yep, married at 23 love my wife but we have very few friends. Covid didn't help(shout out remote college lol) but i'm remote and most people at her job aren't social. at the end of the day we don't meet many people. we don't go on dating apps obviously, I dont play much online video games with friends anymore/my new hobbies are more introverted, and we don't go clubbing so at the end of the day i don't feel like I have a community/social circle like I did back in HS or when I first left it.
As a gen Z, I am soul-crushed that one of the "best" solutions is forcing myself to be ok with a lack of genuine connection and intimacy. It only makes me feel more hopeless and purposeless. I'm gonna try my hardest from now on to drive more genuine connections with people, wish me luck on my journey out of hopelessness EDIT: As per my original comment, almost 3 months later, I have made a new group of friends. It was really tough, but I did it. Now I'm trying to maintain it, but I've made some real connections with people I know have the potential with the right care to last me a long long time. People in my replies saying "people with a higher IQ or introverts tend to not want friends": I'm a high IQ INTJ. A couple of years ago I was a bitter skeptic who said friends are for losers, its not worth it because theyll leave anyways and the small talk is a bore, etc etc. The reality was I was depressed and making excuses for myself for not improving or getting better. It took me hitting a serious low to finally acknowledge things needed to change. I'm human and can't escape the human need for wanting close friends, as much as I bury it with scepticism and "I love my alone time" (which I do, it's just not a healthy mindset to live by). I recommend for those speaking so bitterly to seek help of some kind, whether it be spiritual, communal or via a specialist such as a psychologist. Whatever works for you. Good luck guys, it IS possible. Edit 2: it's been over a year since I last edited this comment. My friendship group is still going strong, we are travelling overseas together in a couple of months :') been through some stuff, but we are all there for each other. I'm glad I've met some great people, and out the hard yards in to make sure these friendships can be meaningful and deep
Couldn't agree more. He points out the problem eloquently, but I'd argue the solution he gives still can't override the (very human!) need to belong and connect with each other in a genuine way. And it is a human need. It might be harder now to find true community in a hyperrealistic world, but it's never impossible. Don't fret if it doesn't work the first many times; people can only meet you as deeply as they have met themselves. Soon enough, reaching out will pay off and you'll have a "tribe" of people who will appreciate you for who you are. I wish you all the best on your journey.
@@mellowmallow5932 thank you so much for your encouraging and reassuring words. They mean a lot to me. I'm sure perseverance pays off. As I feel lonely and decide it's enough, I'm sure there are others around me who feel the same way. Just got to find them! Wishing the best for you too
Please dont follow his advice! We are social creatures. We need people around us to connect deeply with! Dont forget that. What hes saying is so dangerous.
It baffles me how many of my gen Z friends cannot be happy by themselves. My life drastically improved when I realized I could just do the stuff I wanted to do without waiting for someone to do it with. If society won’t accept me, the least I can do is accept myself.
Life sucks and everyone wants to stop me from doing anything I'd actually enjoy. Everything has a price tag and none of it is within my budget. There is no worthy pursuit in the mind of a young, developing man who has seen nothing but the pain of those around him and the helplessness they exist within.
as a 20-year-old and a member of gen z, I often feel so disconnected from everyone else despite not using any social media minus UA-cam and sometimes Instagram. We have gotten to the point where no matter what we do as people, go on social media or not, choose our own paths or not, it will all end the same. I have never had a real romantic relationship, have only had a few friends who I just happened to run into, and only really have my parents as family. It's gotten so bad that at my college I cannot figure out how to connect with people anymore because all they talk about is tik tok and stuff that I just don't understand. I kind of wish all of that social media addiction stuff would just go away, cause it feels like its brought my generation more harm than good.
" choose our own paths or not, it will all end the same." But it doesn't. I just turned 40, and NOTHING, EVER, NOT ONCE has been predicted correctly by me. However you think it will end, that's NOT how it will end. If you can predict that, life just got amazing for you because you're now a billionaire with your future prediction powers. Let me prove it: I believe in you. Bet you didn't predict your path would go THIS way, being cheered on and validated by a successful older person. Looks like the wonder is back in your world, and don't fuckin forget it.
@@RobertMorgan I think that what they were trying to say is that wether or not you follow every trend, and know every pop culture reference or completely renounce using social media entirely to live a more “authentic” life, we all end up feeling lonely anyways. If we don’t know what’s popular, we lose what’s one of the few existing talking points for people around our age, that common connection between others (like talking about the weather, but we think it’s more interesting for some reason). If we keep up with trends and internet things, we sacrifice our individual interests and don’t form meaningful connections anyways. We’ve gotten to the point where people essentially have to choose between small talk or no talk, and people with passion can’t connect out of fear of being ostracized or the inability to find other passionate people.
Another issue is also that, because of everyone’s internet addiction, many people got so used to being fed content of their specific niches that we can’t have conversations about topics that don’t interest us specifically. I think that people could make friends easier in the past because a photographer could befriend a birdwatcher, but now you need to both be photographers to connect.
It's been a few months, how are you doing now? I'm 34 and I worry all the time about gen Z...I feel like you all are my younger sibling and our parents have abandoned us lol Things are going to get better I PROMISE. Sending you strength and love.
I think gen Z's biggest issue is the internet, social media and dating apps. We're just not wired for it. We expect to connect with a bunch of people, but we don't - because that stuff only happens in person. We see glimpses of people everywhere, people we'd like to know, and would love attention from. We chat with people and we might think we're getting along, but we finally meet and we're either indifferent or downright appalled. No surprise everyone feels insecure. We're being socially scammed on a daily basis. Chemistry and connection only truly shines through face to face, but we're constantly being attracted to people either platonically or romantically through a screen. It creates a scarcity mindset.
Yes, I've had someone connect with me on Snapchat and Google Chat who lives over 2,000 miles away. She said that she was falling in love with me, even though we'd only been chatting for a couple days. I had to explain that true love has to be face-to-face. It's not possible to achieve such a thing online, without having met the other person in real life. I told her that she needs to find new friends where she lives (she hasn't been there very long).
I think simply put, the internet makes us weird. Also, Covid eroded social and emotional skills in people too. Lots of people are shy now and stay online instead of interacting with real people like I’m currently doing
As a boomer millennial pushing 30, everything you just described has been going on for around 10 years and will not stop. It too, has admittedly altered the course of my life for the worse. If you're gen z and reading this, fight becoming demotivated with all your might. Doing something is better than doing nothing.
@@protox4 "touch grass" isn't a literal statement. It means to be productive in some way that doesn't involve staring at a screen and subconsciously comparing yourself to the people you see. Hobbies, starting a business, and yes, touching grass, are all important to making your day feel fulfilling. T.-26 year old reformed doomer
I feel like we're seeing the beginning of the "death" of social media's stranglehold on people. Younger gens are realizing how toxic and life sucking it is. I know my friends teenage niece basically has no social media because she just can't stand it and I have seen a similar trend with other kids her age.
