Gen Z, we listen to you

Gen Z is the future and that future needs to be heard in order to thrive.

Gen Z, we listen to you

I am a member of the Generation of Millennials– Generation Y (Gen Y). Over the years, I have often heard my peers describe Y as the “lucky” generation for having grown up through a historic transition. Vietnam entered the Doi Moi era in 1986, and since then, people’s lives have changed dramatically. In 1997, Vietnam officially joined the international Internet. However, in the olden days, not every family could afford to own their own computer, let alone an expensive and complicated Internet connection. It took about 5 more years for the Internet to really cover the whole country. When I think back to my childhood, I really see there are two opposite halves. Half of them are still folk hobbies: eating mandarin umbrellas, skipping rope, kicking shuttlecocks…; In the afternoons, I ran away from home to hang out with my friends, run and climb all over the village in the lower neighborhood. The other half, starting from adolescence, is the Internet,

Gen Z is different. For Gen Zs born in big cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, the Internet has been available since you were born. Smartphones used to be a gift to celebrate coming of age for the Gen Y minority, but now a tool that most Gen Z owns. Gen Z was born in the period 1996 – 2012, so it is also called iGen (Internet generation). The letter Z itself also stands for the word Zoomer, meaning people who zoom into the Internet to find information. It can be said that the Internet and technology development have created most of the core differences between Gen Z and previous generations. The Internet opens up to you the ability to access knowledge more abundant and easier than ever before, while also bringing unprecedented risks.

In 2003, Gen Y had only a few chat apps and web forums for online gatherings. In 2023, the number of social networks uncountable. Gen Z is about to account for 25% of the total population of Vietnam and the number of social network users over 18 years old in our country is about 64.4 million (according to NETWORK). According to a global study by the McKinsey Health Institute in 2022, all generations surveyed agree that social media brings practical benefits to life. However, surprisingly, compared to previous generations, the percentage of Gen Z who rated social media as having a bad impact on mental health was the highest. Among them, FOMO (fear of missing out), inferiority complex, and peer pressure are the most common mental problems. This study also shows that, although Gen Z spends more time on social media, the rate of public posting is lower than Gen Y and Gen X – the parent group of the majority of Gen Z.

The above results match my observed experience. Among my diverse friends on social media, I find Gen Y the most active and Gen Z the most quiet. Most of you only share your views in closed groups, sometimes with virtual accounts. The reason for this phenomenon is still unclear, but I surmise that, because of being born with the Internet, Gen Z understands the Internet better than anyone. Gen Z is very cautious in the online environment, especially with the security of personal information, unlike the worries of many seniors I know. A survey in 2020 by the British Council in Vietnam shows that: “ Although they consider social media to be the most reliable source of information, Gen Z is also concerned about the spread of misinformation and fake news online. “.

On the positive side, access to diverse and quality information sources; fluent in many foreign languages, and having multiple skills to help Gen Z form critical thinking impressed me. Besides, this is also the generation that is most open and proactive in solving mental problems. Various studies over recent years have proven that Gen Z values psychological and mental health more than previous generations, and is willing to discuss and seek expert support from online to online. real life. This is also one of the leading reasons for the outstandingly high rate of Gen Z mental health reporting.

I am especially interested in Gen Z, not only because this is my next generation, but also because of the professional nature that has brought me so close to you. In the midst of stressful working hours, I often take time to chat with Gen Z, I can’t help but be startled when I realize that the “children” born in 2000 have turned 23. You are gradually becoming the workforce. main activity, not only in Vietnam, but all over the world.

On a global scale, the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, inequality, political instability, environmental pollution, and climate change are weighing heavily on young people. Rapidly changing and evolving technology is an opportunity, but it also creates a widening skills gap. Gen Z is still optimistic about the future, but also worried about job opportunities in the AI age. As a generation born and raised in peacetime, invested in comprehensive development, Gen Z also has to carry with them great expectations from their family. Fear of failure, being lost and not being understood can separate you from the previous generation.

Recently, I happened to know that the new generation Spider-Man series was voted by many film forums as the work that correctly describes Gen Z. In the Spider-Man: No Way Home movie, through the idea of a parallel universe, the first time three generations of Spider-Man met. There are also three generations of actors playing Spider-Man, including Tobey Maguire (1975), Andrew Garfield (1983), and Tom Holland (1996). Spiderman is always a symbol of a teenage superhero with many psychological and physiological crises, regardless of age. But Gen Z Spider-Man Tom Holland is under another pressure, being compared to the already successful image of his seniors. The message of the film is beautiful in that, the predecessors of Spider-Man do not appear to judge or overshadow Spider-Man today. They are there to guide, lift, encourage, and protect the younger version of themselves.

Going against or even breaking old principles is the specialty of youth, regardless of the era. So is there a generation that has never had to learn to sympathize with the ancestors and tolerate the juniors? “Good old days”, maybe the old days are usually beautiful, but I believe the future is equally beautiful, as long as we listen to each other. Gen Z, we listen to you.