They’re Photogenically Tolerant, But the Most Fragile Ideological Generation Ever Recorded

Too dead to live? Is the Zombie Syndrome exiting with Gen Z?

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F. Scott Fitzgerald styled his vanished generation as one that had “grown up to find all gods dead, all wars fought, and all faith in man shaken.”

Much has been said about Gen-Z’s addiction to social media, with short attention spans and severe screen addictions. They’re addicted to the dopamine rush from the click-click-click and instantaneous gratification. As such, their sleep schedules are disordered, and they’re sacrificing their social lives for a near-perpetual screen-induced zombie-like addictive paralysis.

To understand the nature of the Zombie, one must contemplate the various symbols behind it — what Colson Whitehead’s narrator describes in his novel Zone One as “skels” and “stragglers.” The skels represent the walking dead in terms of pure hunger and lacking memory and awareness. The stragglers, however, stay in one place, endlessly repeating habitual small movements whose lives are an unending loop of repeated gestures.

Zombies are not complex, as the most basic needs drive their existence. All they want is to consume. Zombies are not worried about their safety. They have no desire to be loved or belong, never feel bad about themselves or feel like they have to work on their self-esteem and don’t strive to realize their true potential.

Some argue that our obsession is a cathartic way to work through humanity’s biggest fears and worst-case scenarios. This may very well be, and from what I can tell, the fixation on the living dead shows no sign of slowing down.

Gen Z, the next generation

Consider the upcoming generation — a generation where babies instinctively reach out and touch screens, and anyone who doesn’t have some device by the time they reach primary school risks being abandoned as a social pariah. Children addicted to computers and phones during lockdown — “zoning out” for up to 20 hours a day — struggle to converse with others.

Growing up with mobile technology and social media as part of their established environment, these kids stand a better chance of having a healthy relationship with tech than we do. An army of “screen tappers.” Devices are cheap, and apps are mostly free! How long until there are rehab centers that exclusively treat cell phone addiction?

According to 2022 data from Gallup, Gen Z’s are more disengaged at work-related than other groups. For instance, the poll shows that young employees may not understand the merit of eating lunch with coworkers, asking for feedback, or simply being accessible to volunteer for extra projects.

In the book “iGen,” Jean Twenge reflects that, more than preceding generations, Gen Z is dating less, leaving jobs, not attending church, and spending waking time online. They spend their time differently, behave, and attitudes toward religion, sexuality, and politics. They reject social taboos. More than previous generations, they are obsessed with safety, focused on tolerance, and have no patience for inequality.

They’re more photogenically tolerant but the most fragile ideological generation ever recorded.

Burrowed behind the safety of their screens, they feel hopeless about their prospects. They experience disenfranchised from society even more than their millennial predecessors. They are less trusting and more fearful, clinging to each other for a sense of moral direction and rejecting their parents’ lessons. Having never faced “real” hardship, they tend to make mountains out of molehills with a general inability to distinguish important things from those they merely wish were important. The list goes on.

But is it all that bad?

What happened to real human connection, built from eye contact instead of social media? Are we living in a world where our behavior in public spaces is increasingly isolated and isolating? We’ve all seen a couple out for a date, both staring down at their phones, pedestrians locked so deeply into social media that they barely avoid bumping into each other, a subway car in which every single commuter is thumbing their screens in a zombie-like trance. Psychologically, emotionally, and conscious mental activities detached from our surroundings and other physical beings.

They are not a perfect generation; however, suppose you change your perspective and embrace all this generation has to offer, and we’d be able to rip the benefits of their knowledge.

This reliance on cell phones and the constant barrage of information is not limited to kids by any means — I do the same thing but with email. I monitor my email on my phone day and night, regardless of my surroundings. I became acutely aware of how ridiculous it is between a combination of persistent writing anxiety and, upon intentionally putting my phone away for a while.

Labeling the younger generation a detached, socially stunted crop of people is easy, and this language about “zombies” might feed into that monotonous drone. Some say the opposite. Just as the technology that is an integral part of our daily lives continues to evolve and adapt to our needs and behaviors, we continue to adapt and grow with it.

Some maintain that it looks as though the planet is in capable hands. With technological savvy and how information is at their fingertips, this group is also more self-directed. Gen Z is plugged into social media even more than millennials. Those in this generation can help businesses with advertising on social media or other mediums that the older working force may use less regularly.

Older generations accused the younger generation of needing hand-holding that the younger generation feels entitled. On the “Ed Sullivan Show,” when Elvis Presley shook his moneymaker, it may have been the first time generational and cultural differences hit the mainstream with such flourish. But if he were alive today, what would he say about Z-Gen?

Where previous generations had to rely on a parent, teacher, or supervisor to explain something, Gen Z is free of those constraints and can access the info they need when needed and get to work. As the most linked and progressive generation yet, it’s no shock that Gen Z is leading the many trending social issues that directly impact them. From mental health to climate change, social equity among race and gender identities, economic concerns, and gun control.

Parting thoughts

We have all learned to rely on those devices. On those rare and horrible occasions when we forget to bring our smartphone, we feel destitute, at the mercy of an unforgiving universe. And for naturally shy people, the Internet has revolutionized connecting with the world.

Most of us experience engrossment with technology — from continuous texting to playing repetitive games — has crossed over into addict, zombie territory. The good thing is that if we’re mindful of our behavior, we can always cross back. We need to find a new balance between our machines and the people around us and even stop to smell the roses.

It’s a lot to consider. With its microwave mentality, this generation’s excessive social media use affects how they form relationships or understand reality. In the worst-case scenario, it all comes down to Gen Z learning the hard way like previous generations. Just remember that today’s young generation are tomorrow’s leaders. They’re growing. Evolving. Learning. It’s all part of development. We were all young once and heard “kids these days.” However, there’s a delicate balance that Gen Z must acknowledge, and so do older generations. Older generations also must learn to adapt.

Mobile phones are a tool, and they’re here to stay. What we can change is how we use them. Social habits evolve more slowly than mobile operating systems. When tech moves quicker than our capacity for understanding the implications of that tech, it can be destabilizing. And it’s good to remember that taking breaks from cellphones helps the brain recover. You will start returning to the real world, and your connections with others will deepen.

Now go out and seize the day!