Agreed. The main problem is that it is driven by profit motive, I am late 20s and I remember using the internet before it became a way to make money. It was more random and simple, but it was also more genuine
Really? I think that’s a minority opinion. I think it’d be temporary too once she realizes the people she wants to be friends with are on some app so she better get on it lest experience the FOMO or lacking friends.
There are many people who don't use social media much, you just don't see them. Many people also use it just to see memes and keep up with what's going on and share little to no part of their personal lives in it.
"If you're a young person in generation Z and you've been unable to with people on a deeper level, a good portion of that is probably due to the fact that people lack the ability to dive deep into themselves and don't really want to anyway in our current society, which does not value that." This man is spitting facts and making me realise things about myself!
I don't think the issue is that we're unable to deep dive into ourselves. I think we're the first generation to actually deep dive and look inwards, almost obsessively, and that paralyzes us. Perhaps I speak for myself, but I know my fears, and I know that sometimes things don't work out how you want them to, but knowing that doesn't help me overcome it. If millennials knew how futile it was, they wouldn't have gone about and started all these tech corporations. Ignorance is bliss for them.
@@Ragman312 Gen Z is the first to do that? Doesn't seem right to me. I know lots of people born in the Millenial people like me who from an early age were navel gazers, meditating on themselves and life and our place in it. It's a good way to pat yourself on the back/shoulder and think that you're superior to others intellectually I guess, which is a defense mechanism in itself and not sure how that helps you connect with people that you're already acting superior to by claiming we are ignorant and have no self awareness like YOU do. lol.
@@Ragman312 It's literally a personality trait/tendency to be more inward focused than outward focused. People have existed in natural genetic variation with these temperments/minds since humans have existed. To think you're the first is like saying you're the first person to be an introvert, when introversion vs extroversion has always existed as an observable sociability scale from individual to individual. That's nonsense. Self-introspection is a human feature and a function. You didn't break free from the matrix or anything.
The concept that you have access to all information to educate yourself online is null for me. It used to be that the internet was a free educational resource. Now the internet seems to be 50% centered on adverts. That last 50% of knowledge can only be accessed through direct searches in (specific) websites that are locked and not displayed by search engines.
Interesting point. It takes more digging, but that knowledge is still out there. I think most people get too caught up in the first thing the search engine gives them, which could be inaccurate
It depends on whether you want to learn new things, but with platform such as TikTok, it sways others from wanting to seek the truth, in my opinion, but I still strive to become more knowledgeable through research and my channel.
As a Gen Z graduate, I can palpably FEEL the oblivion stretched out before us. Since our first science class, we were told the world was on fire with no one in the last 6 decades caring at all. How are we supposed to do anything knowing the world is crashing, species are becoming extinct, AI can replace us (from writers to artists), and all with an economy that ensures we'll never buy a home or retire? ("Ain't It Fun" by Paramore starts playing)
I'm a millenial. I spent a large portion of my life dedicated to climate change, I studied two degrees focused in the subject, specializing on food security. Day after day, I learnt about new problems, impossible to solve due to our species selfishness and concietedness. I became deeply depressed, seeing no way out of our inevitable doom. In order to 'help' people, I gave up my youth, my passions as a writer and an artist to become a scientist, to save people I thought. But then, I realised, there's nothing I can do about it. I realised, why should I sacrifice my passions to help people who don't even want it? I meditated on that life on Earth has been changing for 3.9 billion years. Every species goes extinct one day and humans will too, one way or another. Mass extinctions happen, but after them life bounces back far more beautiful and complex than before, every single time. I mused that millions of years in the future, there could be another species, meditating on that they exist because of the destruction we caused today, just like if the meteor didn't wipe out the dinosaurs, humans would never have evolved. Ultimately, we're all transient beings in this world and it doesn't really matter from any universal perspective if our species endures or not. And so I abandoned life as a scientist to pursue my art and writing and in doing so found a purpose as a creator and some happiness. Don't worry about the future and things you can't change. Be positive to others in your own life, do good things that actually have an impact even if you only improve one person's day and enjoy your time in the present doing what you love, rather than thinking about the future. Your happiness is as important as anyone else's in this world, strive for it.
@@FullMetalFeline it's hard not to worry about the future when you know money is completely worthless. So why trade your time/ labor for something that doesn't have any value.
one of the main reasons why I took up photography. Forces you to pay attention to what is going on, helps you focus on things you would have never thought to look at. This alone has helped me appreciate the small things in life
Yes, same with painting!! Or any art! You are mastering the skill of unbiased observation, living in the present moment and capturing the uncapturable.
The lack of Community hits harder for me personally. When I visited my parents indigenous hometown. And how very communal and interconnected everyone was. Especially the older generation. I felt genuinely more happier over there and had no issue with my depression. However coming back to the United States I started to see what everyone lacks here. And what was the root of my own isolation and and what was the drive of my lack of purpose thinking. It’s this very individualistic mindset that is clearly very damaging to the human spirit.
The problem with the US is designed to everyone be isolated and focus on individual, that kills the spirit of community and social which leads into depression, anxiety, etc...
I agree with ya op. As someone who lives in a countey where the community is known for being lively. My fellow countrymen and relatives who have gone to the US realize how very isolating it is to be there.
I think what it boils down to is that...this is a particularly modern concept. Individualism in this extent as we know it is less than 200 years old through the surge of the Industrial Revolution. I believe that individualism can work when there is a focus on the self which can harbor any sense of humanity. When we know ourselves, it makes it easier to know whom to connect with. What we would all have in common (despite disagreeing) is that there is a human need for connection. As long as I see those who connect (with no intent to harm people who disagree) ...I actually find it heartwarming because we have no idea. The problem is that there has been less comprehension of our behavior. When there is more access to instant gratification, it makes it either easier for those who have access to it and those in poverty who want the same kind of comfort. I am only speaking for the majority since I see that metropolitan areas are notoriously known for the lack of community. Resilience seems to be lost because adulthood just began for most Gen Z (I am an older Gen Z). I hope that eventually it gets better. As for me, I know that I enjoy my life. I am proud mostly of the choices I had to make to stay alive.
A good article to read is “the demoralized mind” by John F Shumaker. He covers that people being diagnosed with depression are actually demoralized which is a completely logical conclusion the human mind comes to. Smart humans suffer from it the most because they realize that logically the path we currently on is pretty hopeless. The worst part is drugs can’t cure demoralization.
