Barish Raman
In the past few years, we have witnessed multiple protests that have even been able to topple criticised governments across the globe; led by the youth of Generation Z. Let’s unravel the psyche of one of the most ‘miserable’ generations of our time
“We didn’t start the fire, It was always burning, since the world’s been turning” words written by Billy Joel in 1989, stand truer today than ever before, especially as an homage to the chaos Gen Z has had the pleasure of being born into.
Often dubbed ‘Generation Anxiety’, people born between 1997 and 2012, following Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. As the first truly digital-native generation, they grew up with internet access, social media, and mobile technology. Unlike Generation Alpha, who are also a purely digital-native generation, Gen Z faced a more transitional era, like the rest of the world, the fresh jump into Y2K, followed by smartphones and evolving social media. This puts this generation at the cusp, making their perspective unique.
Generation Z saw the genesis of current-day social media, where it’s not just celebrities or food pictures but also social critique. A change brought in by socially conscious millennials; whether that was for moving towards diversity, a more accepting atmosphere for LGBTQ+ rights or advocating for mental health
Generation Z saw the genesis of current-day social media, where it’s not just celebrities or food pictures but also social critique. A change brought in by socially conscious millennials; whether that was for moving towards diversity, a more accepting atmosphere for LGBTQ+ rights or advocating for mental health. Things which were all mocked in one way or another at the time and to a certain extent still are mocked under the guise of contemptuous humour against ‘woke’ or ‘cancel’ culture. Followed by the rise of vertical short form of videos taking over all aspects of posts on most social media platforms, we can observe a tremendous rise in a more politically conscious public dissent fueled by youth.
One of the biggest and most admirable examples being large numbers of Gen Z revolting against the actions of Israel towards Palestine and establishing a support system for extending relief resources towards the suffering groups. TikTok was one of the biggest platforms that was used for voicing and sensitising the general masses about the struggles and atrocities faced not just in Palestine but Sudan, Rwanda and Myanmar.
MAKING THE MISTAKE OF BEING BORN AT THE WRONG TIME
From being born during a recession, growing up in the toxic beauty standards of the 2000s, graduating into a global pandemic with economic collapse always looming over their heads, and having to witness multiple wars that bring their own implications; Generation Z have not been treated kindly by world affairs.
The neoliberalist rat race that has been sold under the pretence of things like the “American Dream”, “Hustle”, “Grind” for decades, has now lost its charm to this generation, who face absurd levels of unemployment, unlivable costs of living and a housing crisis. Median home prices have soared while wages stagnate or grow modestly. Many young adults spend over 30-50% of their income on rent and utilities, with some trapped in multigenerational households or facing rising homelessness, a problem not unique to just one nation but globally. Paired with the very expected symptom of late-stage capitalism: extreme class differences, which are now voyeuristically amplified for the viewing of the world on social media, has ignited a nihilistic realisation for a lot of young Gen Z workers.
Instead of grinding for marginal gains in a job market that offers little security or reward, Gen Z increasingly prioritises stability, work-life balance, mental health, and “career minimalism” over performative productivity. In this environment, nihilism manifests not just as apathy but as a pragmatic rebellion: why chase the dream when the ladder has been pulled up?
According to Seung Hyeong Lee of Northwestern and Younggeun Yoo of Chicago, who also referenced a Harris Poll survey conducted in 2024 regarding the state of real estate, 42% of Americans and 46% of Gen Z respondents thought that “no matter how hard I work, I will never be able to afford a home I really love.” Compounding these challenges is the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, which disproportionately threatens entry-level and early-career roles that Gen Z is just beginning to enter.
A notable study from the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, led by economist Erik Brynjolfsson along with co-authors Bharat Chandar and Ruyu Chen, analyzed high-frequency payroll data from millions of U.S. workers and found that, since the widespread adoption of generative AI tools like ChatGPT in late 2022, employment for early-career workers aged 22-25 in highly AI-exposed occupations, such as software development, customer service, and administrative support has experienced a significant 13% relative decline.
In contrast, employment for older, more experienced workers in similar fields has remained stable or even grown. Young workers, the researchers argue, serve as the “canaries in the coal mine,” bearing the initial brunt as companies automate routine, codifiable tasks that once provided crucial on-ramps for new graduates.
