“Why doesn’t Gen Z dance?” is a question asked by many, and for most of Gen Z, the answer is: it’s hard to be carefree when the threat of your every move being recorded and posted is everywhere, all the time. On social media, you will routinely see videos of others that are deemed too “cringe”, the things that used to be in last month are now hideous, and constant shifts in social culture. Especially for women, the risk of being put into a “cringe” or “pick me” category is high. This leads to a more calculated approach to social settings and an awareness about how one is perceived by others.
The ideal image that Gen Z tries to convey to others is one that is nonchalant, ironic, unbothered by any issue, and “chill” in every way (And photogenic at all times). Keeping a curated, perfected social media image is also important in seeming like one has a put-together social and personal life, without seeming too excited or showy about it. Caring too much and trying too hard is seen as embarrassing and risky. There is a deep fear of failure because every action feels like it is broadcasted to everyone. And sometimes, it is.
We see strangers being recorded on Tiktok, catching them in a mental crisis, celebration, being too “cringe”, etc. There’s a “clout” factor gained by going viral for random content. Story-times about old friends, moral codes that change week to week, overall, a rampant cancellation culture. Snapchat relies on users’ constant use of picture taking, and because of that need for constant documentation, it can make users normalize the acts of videoing and taking pictures of others for content. Instagram is a prime stalking ground for many, a place where you can see someone’s entire life, miniature “stories” and even notes about their day-to-day. People are aware of this, and tend to perfect their images to what they want their audience to see. Because of this, in-person social interaction feels like a high stakes performance.Â
The main part of this mentality may stem from the lockdown during COVID-19. For many of us in college, COVID-19 distancing protocols and lockdown started during late middle school to early high school. These were formative years in which teens would’ve been finding their social circles and figuring out who they are in life. They saw an aestheticized version of other people through social media, and consumed excessive amounts of screen time since there wasn’t much else to do.Â
They assumed that this aesthetic, polished and unrealistic version of others—was an achievable goal. This excess in social media and isolation led to a rise in social anxiety and depression in Gen Z. Constant streams of information about subjects like politics, health, and the future of Covid (among other things), also may have led to Gen Z coping with these topics with an absurdist humor and a sense of irony. Phrases like “ It’s not that deep”, and “ It is what it is” took off, leading to an overall mentality of detachment. It’s easier to distance yourself than to take action, and risk being seen caring too much.Â
Many internet users agree that we are now living in a digital panopticon. A panopticon is a concept of an 18th-century prison design by Jeremy Bentham featuring a central guard tower. Inmates could never see the guard, so they had to assume they were watched at all times, forcing them to police their own behavior. Social media functions as one because users share their lives and see the lives of others constantly with no guard, and constantly policing other users, leading to everyone assuming they are judged and watched at all times. Additionally, outside of social media culture, we see AI and flock cameras on the rise. Many of Gen Z are against the use of both, and even then, they are being implemented. How can Gen Z feel like they can act spontaneously and carefree when the threat of being watched is everywhere?Â