The “disturbing image” warning is a common warning encountered in social media posts, a lingua franca for Gen Z, the first fully digitally native generation. On Saturday, the Islamic extremist group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, resulting in the region’s worst war in 50 years. More than 1,500 people have been killed on both sides in three days, with graphic and difficult-to-watch videos hitting the internet, from Israeli civilians being captured, tortured and killed by Hamas militants to Palestinian civilians crying out in agony. It was full. People on both sides tend to the dead and injured amid the rubble.
If Gen Z feels like they’ve seen it all, in a sense, they’ve seen it all. This generation, ages 11 to 26, has already witnessed many historical events, from a once-in-a-century pandemic to the January 6 riots (an event not seen in American politics for centuries). I have experienced it. And, not to mention the market crashes of 2008 and 2020 that were reminiscent of the Great Depression itself, Ukraine saw the first major European ground war since World War II. Gen Z, the first digitally native generation, experiences everything through online videos, images, and articles, which visibly shapes their mental health, workplace attitudes, and financial habits. .
No wonder, according to the 2023 Edelman Report, 46% of young workers between the ages of 18 and 26 say they are frequently distraught by what’s happening in the news and are unable to work. A generation reporter points out. By comparison, 38% of Millennials, 24% of Gen Xers, and 19% of Baby Boomers and older generations said the same.
Everything they do communicates that Gen Z isn’t buying it. These range from their far-reaching and desperate determination to find purpose in their work and give their employers a social conscience, to their despair over their own and the world’s financial futures. They have all but given up on saving money and instead eat small “treats” as a way of coping with the larger absurdities of 21st century life.
Three years ago, when the online video of George Floyd’s murder shook the nation in May 2020 and violent Black Lives Matter protests and riots broke out over the summer, Gen Z emerged into adolescence. Let’s think about the life of A year later, people watched as armed right-wing extremists stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, following former President Donald Trump’s election loss. Additionally, school shootings have become more frequent since the Columbine massacre in 1999, and more students are recording the attacks on their cellphones and sharing them online. One of them was the 2018 Parkland shooting, which tragically created the first spokesperson for the post-millennial generation.
Gen Z mental health
According to a 2018 report from the American Psychological Association, Gen Z’s mental health is reported to be the worst of all generations, with 45% of young people having “very good” or “very good” mental health. He reports that he is in good health.
One of the main causes of Gen Z’s suffering is, of course, climate change. According to a 2021 Pew Research report, nearly 7 in 10 Gen Zers say they feel anxious when viewing content about climate change on social media. But they aren’t just reading about the negative effects of man-made global warming; they’re also living through the effects themselves.
This summer has reached record temperatures, making July the hottest month on Earth in more than 100,000 years. As a result, Arizona experienced a month-long heat wave with daily temperatures of 110 degrees or higher. Deadly fires broke out across the Mediterranean. Choking smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed New York City and the Northeast for several days. And the melting of Arctic ice will accelerate.
And unless countries can rapidly reduce carbon emissions, the heat wave is likely to continue and get worse. That’s why Gen Z is more concerned about sustainability than any generation before them. Look at Greta Thunberg. The 20-year-old has become one of the most famous environmental activists, famously delivering scathing words to world leaders at the United Nations in 2019.
“You stole my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. Still, I am one of the lucky ones,” Thunberg said. “People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We’re at the beginning of a mass extinction. And all you can talk about is money and eternal economic growth.” It’s just a fairy tale. How dare you do that!”
Gen Z in the workplace
By 2030, Gen Z will make up nearly one-third of the U.S. workforce, but they are already fundamentally redefining what it means to work.
Gen Z wants a sense of purpose, so they prioritize environmental, social, and governance (ESG) in the workplace. ESG includes sustainability and environmental impact, education and awareness of social issues, and a diverse and inclusive board and team.
According to the Edelman report, nearly two-thirds of Gen Z say they often talk about important social issues at work. They are also influencing their older colleagues in areas such as work-life balance, fair pay, and employer involvement in social issues.
Financial stress for Gen Z
But let’s not forget that Gen Z has also experienced a global pandemic that shut down the world for nearly two years, two recessions, and a growing student debt crisis, leaving them with little savings and great financial despair. It means that you have.
About 60% of Gen Zers say they feel more stressed about money this year than last year, according to a July Bankrate survey. No wonder: 85% of Gen Zers say they wouldn’t be able to cover a month’s worth of living expenses if they lost their job today.
And since young people are generally most vulnerable to inflation because they are most likely to work part-time and in low-wage jobs, this economic climate may have left Gen Z with permanent “emotional scars.” One expert points out that there is.
“How can young people build careers and wealth if there are no jobs and the prices of goods and services continue to rise?” Founder of Our Business School in London and Professor of Justice at the University of Cambridge Dayo Abinusawa, a former business school lecturer, previously said: luck.
A Fidelity survey backs up this claim, finding that 45% of 18 to 35-year-olds “see no point in saving until things return to normal.” Some Gen Z believe that “money is not reality” and justify spending on items as “self-rewards” in the face of harsh reality.
why is it important
Of course, every generation has experienced era-defining historical events. Millennials remember the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the US invasion of Iraq. Baby boomers lived through the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. However, no other generation has been as connected to the world through the internet as early as Generation Z.
Gen Z is already exercising their power in remarkable and sometimes comical ways. In June 2020, a teenage TikTok user (with the help of K-pop fans) claimed to have botched a Trump campaign rally by registering thousands of tickets without actually intending to attend. And last summer, after the Supreme Court overturned it. egg v. Wade, A then-19-year-old activist trolled Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz to raise more than $2 million in abortion funds.
It remains to be seen what Gen Z will do when they assume decision-making positions in the workplace, but perhaps they will effectively channel their anger and cynicism, as they have already demonstrated. However, Abinusawa warned that “we live in a society where young people have almost nothing.” Having no hope for the future is not sustainable. ”