Dude, I recently came up with this conclusion myself. I honestly think nearly every source of depression comes from demoralization of some form. With the state of the world, I feel like we don't have much of a future to look forward to. It felt like a lot of the perks of being an adult, like getting an education from secure housing to economic stability, were all lies to bring a contrived sense of hope and ambition. The unfortunate truth is that we're not too dumb to accept this false reality. We mostly are looking towards the end of our journey of our lives rather than the present. Yet, we're normal nobodies who think we're all exclusively the main character. There's no good balance established. There's an overabundance of self importance through social media, yet no discussions about providing healthy boundaries and self-esteem.
That's precisely the motivation you can extract of that. Lead your life in a way that makes you do your personal best to prevent things from going downhill that much. Depression is there as a push to needing to slow down, reflect, plan carefully, then act. I mean, even if most of us won't do anything "grand" to take credit for, we will still feel satisfied with the way we'd led our lives, bc we will know we did what we could, we fulfilled out duty, we've stood on the side of meaning.
@@TetoSuperFan What's to say they're not? They seem to be pretty knowledgeable about a concept most people aren't aware enough about. What's your stance on all of this?
I to realize that our situation is hopeless. But....civilizations have fallen and always will .humans will survive it and hopefully next time around (if we save the records of our history) we can build a more equitable and enviornmentally conacious society. We have the knowledge now to make our world the best world but the behemoth of the capitalism supported by the military prevents us from making it a reality. Either way, it will be our responsibility to make sure the next generation understands what happened to us.
Exactly my thoughts, you only feel lonely when you're surrounded by people but have no one to talk to, or you're isolated but still think about your friends or family. You only feel lonely when you're reminded of how lonely you are
I'm writing as a 65 year old, born in 1957, a "late" Baby Boomer- part of that generation but too young to go on anti-war marches or to be at Woodstock. Every generation comes into existence "without a purpose- as did mine. Gen Z will find their "purpose," in time, as has every generation before. Personally I find much that is admirable about Gen Zs, and I don't believe I'm being overly optimistic...
Thank you for this as a 22 year old whose really scared for her future. Even more so when my 86 year old granddad who grew up during ww2 is saying he feels bad and worries for us as a generation, a literal child of war.. we know something is wrong.
Thank you for some level of reassurance. I hope you are right. No one knows what tomorrow will bring. Regardless. We continue with those that can and that’s why you should not KYS.
As a gen z I can say with 100% honest I have never had a super deep conversation with anyone of my own age just because nobody knows how to have a deep conversation and it’s honestly frustrating because I want to find people my age that can have the deep conversations I want but nobody has enough attention span to actually talk with each other
I have this problem with people im surrounded with in real life but i dont have a problem at all online with my online friends, there are alot of different types of people online where you could meet in different kinds of ways, you may think thats its just the same people in real life and online but in my experience it isnt at all im able to actually make very deep conversations with my online friends which i love and they all watch tiktok and i dont think that tiktok at all ruins peoples attention span, i myself watch youtube shorts for like an hour or 2 a day but then i can still keep up with a convo that could last for hours or a couple videos that lasts for 30 min or a movie that could last for 2 hours just know that there are always different people with different experiences that you could eventually meet some day edit: the reason why i think people online and people irl are different is because you have much more access to more people online and it gives u a bigger chance to find the right people who have the same interests as you
It is very interesting. Have you thought to just grab 1 person have force it, just have a conversation? Or have you tried to do an activity? Go for a run, go to the park, or to the zoo, go get a coffee, go help someone, try doing somehting with at least 1 other person and see how that feels. Honestly I don't have the answer of how it's gonna feel, only you will be able to see and know. Maybe something crazy will happen and then you'll have something to talk about and share with others !
Honestly you either aren’t going out enough or you confide yourself into spaces with small minded people. I am also Gen z, but I know a good deal of people my age that are great aspiring minds. One of the people I look up too greatly is only 22, but he has more wit and ambition than I’ve ever seen in most adults.. I do definitely agree with the point about our generation having significantly poorer attention span though.
Honestly my hopelessness comes from the constant pressure of looming existential threats from every angle. War, climate change, pointless work for the sake of merely surviving with no hope of growth or change, these affect me even more so than social media. I don't even really use social media, and I still feel the hopelessness of my generation.
Well, it may be that or it can also be that you are running away from your own real life problems and issues trying to hide them under the guise of "looming existential threats".
@@XYZ-qt5rn Or it could just be that the world is going to shit and that's what we young people have to look forward to. Working multiple jobs to make ends meet, renting a 10x10 box, renting a car, eating garbage food and having to compete with everybody just for a chance to survive. Feels like we've gone backwards a few centuries, except for the evolving technology
At leats for me, when I actually fully grasped the fact I can never retire, build my own house or even have more than 1 kid without struggling, thats when I honestly started to feel hopeless for the future, but weirdly enough, that also makes me feel less pressured somehow
Post-modernism: "Nothing Matters" Future:"Than progress doesn't matter" Past:"Than history doesn't matter" Present:"Than working doesn't matter" Me:"So all risk and failure doesn't matter, tommorow is meaningless. There is no concquence because you aren't expirencing pain or anxiety."
This is "optimistic nihilism". Because nothing matters, there's no point getting stressed about anything. Do what it takes to not die (assuming that's something you want), and beyond that, you owe nothing to anyone -- including yourself, oddly enough. Have goals or don't, as you see fit. If you don't have goals, all good! That shit didn't matter anyway, haha. It's very liberating to embrace TRUE nihilism. It's just hard to do without sliding into depression. (And I will say that if you live this way for a few decades, you will probably look back with regret at the emptiness of your life when you get older, so...it's probably philosophical fool's gold, in the final analysis. But hey, your mileage may vary.)
Рік тому+1231
As a Gen Y person growing up through the constant technological changes that we had in the 90s and early 2000s I kinda understand how Gen Z feels, but what they experience is 10x more agressive than what we got. Gen Z guys, even if you feel the world is falling apart please don't give up, we love each and every one of you!
Thank you so much for this message! I myself keep trying to remember what it was like when I was really young in the early 2000’s, how the world was when only blackberries and flip phones were a thing, and it frustrates me because it all seemed better but idk, I can’t remember clear enough. Your positivity is a huge help though, so I’m hoping that each and every one of us who reads your message feels as happy as I did!
@@kon2175 I was a junior in college on 9/11, and I can tell you: the amount of messages of condolence and sympathy I got over ICQ and AIM was moved me to tears. Total strangers from the other side of the world who I'd never chatted with left me messages like "I'm so sorry about what happened." "We're thinking of/praying for you." "We're with you" etc.-all because I had "NYC" in my username. I still think about it, and it makes me sad because that's what social media could've been. That's what I thought the internet would be. And don't get me wrong-we had anger and name-calling in chat rooms and forums back then too. But there was a sense that, when it truly mattered, most people would be able to put that negativity aside, do the right thing, and be there for each other, even if it was only for one message.