Gen Z feels this acutely: various surveys from 2025 onward reveal high levels of concern, with many young people reporting fears that AI will replace jobs, diminish the value of their education, or render skill-building obsolete. For instance, reports indicate that over half of young workers express worry about job security in the face of AI, while entry-level opportunities in tech and white-collar fields have notably shrunk as automation accelerates. This overuse, or strategic deployment of AI by employers exacerbates the generational squeeze, closing traditional career doors just as Gen Z floods the workforce.
AN ERA OF CRISIS FATIGUE AND ANXIETIES
In addition to the morbid reality of a very grim financial future, things are not looking bright for this generation on the existential forefront as well. With an almost apocalyptic-esque uncovering of the ongoing climate crisis, which worsens day by day. In January 2026, the UN announced that the world has now entered a state of global water bankruptcy. This is distinguishable from a water crisis due to not only being insolvent but also irreversible, which has been further exacerbated and significantly contributed to by massive AI data cooling centres.
These existential pressures fuel an emerging psychological phenomenon known as climate anxiety (or eco-anxiety), defined as a “chronic fear of environmental doom” stemming from awareness of climate change’s impacts (Clayton et al., 2017).
A 2021 predictive cross-sectional study by Reyes et al. among Gen Z Filipinos found a significant link between climate change anxiety, measured via the Climate Change Anxiety Scale and overall mental health, with anxiety predicting 13.5% of the variance in the Mental Health Index. Notably, it correlated strongly with heightened psychological distress but not with psychological well-being, underscoring how climate fears manifest more as emotional strain and anxiety than as a buffer for positive mental states.
In addition to this, multiple studies have shown that Gen Z are more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety and related disorders.
According to a recent Resolution Foundation survey, people under the age of 25 are now more likely to be jobless owing to anxiety and other mental health issues than older generations. In 2022, more than one-third (34%) of 18- to 24-year-olds reported anxiety or depression, up from 24% in 2000. Things have also gone downhill for the younger generations as the Gallup–Walton Family Foundation Voices of Gen Z Report found that only 47% of Generation Z members (ages 12-26) believe they are prospering, compared to 59% of millennials, 57% of Gen X, and 52% of baby boomers.
Of course, a part of this astonishing amount could be explained by the finding that Gen Z is more prone to indicate worries about mental health but that does not discredit the bigger level of concern.
A large contributor to younger generations being prone to anxiety is evidently due to digitalisation and social media usage. Akbuğa (2025) concluded based on in-depth interviews with 20 Turkish university students, that heavy users frequently experience social media fatigue, a deep burnout and emotional exhaustion, while feeling trapped by fear of missing out (FoMo) that prevents disconnection. Anxiety is further amplified by constant social comparison, information overload, and rampant misinformation, creating a vicious cycle of stress and disengagement that intensifies the generation’s overall sense of rootlessness and crisis fatigue.
This combined with an overload of negativity all around us in world affairs worsens mental health for people, often leading to individuals experiencing ‘Mean World Syndrome’. A cognitive bias where media consumption leads people to believe the world is more dangerous than it actually is, disproportionately affects Gen Z due to their constant, lifelong exposure to social media and digital news. This phenomenon results in heightened anxiety, pessimism, and a distorted view of reality, a silent contributor to Gen Z finally losing their patience and marching the streets globally.
AN ACCESSIBLE SPACE FOR CRITIQUE WITH CAVEATS
The accessibility of social media in today’s time, facilitated by the democratisation of internet access, has allowed for the ease of anyone being able to post from anywhere. This not only provides a space for more voices but also provides a larger space for common public discourse.
During the French Revolution, radical, working-class revolutionaries had to resort to underground political societies but now, the same politically conscious dissent resides openly on the internet. Generation Z benefits from platforms that allow anyone, regardless of location, socioeconomic status, or traditional gatekeepers, to voice opinions, share experiences, and mobilise for change. This accessibility has transformed the digital landscape into a vast, open forum where critiques of governments, corporations, and societal norms can flourish without the barriers that once silenced marginalised voices.
However, this accessibility comes with significant pitfalls that can exacerbate the very misery Gen Z grapples with. One major downside is the erosion of attention spans, as algorithms prioritise sensational content over substantive dialogue, leading to a culture of fleeting outrage rather than sustained critique. Empathy often takes a backseat in this environment, where anonymous interactions can devolve into toxic pile-ons, dehumanising opponents and fostering division rather than understanding.
