Generation Algorithm

Gen Z Has No Empathy Because They Don't Understand Reality

In the before times, in the long, long ago, B.T., Before Trump, I was kind of amazed at what people would say to others online versus what they would say to people around them. Boomers, Gen X and Millenials still remember a time before computers and online culture that required people to have etiquette. There was a diplomatic way you would deal with people you disagreed with. Intelligence wasn’t just measured in what you knew but in how you could communicate it in a way that was acceptable and non-offensive. Now, the anonymity of online culture has removed a lot of that, people feel liberated to say things online they wouldn’t normally say out of fear of offense, but we still dealt with people in a more genuine tone and politeness in real life. People could disagree but it wasn’t like we cut off our friends if they disagreed.

Gen Z is the first generation to grow up entirely with an online culture. And the results are not good. According to the Casey Foundation, approximately 84% of Gen Z individuals perceive mental health as a significant issue in the United States. They are over 80% more likely to report experiencing anxiety or depression compared to older generations. Isolation is a serious issue, with Gen Z referred to as the “loneliest generation,” with scores of socialization much less than previous generations. A recent study found 73% of Gen Zers are lonely either “sometimes” or “always.” What’s particularly interesting is that this is also a generation that defines itself by the number of Instagram followers they have, the number of TikTok likes they get and the number of snap backs they get on Snapchat. Their friend circle isn’t as defined by neighborhoods or towns as every other generation growing up has; it’s no longer geographically based and is instead national (or even global) broad, and razor thin. The ability to form close intimate bonds with people around you is tragically being erased, replaced by a vapid, hollow kind of friendship where catfished people feel the need to respond with someone putting on a show. That’s Gen Z in a nutshell.

But it’s actually worse than that. Previous generations had the ability to experience a broad range of various genre types, ideas, and viewpoints. They may not have liked or agreed entirely, but there was a level of exposure to it. The number of different communication channels was much narrower, and one could not help but absorb some instances of various things they wouldn’t normally be exposed to. Gen Z on the other hand has entirely grown up with information pushed to them. They’ve grown up with the Netflix algorithm feeding their Rom-Com, Period Drama or Dystopian film fixation. The level the same genres and isolated media types is directed at people today, it is very unlikely someone will hear or even see a commercial for a film or show that is not already in their strike zone. Even the Oscars awards season was effected; many did not know more than two or three of the Best Picture nominees, and most had not even heard of half of them, nor had any inclination to see them. This is what siloed information systems wrought. And it’s actually worse than I describe; if you want a more detailed account, watch The Social Dilemma, which covers these issues and how effective social media companies are at getting you to engage with them.

And when it comes to politics, it plays a dire role in our society. Gen Z has no sense about what reality really is; they assume it’s what’s presented to them through the small Overton Window of the iPhone screen, but it’s not. However, this is how they have experienced “reality” from the past 20 years and they don’t quite comprehend the mechanics of how things actually get done. They don’t understand government, they think someone can just shout louder to get something done. They think AOC represents them if they live anywhere else than NY and couldn’t name their representative if they tried. They can’t fathom how the legal system actually works and just think it must be like Suits. They oversimplify everything, because it’s what they’ve been spoon-fed this century and lack the creativity and curiosity to see otherwise.

Young people have always been targeted by marketers, as they have not yet developed their principles and moral cores that make us who we become. It’s easier to sell someone a Coke or Pepsi when they haven’t built up a sense of how unhealthy they are. So as with politics. Young voters are also idealistic, without a sense of who pays for things in society and the practical elements of how government actually works. When given a string of principles, all beginning with “Government should…” young voters always agree in far higher percentages than other age groups, because they don’t understand the tradeoffs involved. They believe, wholeheartedly, in a very utopian view of various issues. Trouble comes when they encounter someone from a different information silo feeding them a different set of principles and a different set of ideas. Neither of these two people have any idea how to talk to one another, how to persuade and work out issues; they’d rather just try and clobber each other over the head with ad hominen attacks, ridicule and crude language. It’s easier for them. It gets even worse when you consider different demographic groups (race, gender, geographic, etc) which inherently has different messaging directed towards different groups. Is there no wonder city guys can’t talk to suburban women their own age, or how people across racial lines toss their hands up in the air trying to make their points and getting nowhere?

And as if to make the point, watch a group of twentysomethings today, socializing with each other ON THEIR PHONES while sitting there together. Constantly checking messages, hearing the constant “dings” of notifications and picking them up, never really listening or talking WITH each other, but more talking AT each other. Seriously, count the number of people you “chat” or talk with online today, and compare it to the actual number of people you talked in person with. The statistics are daunting and dangerous. Older generations understand this and make efforts to be social, younger generations simply don’t know how.

What particularly opened people’s eyes with this last election and the shift towards Trump was how the various media platforms were indicators of just how much a shift toward Trump there was. People who got their news from traditional media sources moved the least amount, but those tended to be older whose voting patterns were fixed. Meanwhile, younger voters, particularly those who received news from TikTok, Podcasts and non-traditional sources, swung the hardest towards Trump. The grim reality is worse when one considers the Gender Gap, with Men (regardless of other demographic data) shifting towards Trump at 4 times the rate than women. What TikTok and Podcasts and other similar media provide are often one-sided, tribal arguments that feed directly into the already established media silos directly into the ids of the viewers. There is no way to counter it, because the recipients are receiving exactly the type of content they asked for and that media platforms serve to them.

Generation names often aren’t fixed. They’re often given by a writer or commentator and they stick. The generation that won WWII wasn’t the “Greatest Generation” until the Tom Brokaw book, and the assent of most all agreed it was a fitting name. Baby Boomers were described in the ‘60s based on the post-War boom. Gen X was a book by Douglas Coupland and was actually a slight towards this group who largely did not define themselves at the time, only to be held up as a banner by that cohort. Millenials were named based on their proximity to a once in a millenium changeover; prior to that name being given to them they were referred to as “Gen Y.” Generation Z is named as a derivative of Gen X but it really isn’t fitting. It is simply a placeholder until someone finds a more fitting name. Based on their interests, their mentality, the way they socialize, the manner in which they treat others, and how they view the world, I can think of no better name for them than “Generation Algorithm.”

PurpleAmerica’s Obscure Fact of the Day

You’d think that the Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z that after Z they’d find some other way to start naming subsequent generations, but no. Those kids born after 2012 are now referred to as “Generation Alpha.” Its like hurricanes, they made it through the alphabet and then start using greek letters.

PurpleAmerica’s Final Word on the Subject

Put the phone down. Go outside. Talk to people. Go for a walk. Meet someone new in person. You won’t understand reality Gen Zers until you choose to experience it.

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