The La La Land of GEN Z

 

                          

It was a moment of disdain to realize that a 17-year-old without an Instagram account is equivalent to an Indian without an ‘Aadhar card’. For those who missed the tongue-in-cheek quality of my comment, I was recalling a recent conversation with an acquaintance of mine who simply refused to believe that I could belong to Generation Z when I confessed to her that I did not possess an Instagram account or a Twitter handle. However, her doubt began to make sense as I read from Google the various credentials one should possess to make themselves a righteous member of this prestigious generation and soon the realization dawned upon me that I did not even remotely fit within its popular definition.

I do not wish to present the myriad reasons why I refuse to accept social media as a characterizing feature of the present generation as it would sound like nothing, but incoherent statements coming from an incorrigible mind. I wouldn’t be wrong if I said that social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube are an unwitting manifestation of the world portrayed in fairy tales. Behind this flawless facade is a larger reality. As contrary to any other form of make-believe entertainment, the impact left by the various social media platforms is so profound that people not only aspire to live such lives but also go out of their way to make them come true. The cumulative result is nothing but a bunch of youngsters finding solace in the web world and gaining respite by watching their favourite YouTuber hitting one million subscribers on his/her channel.

It is paradoxical that the generation that claims itself to be the finest products of evolution is busy posting ‘fake candids' with empty rhetoric as captions. I don’t see how social media in its present form and capacity empowers the youth if it compels them to mask their imperfections and refrain from openly expressing their opinions for fear of getting bullied or trolled. Not to mention that fear mongering, vendetta, and vindictiveness have found new heights within social media.

A panoramic study of social media, especially from an entrepreneurial point of view, might however prove my argument preposterous. While the idea of amassing a fortune without having to practically make any capital investment can be alluring, one should not forget that the question of the relative dearth of innovation in our country still remains unsettled. The real choice here is between forging a youth willing to give up their identity for mere fame and popularity, and empowering them to take on the world with their intellectual capabilities.