age of 15, an age where society tells you that you shouldn’t try to engage yourself in grown-up matters. At a young age, she felt compelled to stand up because she felt like there was more that could be done.
Through television we were taught that standing up to corruption and the establishment was socially acceptable. So as we grew up in a society plagued by school shootings, a dying planet and a system perpetuating inequality, we had an example from our childhood to encourage us. For instance, many of you may be familiar with the episode in SpongeBob Square Pants where Squidward convinces SpongeBob to go on strike with him, because Squidward believes they aren’t getting paid enough. Leading to SpongeBob’s famous line “I will dismantle this oppressive establishment board by board! I will saw the tables of tyranny in half.”
In terms of sass, a flare for the dramatic and sarcasm, our generation may have a corner on the market. As kids we watched characters like Shego from Kim Possible, Mandy from The Grimm Adventure of Billy and Mandy, Doctor Doofenshmirtz from Phineas and Ferb, Alex from Wizards of Waverly Place, Josh from Drake and Josh and Sharpay from High School Musical. As we watched these characters it became normal for us to be dramatic, sarcastic and have an affinity for sass.
Older generations are shocked by our specific type of humor, especially when it comes to joking about death and other “obscene” things. We watched shows with hidden innuendos. The infamous Power Puff Girls scene where the girls introduce their new friend to their dad and she explains that she was an accident, too. Or in The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack when Captain K’nuckles goes through candy withdrawals, it kind of resembles drug withdrawals. Then in Dexter’s Laboratory when Dexter broke into his neighbor’s house and stumbled across “dad’s trophy.” I mean, SpongeBob Square Pants had a number of dirty innuendos; the “Patrick your genius is showing” line, SpongeBob watching sea anemone porn or when Spongebob and Patrick got ice cream wasted at the Goofy Goober.
As children we absorbed all of these jokes unconsciously. Then as we aged up our fondness for humor evolved from our unconscious absorption of dirty jokes as children. Now we have no problem joking about death, sex, mental illness and trauma. The shows we watched as children have impacted our sense of humor giving us a special outlook on comedy.
As young kids, we watched certain shows that have had amazing fashion ensembles for their characters. Since many of these shows were set in the early 2000s, the fashion was heavily influenced by those years. Sam, Clover and Alex from Totally Spies wore cute halter tops, gorgeous flare skirts, cute accessories and even better spy uniforms. Today’s street fashion is awash with these same pieces.
A personal favorite for fashion inspiration is Winx Club. Every single transformation the girls go through for every level up is gorgeous. The sparkly sets, the exquisite stained-glass wings and the exquisite hairstyles and accessories. But beyond that, their everyday looks are iconic. Stella, the fairy of the shining sun, is also a fashion designer who creates beautiful custom pieces for all her friends. The pieces are beautiful ensembles matching cute crop tops with stunning boot cut jeans and flirty skirts. It’s no surprise that we wanted to dress like the characters we grew up with.
For some reason, our generation aspires to be social media influencers. Now, a lot of that has to do with us being born into technology and growing up with it. However, I also think it’s because, as young kids, we watched shows like iCarly and Total Drama Island.
iCarly was all about a teen girl becoming famous with her friends through a web show and the adventures that ensue. They traveled to Japan and Hollywood, they met celebrities, and experienced the perks of being famous. When we were the most susceptible to influence, we watched how much fun it was to be online making videos with our friends. Total Drama Island was a different type of claim to fame. It was a reality television show for kids. It showed us the ups and downs of reality TV, and now we all want to be famous. The theme song to Total Drama Island is literally “I wanna be famous.”
Our generation had the golden age of cartoons. They seeped into our unconscious giving our generation a predisposition to certain characteristics. I am not saying that our whole personalities are based on television we watch, but I do believe that they have had an influence on us. An influence that has shaped our generation to be built differently.
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
Photos: Her Campus Media Library