If you do, show it in person, not on screen. Maybe get our phone numbers so you can say "lets meet up". Btw, you have to show courage and bravery to actually say it. My generation is already headed there, expected to have a family, better jobs, better education. Im sure most of us hate that expectation and want real freedom, without consequences, but looh and behol, life became an enemy, responsibility suddenly being dumped onto us without warning, boom. Please .... save us ....
@@josephsoltero7326 I would add though that the 9/11 attacks caused immense amount of hate and attacks on Middle Eastern and South Asian people. Most of the South Asian people that were attacked weren't even Muslim so they targeted the wrong person, but the perpetrators couldn't care less. 9/11 cause immense fear which culminated in lashing out that fear on certain groups. So it definitely wasn't as rose-coloured as you portray it. It's human nature to romanticise the past, but in reality each era has it's pros and cons. I would imagine any female and/or POC would be treated better in the present day age than in the 90s and early 00s where the bullying was brutal. Female celebrities were harrased as hell about their virginity for old men's cruel amusement. Males got away easily with things females couldn't and the females got harrassed relentlessly. The standards of beauty was eurocentric: blond-hair, blue eye and stick thin which most POC (especially black people) don't have subconsciously telling them that they're ugly. Representation was nil and the little representation was plagued with stereotypes and generalisations. Factors that resulted in internal racism, and an inferiority complex in a lot of POC, where they would try to be as "white" as possible. Racism and sexism was extremely poignant back then. It was quite common to use slurs casually without a regard on the effect it had on marginalised groups back then. Many discriminated communities were bullied horrendously whether it was at school, at work or when buying groceries etc. Not to mention the amount of ED's that arised due to the beauty standards, it's effects still present today amongst the millennials who had an ED in the past.
As a 20yo Gen Z "kid" I am proud to say I have never installed TikTok and deleted Instagram and such almost 2 years ago. Im alone all the time, but I don't care anymore because I don't get peopless"perfect" lives shoved into my face
So when you're on social media, you decide what kind of content you view. If influencer type perfect lives isn't what you want to see, the algorithm will stop presenting these to you in your feed. I follow chronically ill activists, cute pets, LGBTQ+ accounts, stuff that feeds my soul. It's easy to write off social media if you don't give it a chance and assume it's all bad. As a chronically ill person who's basically housebound, social media is the main way for me to v=break my isolation. I hope you can find community, whether online or in real life
I’m 24, older gen Z and I see a big problem, nobody has a passion. Something that they can identify with, for me that is drumming and metal, I was lucky to figure that out early, but not everyone is that fortunate, and they search their entire life for it. And the problem stems from us having a sense of accomplishment from watching other people on social media
I also have a passion, which is arts in general, and something that makes me suffer a lot is the fact that since people lack passion, I don't relate to any of them. I have a huge hard time finding people who share my interest, since it's a minority now. People feel ... Empty.
It doesn’t help when your parents actively shamed you out of your passions, too, telling you you can ‘never make money’ off of it and treat it like the money making aspect is the only focus we should have. I pushed away the things I *liked* to do because it wasn’t going to ‘benefit’ me.. and now that I’m older, I can’t find that love again. It’s taken me a long time, at least, to start finding passion inside me again.
19 and I don’t know what to do and am in college wasting money Edit: I was one of those kids who used electronics a lot as a kid. I did this because I struggled to make bonds with people and activities at school. But now I have no passions or incentives, my childhood was just doing well in school and playing video games
@@FreeValen Thankfully, as a rebellious kid, I didn't let that happen. As a 23 year old guy, I still like playing video games, making art, learning music and so on. You CAN find that love again, it's there, you just have to look for it.
The oldest Boomers have never used social media except to look at pictures of their grandkids and they have empirically been shown to be the happiest members of society. And most of them are essentially at end-of-life and are just running out the clock until it all cuts to black. This fact should say all that needs to be said about social media.
Human relationships are so incredibly precious. Even as somewhat of an introvert, the importance of connection is incredibly evident to me . Our solution should not be start placing less and less value in it. Human connection and communication is exactly what got our species as far as it is today. Evolving out of it would be like evolving backward, in my speculative opinion. However... being able choose to be a social human in some situations and not in others could be incredibly valuable.
Yeah. I am 17 years old, and am an introvert. On one hand, it isn't fun to be seen as shy and quiet at times and not have as much social connections, but on the other hand, I'm not imprisoned by my need to constantly be with people, but can instead focus on my own passions. I feel terrible for the people who are really extroverted, but are living in the modern world, where there is much more loneliness.
Exactly this! I'm also an introvert but I have a hard time getting through my week without the once a week in person D&D session. Or group chat with irl friends.
I am fine with having a few friends, male or female but I still prefer to live my life as a single person. I just think it's cool to enjoy life by yourself or with your friends who share your views. You know what made me realise this? Video games like Final Fantasy. There's just something about journeys with your friends that I find appealing.
@aviation cat i am 17 and i have lots of online friends, too. but our only connection is through the internet. meeting in person and playing games together cant be replaced at all.
We haven't NEEDED purpose for a long time. A lot of "purpose" has been thrust upon us and we've been fighting against it. That's what leading lives in quiet desperation is about. You need to "extract" hopelessness from somewhere, and most of it is from the perpetual high school that stuff like social media has become. You don't need to change the world, you just need to make sure that you and those who are important to your life are happy and safe. But because communication is now so constant, we're tricked into believing that if you aren't perfect and trying to make the next groundbreaking new cool thing that will save the world, you're a total degenerate loser.
Your past or country, your God and your family is the base and is good to study this and master it. Then you have to create your house...after that your can make your community better with your vision. Is hard because you go 20 years to school and anyone shows us that path.
Perpetual high school is a very good way to describe it. Social media has stunted our growth in so many ways I dont think most people actually understand.
As a gen-z 18 years old, I've gotta admit that our gen problem is social media addiction and lack of meanigful activities during the day. Most of my friends in the university keep chatting all day on the phone, scrolling through an unstoppable feed of Instagram and TIKTOK( especially this one) , their earphones are bugged to their ears all the day long, and although they sacrifice a large fraction of the day for studying, they get nothing useful other than that done. They don't read books, develop a sense of community, "turn themselves in to the world" and acquire experience or learn how to be genuinely happy.
That's really really sad. I'm sorry. I think social media also promotes groupthink and intellectual intolerance, in addition to all the more commonly recognized perils.
