Dear every wandering youth,
I am supposed to bring the episode for Gen Z and Media every second week of the month, but I am here with the supplementary story since I want to share some thoughts beyond specific issues.
As a member of Generation Z born in 2000, I find myself naturally drawn to topics related to my generation, which frequently seem to be a focal point. I feel every social flow vividly stimulating my senses. Often, we are labeled as ‘troublemakers.’
About a month ago, The Wall Street Journal reported 20-somethings’ advanced bedtime as a new phenomenon – which is 9 p.m. It was a fresh shock at first because it had never happened to me. However, after reading the full story, I learned that many in my generation deem quality sleep to be more valuable and embrace quiet nighttime. Experts point out that it is good for “people taking their sleep seriously, but there is such a thing as too seriously,” according to WSJ.
But, what if it’s because we are too exhausted for everything? We face excessive problems every day – from changes in the work environment to the recession following the pandemic, the climate crisis, and the threat of AI, among tons of others. I entered the pandemic after a year in university, and it became extremely difficult to connect with people, something I had taken for granted before. Everything spiraled out of my control. What if ‘sleep’ is seen as the only thing Gen Z can control – even if it’s uncontrollable? This trend might have been triggered by the oppressive fatigue that we are dealing with.
Gen Z has quite a lot of nicknames. Older adults call us ‘snowflakes.’ They say we complain too much wherever we are – at school or in the workplace. They criticize us, saying we are fragile and easily mentally overwhelmed. Another nickname we have is ‘the loneliest generation.’ Social media is regarded as one of the reasons for the loneliness epidemic. People joke that they are dopamine-addicted while scrolling through YouTube Shorts and gulping down several cups of coffee every day. We are the first generation to suffer from overstimulation. Are we failing to adapt to the world? We might be in the midst of a transitional stage. Sometimes, adults give us advice derived from their time and tide with heartfelt words. However, I believe we should cultivate an outlook that allows us to face the world head-on with no disturbance. Perhaps we are not troublemakers.
To make things worse, we seem to be in the most uncertain period when it comes to the future. We don’t have stable professions or families as Generation X does, and we have less time compared to Generation Alpha to dream boundlessly. As I grew up, I learned that numerous jobs would be replaced by ‘robots’ in the future, starting from when I was in elementary school. My friends and I had to figure out which careers would still be viable when we became adults. And I still feel like I am tripping over my own feet in the middle of a haze.
I have one more semester until graduation after I return to Korea this summer. I have already planned what I should do to prepare for the job market, but the plan is just a plan; I know everything will be out of control again. Fortunately, I am both worried and excited about it at the same time.
I believe we are in a turbulent era, both in our personal lives and in social changes. It’s time for us to anchor ourselves with the sturdy roots of Gen Z that can’t be easily shaken. Let’s develop critical thinking amid the deluge of opinions and strive to understand each other, even if others don’t. I am afraid of what the future will be like with Gen Z becoming older adults, but I am also excited about how the world will transform as we become a new normal.
I’ll be back next week with another topic on Gen Z and Media.
From one of the wandering youths…
Kyungmin Min is an international intern from Korea.
