By Sparkian Antara Kar
Contributing author for Spark Igniting Minds
They populate your neighbourhood, their thumbs can type at a lightning speed, they have thousands of virtual peers, they prefer electronic conversations more than face-to-face interaction and they are always glued to their devices: smartphones or ipods. This mysterious social phenomenon is known as GenZ.
There is a lot of speculation about where this generation begins? As per the media, people born between 1997-2012 are categorised to fall in this group. While they may be the last in the alphabet but they are the first for almost everything else. And why not? they have all grown up in the era of technology so playing computer games or having any kind of movie at their finger-tips are some of their norms. But this also causes them to be stereotyped as "tech-addicted", "anti-social" or not capable of having common sense.
Due to the early introduction of technology, they are paralyzed from any physical activity. Gone are the days when kids want to play in the dust, fight over a mere chance of batting or come home drenched after a football match! They’d rather enjoy playing games on their play-station. Because of how tempting life indoor has become, these kids have become more loner, lazy and obese. Nowadays it's common to find one out of five pre-schoolers to be wear glasses.
Now talking about lifestyle, a normal day in a GenZ’s life starts with switching on their smartphone even before starting their morning chores. They don’t consider technologies to be tools to achieve tasks but rather as deeply integrated parts of their daily life. They have become so enslaved that they want to do everything starting from shopping, ordering food, making friends and dating all by just sitting on their bed. And not to mention, the constant urge to stay connected globally and post minute details about their life on social media and seek validation from virtual peers.
Middle and high schoolers have become conscious about how they have an impact on real-world issues and like to voice their opinions on a larger forum. It has been noticed that the younger generation takes much interest in geopolitical issues : #Metoo movements, #blacklivesmatter, mass shootings, genocide or #bodyshaming like never before. Youngsters tend to join in masses when such melancholic events happen in their community.
Mental experts say that technology is causing “acquired attention deficit disorder”. This generation’s attention span has reduced significantly, due to the constant exposure to screen time. Their brains got accustomed to the instant gratification of the flashing screen in front of their face. Many believe the mobility of technology has eliminated the need to train one’s mind to memorise concepts or have any creative interest. Instead, just grab a smartphone and calculate something in a blink or search for any information needed on Google without using our own mind.
Coming to the silver-side, Gen-zers have a very different attitude from the previous generations. They are more entrepreneurial, believe in gender equality, gay marriages, no conventional gender roles and also believe in non-hierarchical leadership models at workplace. They speak highly about individualism and how they can be a part of a community and yet be themselves. We often hear concepts like self-love, and self-acceptance quite high on their priorities.
They are the ones to give birth to new ideas that cause the world to advance. Having quick access to the world has developed these young adults to acquire advanced ideas and ways of processing information. To talk about a few, the start-up culture has been rampant with offbeat business ideas. For ex: Edutech startups: BYJU’s aims to redefine self-learning on varied range of topics from home comfort without the need to go for coaching classes. On the medical front, virtual medical services start-ups has significantly contributed to elderly care, keeping a close eye on newborns. On the healthcare front, start-ups like pharmeasy aid in delivering medicines directly to the patient’s home.
So, the debate is still on ..is GenZ the dumbest or the smartest generation? Is technology rotting our minds or allowing us to live in a better world? Has this generation lost all compassion for others or do we use today’s tools to make lives better for our friends, families and people around the world? Needless to say, GenZ is the smartest generation who doesn’t wait for things to happen but carve their ways in the odds and make it happen!
About the Author
Antara Kar is a techie by profession and an author/ poet/ blogger by passion. Her writing career started with fiction that she penned for a local magazine. Blogging was always on her bucket list, and eventually, with panache and flair, it became a reality. She is best known for writing articles, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and more. When not absorbed with a page-turner, she finds interest in cooking, traveling, sports and fitness.
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