I'm 22, but weirdly enough, I don't really have an addiction to social media, I've got Facebook still, but I barely go on it. Never had Twitter or TIKTOK, I think I've either got Instagram or Snapchat, but my brother signed me up for them, and I've never used them. I will say I do spend a lot of time on UA-cam, but that's usually because most of my family are glued to TIKTOK. Seriously, I go downstairs, and my parents are sitting next to each other on their phones in silence, we joke about it, but it actually kind of upsets me. I honestly feel like I was born in the wrong generation, whether a generation too late or a generation too early, probably the former.
as a person apart of gen z, i fully agree. everyone feels the need to group themselves into some sort of category like “sigma” or “alt-coquette” or “baddie” (when these terms are just considered as styles of clothing) and so they force themselves to act the way other people do in that group. everyone’s the same nowadays. they speak the same, make the same jokes, always making tiktoks, always on their phones, etc. everyone is boring and lacks sense too. people just want to fit in nowadays and nobody is truly themselves. it’s a shame. edit: it's as if the categories give them a purpose- a standard to look up to and follow because they have nothing to do. that's just my opinion though
I think what we’re experiencing as a society is the increasing irrelevancy of physical spaces. We just simply don’t need to only communicate to those around us - we can talk to anyone anywhere at anytime. So the need, and frankly, the desirability of conforming to those in our immediate surroundings is drastically reduced. I think this has a much more negative effect for more “normal” people, and I apologize if that sounds overly reductive. But I’ve noticed that those of us who started out as socially deviated, that is, inherently not fitting the standard of society, have found more solace online. But now *everyone* is being made to feel out of place, so now even normative folks are forced to carry around this burden. We’re in an era where nationhood is being superseded by “identity,” for better or worse. Even if we didn’t have one before, we gotta figure out how to find one.
I used to really hate signing up to things in general because I didn’t give enough of a shit to ever make passwords, so I saw TikTok, gave up on signing up and just left it to collect dust on the device thank god I did because that shit looks like garbage
I think the hopelessess of gen comes mostly from two factors. One is economic dead end, most young people don't see themselves befoming homeowners let alone successful in the market as it is today. And two, they have zero faith in their communities and government. They see the world as this unstoppable force that will still bulldoze through anything despite their outcries. So there is that feeling of "everything is doomed anyway". and I don't blame them for it. Being average is no longer passable and if you look at the odds they fight against you would feel their despair
i agree on both factors. i lost almost 2 years of high school due to the lockdowns. i remember that was the lowest point of my life when i was so angry but numb inside. i didn’t give a damn about the virus, at some point you’d rather be dead than isolated. i had beaten my fists bloody and raw just from the anger i felt, in my formative years i was alone every single day of the week. people would never see the pain i went through. as a man we’re expected not to cry and know that nobody cares. but when i’m alone i just sit there in silence and let the tears flow. i feel all the anger and frustration inside me and want to scream. i ask myself what i did to deserve this. then i get up and continue on with my day, as if nothing happened. luckily i got the end of my senior year to finally have fun and got invited to parties. but the damage was already done. i try not to fall back into those dark thoughts but i thought it was worth sharing.
@@slipknot658 my advice to you is keep moving forward keep your mind occupied find hobbies you enjoy doing. Things that you enjoy if your busy you don’t have time to feel sad. Inactivity causes depression because when all you have is time to think that’s what you do.
I have a LOT of older gen friends, and I was at a meeting last night just listening into random conversation groups, and all the talk was around stuff I and people younger than me, I'm 40, have no relation to: how are your kids, how are their kids, how is your family, how is work oh wait you retired, how's that, did you see that thing that happened last week, who was part of that, oh really him how ARE they.... It was real interested discussion about each other's life, about stuff none of us seem to care about anymore. They sit and talk (and drink) for hours, about nothing, daily, IN PERSON.
@@zeeinvest9473 Ehh, that's because nothing good came on our generation. Wars, the world dying, and many people not being able to connect with us personally (atleast to me)
I notice, some gen z, are into older genres of music. 8n those times, the songs connected you to people. Now, everything seems homogenized, or dirty. IMO I think, music went downhill around 2010ish
I've recently started thinking along the lines of appreciating absolutely everything about life and it really does make a difference, people laugh and think you're some kind of stoner for thinking this way, but it's great to be able to find something interesting in everything
For a bit of time now, once in a while i lose control of my brain and for a few minutes my brain can’t believe that I am alive right now. It just can’t comprehend how it is possible to be alive, see things, hear things, just even think anything. Everytime i experience this, i am so peaceful during and after, that for a few days i don’t have any “depression“ (i don’t have actual depression, but i don’t know how to call this occasional anxiety otherwise)
@@Narko_Marko ikr think about this sometimes too and I wonder about humanity's origins and if we might have untapped powers! I don't know if you've heard of Dr. Micheal Salla's on UA-cam, but he does Exopolitics and topics on ETs and I watch his video
Sometimes we tend to forget about the simple things in life and not just appreciate existence for what it is. Our materialistic world has convinced everyone to ignore what’s right in front of them.
This is so painfully accurate lol!! I allow the littlest things to make me smile and laugh greatly I constantly get asked if I’m on drugs lol?? It’s absurd and rather sad just how miserable people are in general. Making the best of things as much as possible has made my days loads of fun even during the most painful of times. Shame other people don’t try to do the same making the most of every moment with a positive and grateful mindset. It’s funny how people find that so bizarre though
I was hopeless, then I did some self reflection, soul searching, and gave it a lot of time to process. I'm now in a much better headspace and am ready for whatever life throws at me. I'm 20 and I hope other people my age can feel the same
I'm 59 and a boomer and can totally relate to this because I've lived most of my life before 2010, before the smartphone and social media became pretty much mainstream. I miss how colorful and outgoing people used to be; this modern-day social malaise has affected all age groups. The last 13 years have been the loneliest and most isolated years of my life and I almost look forward to my death and the end of all this misery. Pre 2010, I could always pull a rabbit out of my hat and overcome a rough patch in my life but today after multiple efforts at change for the better, I'm still batting .000. I can quit social media and leave my smartphone at home, but there isn't anyone left to go back to, so it will be just as lonely as things currently are in this so-called modern day, virtual matrix. I hate how dull and boring society and most people in it have become.
Yep, I remember the days when people were everywhere. You could walk out of a convenience store, see a group of people and start talking to them. It's what people did because that's what there was..people. Summer was a blast because my group of friends would be walking (we walked everywhere), run into a totally different group and talk, swap things, head to a multitude of different hang out spots where again more people there. We'd run into girls everywhere and groups of girls walking and get excited and rowdy and quickly figure out something fun to do and they would join us. I look around now and it's nobody. It's really concerning.
I totally get what you say...I too hate this dull, boring silent and impersonal world of "technology"...people type "LOL" instead of hearing a friend's actual laughter in a phone call, or in person....everyone orders things that come to the doorstep instead of getting out around other people. Glad that my best years were before all this, I sure did have fun in those days too. No smart phones back then. and being social was being with others In Person. Now that the damned pandemic is over I am getting out there in person again. I actually know how to do that.
