A lot of things intertwine with one another to produce results beyond simple explanations. So, here we go.
Key defining forces for Gen Z:
Key defining forces for Gen Z:
- Ubiquitous connectivity, social media, devices, and online community
- The long-term disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic and the lost years of lockdown and online everything (life, school, work)
- Massive epidemic of depression and anxiety
Social media, Internet, always being connected
- Attention economy
- Sleep deficits
- Messed up attention span
- Unrealistic standards for everything
- Web cocoon such as Reddit and discord
- Algorithm, and the Mr. Beast ethos on gaming the system
- Hence, system does not encourage creativity and experimentation
- AirPods and noise cancelling creates physical barriers between people
Politics, distrust of institutions
- The lack of role model and leadership on all levels, from national politics to local schools
- Highly cynical on the return on investment by going to school
- Disappointment in living through reality versus what is promised by adults and authority figure on every front
The math is not mathing
- Simple calculation on rent to income percentage, which means one has no money left when pursuing career in big cities
- Home ownership is no longer affordable, hence the American Dream is fundamentally broken
- Student debt crisis and its special properties means one cannot have any flexibility and true free will, as debt looms over one’s head
- People who do even more schooling to become even less employable
- Hence, consumption hedonism in concerts, traveling, eating out, and substance consumption
AI, work, and life’s fulfillment
- Remote work means one does not understand the implicit benefit of in-person work and the opportunities and growth that brings
- Change in mindset, from focus on input (hours worked) to focus on output, hence quiet quitting and remote work
- Lack of mentorship, lack of team spirit, lack of actual relationship building and social skills
- Disconnected from work, while demanding more from employers outside of monetary compensation
- No company loyalty to speak of
- No one will put in 100% effort to get to the next level, I do the work I’m paid to do
- Everyone for themselves, back to a jungle world in corporate environment
- AI rendering many common career paths useless and cast uncertainty on all jobs for the younger generation
- The entire notion of career and work under doubt by the AI forces, starting with computer coding
- Hence, living in the moment and unable to focus on the long term (when there is no long term to speak of)
- Overall, the death of tracks
Money, finance, behavior
- Overall lack of hope due to math not working out
- General not giving a f, rise of F around and find out
- Massive gambling tendency
- Rise of meme, coins, pump and dump
- Tons of grifters and lack of positive role model (especially in tech), meaning people don’t care about morality to exploit others