When it comes to Gen Z, everybody has a thing to say. From Boomers to Millenials, everyone has an eye roll ready to drop by the time they decide on which opinion of them to share. Boomers call them lazy, and Millenials accuse them of being copycats. However, many negatives are confronted by positive feedback, such as being recognized for their social skills and for being a digitally vocal generation. Yet, the truth is, many of the traits used to identify Gen Z can be summarized as: “quitting when things don’t work like we want any more”.
But is that the truth? Is Gen Z really quitters and naysayers? Can’t they really do it all? I don’t think so.
Gen Z is way too young!
Gen Z is too young to be so thoroughly analyzed. For starters, the youngest of our generation is only 11 years old, for God’s sake! And the rest are mostly teenagers, with some young 20-year-olds. Nobody thinks that when you’re basically a child you’re not exactly thinking of solving long-term problems and let alone coming up with long-term solutions. Teenagers are rowdy, dramatic, somewhat lazy, and hyper-focused; this is just part of the teenage experience. For instance, I’m only 23 years old, and I can already feel the shift and calmness that comes with adulthood as my brain slowly comes to its end for frontal lobe development. And yet here we are, expecting a poor 18-year-old to have everything under control.
We are not allowing these teenagers to be teens.
I’m clearly part of the oldest GenZers, so I had the privilege of growing up in rising social media. But, I wasn’t expected to be politically correct, mature, or wise, all the time. I was a teen, I was allowed to say stupid things, learn from terrible mistakes, and had my time for redemption. Nowadays, that space is nonexistent in the GenZ era. Sure, teenagers perpetuate much of the cancel culture we see nowadays in social media, but as adults, we should thrive to teach them it’s okay to be open and allow them to make mistakes and grow from them. It is simply not the end of the world to make a mistake.
Our society and culture are just too overwhelming.
Older generations like to point out how many of Gen Z seem lost and overwhelmed in their daily and digital activities but, can you blame them? A false move and it becomes an irreparable mistake for their future endeavors. We hear stories of Gen Zers that have begun to surface in important roles in society and then consequently mocked when their past activities are brought up thanks to their digital footprint.
Then comes to play the current state of society. Today everyone with access to the internet can know what is happening everywhere, at every hour, all at once. The constant bombardment of every negative event that, as cruel as it may sound, cannot be solved by the person across the other side of the world. This causes a sense of doom and can be paralyzing. Heck, I feel the struggle occasionally. Just imagine what it can do to a youngling Gen Z who is just learning a coping mechanism.
Let Gen Z heal and grow one step at a time.
So, you have a generation that is still growing up, while also holding them to irreversible standards. Geez, I wonder what could go wrong there.
The idea that Generation Z is lost or doesn’t know what’s best for them shouldn’t be at discussion yet. Let them be young, let them be dramatic, let them grow up, and make as many mistakes as needed. Let adults help them out by taking back the powerful social media snipper we have created and stop holding them at gunpoint. Gen Z is not lost, but in the event that they do get lost, they should be able to do so without any judgment until they naturally find their way.