I'm your age. What I determined over the years is that my life has no purpose. That modern existence has no purpose. You know what, I'm fine with that. My goals these days are simply to enjoy the rest of my life in any way I can. My hobbies are more important than almost anything else. I read alot these days. Fantastical stories that fill my need to adventure. Because there is no adventure left in the world. I like working on cars and old sewing machines. Space travel will never be more than a toy for the elite. UA-cam and Reddit are the only social media I use. I might go days without doing anything on my phone (though I use my PC every day). I doubt anything I say can help you but, maybe you should think about what you still enjoy and try to focus on that. Just ignore everything else because it's not important. Biden or Trump? I just don't really care. At one point, I worried about whether humans would continue on for the next 1000 years. Now I just don't care. I don't see much value in most humans. We're like bacteria infesting the earth. UA-cam and Reddit are the only social media I use. I might go days without doing anything on my phone (though I use my PC every day).
@Juniper_Wippersnache You're wrong. I'm the happiest person I know. I enjoy what I enjoy. I do what I want to do. I don't worry if the rest of the world burns around me. With no social media and not watching the news too closely, I can just be myself and do what I want. People become unhappy when they think "is this it?". They realize their lives are insignificant. You should embrace that and prioritize your own happiness over anyone else.
As an older Gen Z I think the worst thing about this generation is that the internet as made us become a gigantic group of homogenous people so if you don’t conform with the norms you are put a part. That makes it hard to create genuine connections because we don’t have several groups that we can fit in etc it’s either you fit in or you don’t. Individuality and tolerance is kinda gone hosnestly.
Yeah, as soon as you disagree with something you are considered either toxic or something-phobic. People dont listen to arguments anymore, they cant accept that others have different opinions and that this is okay. People believe that you have to 100% identify with something and that you have to go extreme about it. Everything is seen in black and white. Famous people are cancelled the second they say one controversial opinion, as if it was their whole personality and as if it makes them a horrible person. I just wish people in this generation would learn to discuss by using real arguments and listening and being able to either agree or disagree while still accepting the other side, instead of accusing everyone of being close minded.
millenial but I see the same problem with you all. Nobody is allowed to be unique in any way. I actually find a lot of these young kids copying me after they see me in real life. but that can only show a very few of them that its ok to be your own person. most will never run into someone like me where I'm older but all the gen z girls stare at me. So all the gen z boys take notice of me.
The fact that all of you guys know and realize these things, I find it is kinda great. That is the hope for others! The thing is society and technology both eveloves. There is nothing we can do about it. Of course, because of the topic of that video, we tend to look at the negative side of that evolution. There are also many benefits (I'm not going to list them). Think about what you can do and try to contribute as much as you can.
This is such a bizarre statement to hear as someone from the US. We are practically the most hyper-individulaized society in the history of the planet. There has *never* been a golden age in which people could press the boundaries of individuality and still maintain a position of acceptance in a group. It's definitionally not reasonable to expect. To delve deeper into individualism is to move away from collectivism. *Of course* the more individual you make yourself, the more lonely you are going to feel. You are prioritizing yourself being "unique" (just like every other angsty teenager) over maintaining harmony in a group. It genuinely baffles me that so many of you don't understand this. You seem to be so steeped in self-centeredness and entitlement that you don't understand that nobody else *has* to care about you and how special you think yourself to be. You want friends? A group? A tribe? Try prioritizing them over yourself every now and then. This is a generation of narcissists upset that nobody cares about them, but none of you make the effort to care about anyone else. If you want friends, *be* a friend to someone else and stop waiting for them to be a friend to you. It's a generation of adult babies sitting in high chairs crying for food and none of you will get out of your high chair to bring food to someone else. And what's worse is when someone *does* bring you food, all you can think is "yes, this is what I deserve" and you maintain your seat in your chair - because you're self-centered, entitled, and lazy. Even when others show you what it looks like to be a friend - what it looks like to give food to someone else, you don't get the hint that you should be doing the same for others. It has never been easier to help other people. We are the most affluent and privileged society that has ever existed. Our basic needs are so taken care of that more of us are fat than not, but instead of giving back, instead of acknowledging that your life is pretty good compared to other people around the globe and throughout time, you still want *more* for yourself. You want meaning, purpose, and belonging? There are literally *billions* of people living on the planet right now that you could be helping. You don't have anything else to do other than browse the internet and social media for hours every day. You have more freedom and more free time than most humans have ever had ever and you *still* cannot get out of your self-centeredness and entitlement to have *more* delivered to you instead of doing something with the wealth of your freedom to help someone else - to prioritize someone else for just a while. You don't have friends because you're not a friend. You don't have love because you don't love others. You are alone because you expect people to come to you instead of going to them. And *all* of you are like this so when you *do* escape your high chair and give your energy to someone else, they also don't get the hint. You are your own worst enemy and you don't realize these things because you've been in your spoon-fed bubble for so long that it never occurs to you that maybe you should be expending some of your own energy and giving it to others - that *you* are not the black hole center of the universe that naturally should have all energy fed into it. It's funny, sad, and pathetic all at the same time. Here's the solution: Get out of your own head and give your time and energy to others instead of expecting them to give it to you. The more you can do this, the more you will feel like you have a community because those people that you give your time and energy to will keep coming back for more - because they are just like you: they want other people to give to them just like you want more people to sacrifice their energy for you. I have no doubts this falls on deaf ears. You will recoil at the judgment and say "how dare she assume so much about me? That's not me." Sweetheart. This *is* you. This is all of you. And my message to you can be summed up as "Be what you needed." Need a friend? Be a friend. Need someone to care about you? Care about someone else. Need to be told that you're beautiful and valued? Tell other people they are. This is how to find meaning, purpose, community, and belonging. I've done it and I'm doing it. It works. There is a need for something scarce in the world and *you* have the ability to provide it. You just have to get out of your high chair and do it.
I'm so thankful I grew up in the 90s, but my heart goes out to all these kids that won't get to experience a longer childhood. They have to grow up so fast these days, and they seem so lonely and scared of life.
I work with Gen Zs. They have an interesting point of view, almost authority less. No gods, no identifying hierarchy, no doing because they’ve been told to and nothing seems to excite them. I often reflect on how I grew up and came up the “corporate ladder” and see the hardships and hurdles I had to go through and they don’t want any of it. We keep replacing them because the rate of quitting is astronomical.
@@petelee2477 Research is right. Before I got to a managerial position, and ultimately started my own business, I used to stay in a company for 1.5 - 2 years max. Tbh, I hardly ever got to 2 years working in the same place. My observation is that there is a difference between resigning to move to another company and being fired. Gen Zs are being fired.
