The Focus | The Republic Report

THE FOCUS (2/24/2021)

Generation Z-eroed In

The Generation "Z" has been under the mental programming of the Big Tech and the media

Ignore demography at your peril. No, I am not talking about illegal immigrants or the aging population. Yes, they pose natural challenges (in case of aging) and political challenges (on illegal immigrants) to our economy and country.

But equally more challenging is the latest generation to our lexicon and world of affairs: generation Z. These are the youth and the young people who were born after 1996, the year was Pokemon introduced to the world but took them two decades later to conquer the world. It was also the year when Bill Clinton was re-elected and Fox News Channel made its first debut. Or, the year when the number of websites on the Internet were still in 100 thousands (mine was one of them), compared to 1.83 billion websites per January 2nd 2021.

Forget about the romantism of history. We are in for serious business today. The generation ahead, the Generation Z, that will be taking over the world is somewhat detached from the previous ones--culturally, socially, politically, and religiously. For some people maybe that’s a good thing, but taking as a whole, and viewed objectively, that poses complex challenges.

Civilization is like a relay race. Members of a team take turns completing parts of the racecourse or performing a certain action. One of the key elements of the race is each member finishing one leg is required to pass on a baton to the next racer. This means we are related to our previous generations beyond just genetic factors. Traditions, customs, and our views of life and death, or simply call them values, are closely related to those of the previous generations. Just like passing on a baton in a relay race, passing on the values is a critical part of the continuation process of generations.

Generation Z teens have never known a world without cell phones and the Internet. They are digital natives. A survey conducted by Barna research group in 2018 estimated that 57% of the Gen spent four hours or more on their phones each day, and 26% spent eight hours or more. Almost half of Gen Z-ers are online for 10 or more hours a day.

An international study of Gen Z conducted by The Center for Generational Kinetics in 2020 showed 60% of Gen Z can’t go more than 4 hours without Internet access before they become uncomfortable. They have become 7% more dependent on the Internet to access other people and connections, compared to 2018. But they’re also more likely than other generations to believe in the positive impact of technology on the world: 64% believe the Internet will bring us closer together. They depend on the Internet primarily to access their friends (62%) and for entertainment (59%). Meanwhile, Millennials (57%), Gen X (63%), and Boomers (67%) rely on the Internet largely to access information.

Hence, the Gen-Z not only got the information and world view from the Big Tech and media, but also, it’s not an exaggeration to say that they got their life from the technology and media platforms.

Which is why parenting in the age of the domination of Big Tech is not easy. To make matters worse, the COVID-19 policies have made it even worse. The study found 57 percent of Gen Z feel lockdown has affected their confidence because they are indoors all day. Given the detrimental effect of social media with its pervasive content of fake news and bullying messages, this is not a surprise.

In a recent study reported at Mirror on January 29, 2021, more than a third (35 per cent) of 18-24 year olds admitted that comparing themselves to others on social media has affected their mental wellbeing. The research also found 37 per cent of Gen Z's now worry about feeling less confident when they see people face-to-face in the future.

With the Democrats pushing in their proposed Bill to lower the voting age to 16, the vital role of Generation Z in the US, and the world, cannot be understated. Again, they have the numbers. According to the US Census data, in 2020, there were about 40 million people aged 16 to 24. That’s about 15% of the population aged 16 and older. In other words, that’s at least 15% of the US voters (if voting age of 16 becomes a law). It’s roughly the same size of black American population who 90% of them voted for Democrats.

In a survey conducted by Pew Research in September-November, 2018, the Gen-Z most likely to say forms or online profiles that ask about a person’s gender should include options other than “man” or “woman.” Roughly six-in-ten Gen Zers (59%) hold this view, compared with half of Millennials (born 1981-96) and four-in-ten or fewer Gen Xers (born between 1965-80) and Boomers (born 1946-64).

In addition, 70% of Gen Zers say the government should do more to solve problems in this country, while just 29% say the government is doing too many things that are better left to individuals and businesses. Gen Zers are slightly more likely to favor government activism than Millennials, and significantly more likely than older generations: 53% of Gen Xers, 49% of Baby Boomers favor government involvement over businesses and individuals.

In other words, the Gen-Z are at home comfortably with the political ideological and cultural values held by the liberal Democrats. This is not a surprise. The Generation "Z" has been under the mental programming of the mass media and social networks, which are very predominantly liberal, from the day they were born until the present. They have been zeroed in.

Readings

Poll: Stunning Percentage of Generation Z Identifies as LGBT

Generation Influence: Gen Z Study Reveals A New Digital Reality

Gen Z Needs to Start Thinking Critically about Politics

Generation Z Looks a Lot Like Millennials on Key Social and Political Issues

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