“Gen-Z employees are entitled, too easily offended, lazy, and generally unprepared for the workplace — according to their bosses,” stated Deirdre Bardolf in her article for The New York Post. If articles like this are to be trusted. then Gen-Z can’t adapt, can’t provide for themselves, and can’t live in our world. Helpless and unprepared, they are a burden to the adult world. The question is, how did a whole generation get here? What made them the way they are, and where did they branch off from the generations before?

To start, it’s important to define what Gen-Z is. Largely agreed to be between the ages of 14 and 29 (born from 1997 to 2012), Gen-Z is the second youngest generation at the moment, right before Gen Alpha. Gen-Z is considered the first fully digital generation, with the oldest of the generation being exposed to the first iPhones right before reaching middle school.

That technological aspect is the great divider between Gen-Z and the generations before. Access to constant information and entertainment before having a fully developed mind undoubtedly had a profound impact on how Gen-Z as a whole thinks and lives. This effect was only compounded when the whole world was forced to go entirely online.

The Covid pandemic is often cited as one of the most disrupting events for the development of the generation. Stuck inside and forced to work entirely online, social skills degraded for some, test scores matching school’s most basic knowledge plummeted and kids came out of it changed. The usage of the internet by kids is a commonly debated topic – how much can they use, how much do they need to? Due to the pandemic this decision was taken away from the parents, as kids had unfiltered access to everything from video games to graphic images of war and there was no easy way to filter what they saw.

Many feel as if they were forced to grow up too fast, losing the carefree ignorance of childhood before even being able to process those thoughts. This, combined with an already growing movement of social and political awareness among younger people, led to Gen-Z having a somewhat better understanding of the worst parts of the world than past generations of their age. This political disillusionment has led to many Gen-Z voters to identify as independent, a shift from the strong belief in the two-party system that older generations feel.

This outlook on life carries over to many aspects of social interactions, phenomena like “The Gen-Z Stare” reflecting how this directly conflicts with other generations. Last year a major trend was Millennials and Gen-Xers pointing out the perceived rudeness of Gen-Z workers in serving jobs at restaurants or grocery stores. They would note that these workers would appear disinterested or mocking with a blank-eyed look dubbed “The Gen-Z Stare.” This wave of videos was met with Gen-Z workers explaining the mindset they came to work in. Pointing out the issues that they have to face on a daily basis, only to go to a job that doesn’t pay enough and face customers who don’t understand the situation.

It’s impossible for people who grew up in another time to understand the plight of those suffering from the current system. The entire social, economic and political state of the world has changed since the 20th century; the system built to allow people to make meaningful life progression straight out of high school has crumbled, and the threat of war looms over their heads as they attempt to go along with their lives. How can advice and guidance be directed when the experience fueling it is from another time entirely? Everything has changed and Gen-Z is painfully aware of it. 

All of this and more has changed how people view themselves and life. Mental illness has become more and more prevalent, with the majority of Gen-Zers noting the presence of depression or anxiety in their lives. “It’s so over” has become a phrase repeated millions of times by this generation, popularized by social media alongside other pessimistic messages. The idea of depression and dissatisfaction with life has become so normalized that it is now intertwined with the basic ways they communicate. While there is now more awareness around mental health issues than ever before, this also opens the door for them to be joked about whenever you’re having a bad day. Self harm and even suicide often turned into a punchline rather than acknowledging the growing issue and causes.

Many have developed a nihilistic view of the future, crumbling as they watch the housing and working markets both fall into disrepair, making it impossible to have any real security in the future. In 2024 the average salary in America was $70,000 a number that’s only decreased in the past two years, a number that in many cases doesn’t even qualify you as middle class. Jobs are harder to get by the day and the idea of college is weighed down by the massive costs that many can’t hope to afford without loans. How can one be expected to live in a future that seems to be constantly breaking itself down?

The most interesting thing about this culture of fear of the future and questioning of life is how it has also led to a generation entirely unique in the way it views social justice, life and the world. People have shown a new vigor for protecting the environment and standing up for their political beliefs. Recently there have been waves of students starting political organizations that organize walkouts and other ways to bring attention to the issues that they care about. Past this there has been a new appreciation for art in the generation, the validation of art as a real form of work in our era has led to people who we never would’ve seen breaking through, whether that be in making music, movies or pure visual artistry.

The positive aspect of internet connectivity is that people have the ability to be exposed to the good of the world too, to understand all the aspects that they have the ability to fix and the ability to create that movement. Without social media many of the charities and protests focused on making true change in our world would never have been possible. While new ways for human conflict have emerged so have new ways of human collaboration and organization, Gen-Z becoming the primary group affected by both.

With the freedom they are given through technology, a degree of choice is granted within certain aspects of life, both destructive and productive conversations are within reach all depending on what you are exposed to and what you choose to do it.

Gen Z has become the generation of self-determination, and in a time where everything seems so close but just out of reach, that comes with being stubborn. Giving up is not an option for Gen Z, presented with nothing on the other side; a lack of security in life can only be met with over-security in yourself. A generation has been made to internalize this, and as they come of age, the only thing left is for the past to hand over the controls.

It’s impossible for people who grew up in another time to understand the plight of those suffering from the current system. The entire social, economic and political state of the world has changed since the 20th century; the system built to allow people to make meaningful life progression straight out of high school has crumbled, and the threat of war looms over their heads as they attempt to go along with their lives. How can advice and guidance be directed when the experience fueling it is from another time entirely? Everything has changed and Gen-Z is painfully aware of it.