@@TheRealMan_EmperorHimself Well, how else would they receive information on what to do? Typically, someone has to give you information to act on… even a client can give you information to action on.
i think what a lot of ppl dont realize is that Gen Z grew up purely in a world that was already taken over by internet (atleast in America), and beginning social media, which made every world issue 100x more in our face than it used to be. take this along with the fact that over the years people in general are getting sick of our government and taking it online. sick of the racial issues, gender issues, economy, housing crisis, etc etc. expose young, easily influenced kids to that kind of environment for more than 10 years and i don't think anyone would be as hopeful/optimistic as previous generations were, which causes gen z to feel a sense of nihilism and less willing to do work/be controlled. a lot of us also have short attention spans from growing up purely on youtube for our tween years and moving onto tiktok which is way worse. and we don't even know the long term effects of things like tiktok yet where you get a short dopamine rush causing your brain to need more dopamine in order to experience that same feeling which in turn causes people to doomscroll and then half of those people will try to become content creators and then some of those people make it big on the platform which then gives hope to the people just watching tiktoks that they could also make it big and its just a long cycle of people seeking for attention because it's more easy to receive it than ever also the fact that a lot of gen z were raised by gen x (which were the first group to be properly fucked by boomers) and older millennials (also fucked over). now you have these kids being raised by people that experienced things like an alarming amount of corporate downsizing & being called a slacker 24/7 by boomers which causes the parents to also be more nihilistic and passes those views onto their children (which then allows them to realize at a much earlier age that a lot of corporations or employers see you as easily replaceable) but in the end who cares honestly because who you are as an individual matters more than anything
I grew up in the 90s and have suffered from several undiagnosed mental problems, and i always said my generation had no purpose. The only things we really had to fight for was ridiculed and ignored. The things we had to fight against were so embedded in society we could never win. If you grew up in a small town you had no way to find anyone with the same ideas and was forced to conform or go crazy.
But we were promised a better future, which turned out to be a lie. The same religious fundamentalist crusaders screaming about Satan and sex on TV in the 90s are running the country now. They've ruined the economy and created a state of hopelessness for generations beyond the boomers.
You have to conform even more now. Back then I was an atheist experimenting with drugs. Now not conforming is that I became a true Christian. We said don't label me, but now we decide everyone must be labeled.
@@marierejoiceinjesus3846 The indoctrination, obsession with identity, and Gen Z's intolerance for diverse intellectual or ideological perspectives is stunning and disturbing.
Gen Z here. I feel like my brain has evolved to be self-sufficient. In my childhood and teenage years I had a great need for connecting with others but no matter how much I tried I was always isolated, bullied or mocked by my peers. It's not that there was something wrong with me physically but I was just thinking differently from the rest of the crowd. I could never fit in despite all my efforts to be accepted. My family didn't help either because there I wasn't really understood too and my mother was very toxic. So after million rejections, I accepted being alone to the point when now it is even hard for me to form real connections. Being in a group for a long time makes me anxious.I don't know if this is real evolving or just coping with trauma in the least harmful way. I still feel lonely many times, but I have accepted being alone as something normal and comforting.
I'm the exact same way and to be honest I feel like it's probably just us coping with the trauma of being ostrocized, bullied and in a toxic family situation. At this point if I didn't need to work to survive I'd probably have no issues spending whatever there's left of my life by myself, at home on the internet
@@furiousdestroyah9999 Wow! I feel for you two.... ostrocized (racism), bullied (raped as small child) and in a toxic family situation (very violent mother and insensitive father). But I'm a 54 y/o Gen X and I am now finally accepting this fate in life. I tried too. I tried hard. Army/University/Peace Corps/Career Professional. I've given up. I retired. By myself and playing guitar the best I ever have! I started playing when I was 15.
It's honestly rare for kids to go through school unscathed. I was heavily bullied up until high school. This was in the 80s and 90s. Being bullied forced me into introversion even though I'm naturally an extrovert. Didn't help that my father died when I was 13, saw a boy get crushed to death, was sexually assaulted at 16, and was heavily abused by an ex and my mother. I've been professionally diagnosed with C-PTSD and severe depression. I also have debilitating autoimmune conditions. But I'm still here. I still love being social, despite all my trauma and mental health issues. I'm definitely not as social as I once was, but I'd like to be. My point is to see a therapist asap. For your own good. Gen Z needs massive help when it comes to mental health. Gen Z doesn't have to be lonely. You guys can still make real connections outside of the internet. Please don't let those bad experiences you had completely keep you away from a social life. I mean, look at my life. It's been a total shit show. Many people have asked me why I haven't gone nuts, turned to drugs and alcohol, or offed myself. I always tell them that there's always something to live for. There are things I haven't done, places I haven't seen, and people I haven't met. Therapy has also been a keystone. So please don't resign yourself to a fate that's depressing, lonely, and hard on your brain. If you need advice, ask away. I love helping people.
I feel ya, brother. I'm from Norway, and we have a tradition where we celebrate our 14th birthday. Before the celebration, we you get to choose to do it religiously or not. You then have (I think) a few weeks to prepare for the celebration, but you also get taught different relevant topics for today's world, etc. Here's the important part to note. I had it right after covid. Because of that, I was moved with peers who were one year younger than me. The striking thing was how even though we were grouped together, basically no one wanted to socialise unless it was people who they already knew. They never opened up, never tried to make conversations (we even had games made by the organisers and such to try and have people make friends). It was sad, really.
Very interesting! At least you have the mental capacity to think about it and express how things look for you and how you feel. Kudos for sharing it online too. If you have a need a connection, that is normal - this is a universal need in all of us as humans. If you do not feed that need enough, it will always ask for it, it will always be hungry, and the way it will show it to you is by giving you some negative emotions (can you think of 1 negative emotion that may be related to it?). And simply put, emotions are just messages sent by your body and your brain, and you should not ignore them. If you parents did not help, it's kind of sad but it is what it is and you can't do anything about it. If you feel that you don't fit int or if you felt that you were isolated, have you tried to dissect these words to understand why? Like, what exactly makes you think that? I think if you work on these important questions, with absolute curiosity, you may find surprising stuff, and someday something will click and you'll become maybe super connected to people, on your own terms. I encourage you to respond to these questions on paper, as you write on paper (something very few people do) you'll free up space in your head for new insights, you will give room to your deep sub conscious and you'll find new answers. I urge you to try. Good luck!
i've been a lot happier enjoying art, such as music and games, and just being what people would consider "cringe" about it. i stopped caring. i've never been happier. the only problem i find myself facing, other than the future, is pressure from others. im only 18, i have my whole life ahead of me. people keep trying to push me into the world, suggesting i work myself to death instead of relishing each day and the things i enjoy. one day, im sure i'll find a good balance of responsibilities and the inherent joy i find in things. my hope for the future hinges on this.
Check out Micheal Franti and the SpearHead, and Stick Figures. The lyrics are what get me. Not a super popular bands but dang they have great messages.