More alarmingly, these platforms’ predatory algorithms are designed to maximise engagement, often radicalising users by shoving extremist content down their throats. This has fueled the rise of far-right ideologies, incel culture, and other echo chambers that prey on vulnerable young minds, brainwashing them with misinformation and polarising narratives. For a generation of youth already navigating themselves in a fragmented world, being “chronically online” compounds issues like social media obsession, which correlates with skyrocketing rates of loneliness.
In these toxic echo chambers, confirmation bias reigns supreme, confining susceptible youth; already grappling with identity confusion, loneliness, life transitions and a lack of critical thinking and media literacy, to ideological brainwashing that may benefit powerful political groups but hinders genuine awareness and empathy. While social media empowers critique, it demands mindful navigation to avoid becoming a source of deeper societal fractures.
THE TIPPING POINT
Undoubtedly, it is evident as to why the economic crisis has filled this generation with a sense of hopelessness and ‘financial nihilism’. According to a survey from UNICEF, 60% of people in the Generation Z bracket report being overwhelmed by the seemingly endless global crises reported on the news. Combined with the climate crisis and the constant presence of humanitarian crises, many Gen Z, consciously or subconsciously, have internalised this sense of ‘crisis fatigue’, which in turn makes one almost question morality and humanity.
This mental backdrop sets up like a perfectly aligned set of dominoes, ready to be set off by the abundance of political corruption that we have witnessed everywhere, layered with climate anxiety, existential dread, and chronic digital overload
For instance, in Nepal’s 2025 protests, youth outrage over nepotism, economic stagnation, and a social media ban swiftly toppled the corrupt Oli government, mirroring how similar sparks ignited regime changes in Bangladesh (2024) and beyond.
What sets Gen Z apart is how they process and mobilize around this doom: through humor, memes, and short-form content that dominates their feeds rather than traditional news outlets, which have long lost appeal due to perceived bias and political agendas.
This shift delivers hyper-personalized, micro-level anecdotes, raw stories of injustice, inequality, or shared struggle, that hit harder emotionally than distant headlines ever could. While social media’s downsides (echo chambers, misinformation, fatigue) are real, its accessibility, combined with growing subjective intelligence, awareness, and media literacy, has empowered many to take stands in their own ways.
On this digital landscape, a new form of collective consciousness emerges, not the rigid, top-down solidarity of old, but a fluid, meme-fueled one that transcends borders. Émile Durkheim, the French sociologist, first described collective consciousness in the late 19th century as the shared beliefs, ideas, moral attitudes, and sentiments common to the average members of a society. It’s the “glue” that binds people together, creating a sense of unity and guiding behavior beyond just individual thoughts, almost like a shared social mind that has its own life and influence.
Multiple studies have shown that Gen Z are more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety and related disorders, and are more likely to be jobless owing to anxiety and other mental health issues than older generations
For Gen Z, this concept looks very different in the digital age. Their collective consciousness is shaped by rapid tech shifts, overlapping global crises, and a strong push for social justice and sustainability. For instance, Humorous reels and relatable content shared between Pakistani and Indian Gen Z during the brief 2025 India–Pakistan conflict, for example, foster light-hearted connection and cultural affinity instead of amplifying fearmongering or communal hate, proving that even amid division, youth can build bridges through irony and shared absurdity.
What ties it all together now isn’t traditional institutions like religion or family hierarchies, but online spaces where memes, short videos, and ironic humor become the common language. A viral reel about economic struggles, climate dread, or absurd politics can spread instantly across countries, letting Pakistani and Indian Gen Z share the same laugh or eye-roll instead of feeding into division or hate. It’s lighter and more chaotic than past versions, but it still builds that shared awareness and subtle solidarity, turning personal frustrations into a quiet, widespread understanding that “we’re all in this mess together.”
In the end, these protests aren’t born from naive optimism but from a pragmatic, defiant realization: when systems fail so spectacularly and futures feel foreclosed, inaction is no longer an option. Gen Z’s uprisings mark the tipping point where accumulated misery, economic, ecological, psychological, transforms into action, redefining protest for a hyper-connected, deeply disillusioned era.