Our greatest form of social control is through coerced imitation. We're told to look down upon these original tribal societies as lacking in culture, intelligence, and basically amounting to uncivilized savages, when in reality they often experienced a greater level of freedom and community than we do in the modern day, and many of these ancient tribal societies had great inventions in architecture, mathematics, agriculture, etc. In turn, upper class society since the late 19th century has set the standard for what the "pinnacle of civilization" is "supposed" to be. In doing so, we're slowly being conditioned to accept these stratified aspects of society where the wealthy upper class is something to respect and aspire to, while the lower classes are looked down upon as we might look down upon "lesser" civilizations. Thus, by imitating the upper class and trying to associate with them, and feeling shame when we cannot live up to these ridiculous notions of what it means to be valued according to nothing more than arbitrary factors like wealth and birthright, we are subconsciously being controlled and coerced into behaving within the rigid structures and formalities set in precedent by the 19th and 20th century bourgeoisie. Ironically, these standards were often set on a foundation of racism, as freed slaves and people of color being permitted to participate in business and society might elevate themselves to a respectable status, and so they had to make races/cultures seem "inferior" regardless of wealth and status, creating a Euro-centric pinnacle during a time when Europe was about to engage in one of the most savage catastrophes in human history (WWI and WWII), while trying to make more peaceful, though technologically backward societies seem less civlized and more savage and less desirable to imitate. We sort of broke free of this thinking during the 60's when people actually looked to these communal tribal socieities as a means of escaping the violence and social stigmas of thise Euro-centric imitations, but the world was gradually adapting to this concept on the whole, and modern conveniences started to trickle down into the average household, so that by the 1980's people were being brainwashed with pop culture and television to mindlessly accept these standards, and that trend has continued to the modern day. We're mindless drones in pursuit of a standard set by the racist elite of the early 20th century, and we have to first stop chasing these vapid things before we can redirect ourselves in the right direction, away from the pursuit of wealth and status, and towards a more community-based society.
Personally, I would prefer the system of bartering a young bride or 2 in exchange of livestock as it still happens in many remote societies in Africa over the western system where males are subjugated and financially enslaved by an unjust system.
@@ColeHastingsone issue with the graph you showed at the beginning of the video is we’re comparing the rates of feelings of depression, anxiety, hopelessness etc… among generations during different ages and periods of one’s life. I know for a fact that I felt far more depressed anxious and hopeless in my late teens and early 20s than I do today.
Interesting video, Cole. What I find is that the people who feel most free are the ones who are lost. Gen Z grew up without as many rules and we as humans all need guidance and a sense of belonging. No wonder there's so much anxiety!
It's one of my fears raising a child in this day and age. I'm 28, no child yet. It's up to us to teach our successors to have a solid mindset. Spend more quality time with them, mentor them, love them, rather than handing them an ipad or cell phone and leaving them on their own for your own convenience.
This is so true!! I see si many 5yo's with phones and ipads and the parents just don't seem to care... You shouldn't get children then.. If you buy kids, go do stuff with them like going on a hike, showing them new hobby's and stuff... My granddad always did sports with me and he's the reason I'm now good in tabletennis :)
I have four children and none of them have ever owned a phone, ipad, electronic of any kind besides a basic TV. we spend most of the day outside and I totally agree- we have to raise the next generation of responsible internet users.
The internet shallowly fulfills four needs, porn, community/attention, dopamine and a sense of purpose. It's easy for humans to abuse it since it's so accessable and socially acceptable. As someone who is Gen Z (2002) I used to feel a lack of purpose and hopelessness fairly often, amplified by the fact I was poor and my mother died when I was 15. This past year changed my life, I lost my home, my car, and then nearly my life to a drunk driver. I've lost practically everything, but I was given another chance to live and friends who have supported me. Although my purpose is not immediately clear I now cherish the fact I am alive and the people around me. I live because I can, because I want to experience everything while I'm still here.
Thank you for sharing your story 💕 I think finding your purpose starts by being open to finding it and being open to life. Sounds like you're already on that path. I wish you good things from here on out!
@@andeers416 we might disagree but I would say it's more of a perversion of a desire. Masturbating is healthy, sexual desire is healthy, being attracted to an image of another human being is healthy, mainstream pornography, the most popular tropes, the way people interact with it, almost always detrimental.
I'm 19 and I have been increasingly anxious of my empty mental state. I am riled with emotions then immediately calm the second after. I keep some distance from all social media, and engage only with UA-cam, because it seems like the only platform that isn't very fast-paced in the individual sphere. I always feel apart from everyone around me, detached from my surroundings, unbothered by situations. I don't feel emotionally balanced nor properly reacting. I find myself floating in matter and flatted out by philosophies. And I think what I am experiencing feels like a generational phenomenal. A line of unbothered but concerned fresh adults.
Your generation is a result of big pharma and doctors over diagnosing everything. You guys are told that you have things wrong with you, Andre labeled, and treated with drugs. Truth is, every generation is like that, and has been like that, but you generation accepts the diagnosis and you guys let that label define you. That, with keeping you face in a tiny screen all of the time just compounds it. If we got rid of these ridiculous diagnoses and people went out, you all put you phones down, and went out and actually socialized in person like GenX and Boomers, and maybe the first of millennials, you would be normal. You generation can’t even socialize in person, which means you’ll have a difficult time in coping with reality. You live in a virtual world, and your addicted to phones and TV. I have a 5 and 7 year old, and they are being raised to live in the real world. Wry limited screen time and a lot of social interaction with other kids and adults. I think we learned just how damaging unlimited screen time and dependence on the interwebs can be. If GenZ and later millennials want something, all they do it look it up on the interwebs, and much of the time it has someone’s spin on it, so it not correct. They are being fed a lot of misinformation.
@@Riverinthesky-i9m I recommend reading Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl and 7 Habits of Effective People. I've been rereading them over a couple of days and their ideas certainly make me feel healthier. I hope the same happens for you as well.
Gen Z here it’s really hard to feel like you have purpose when everything your parents had are so far out of reach. I don’t think I’ll be able to buy a home, barely able to really afford an apartment and on top of that I graduated during a global pandemic where I was competing against everyone else who graduated from 2020 until now. There’s really nothing to look forward to when every single day you’re reminded of how much you can’t do, can’t buy, or can’t progress. I just want to be able to pay bills and have a family with a regular home and that’s so out of reach now. I lot of boomers say stop living out of your means but I’m not sure what means they’re talking about. You have to make over six figures to maintain a home and live comfortably in the US now when the average salary is around 30-40k. It’s just so out of reach..
then you need to rethink your location. Average salary in USA is $75k. if you're in a poor state where average salary is 30-40k then its time to move. You're an American so you should be making American money.
@vegnagon You need money to move. Plus, does that average include the salaries of doctors and ceos? Cause if so, then it is heavily skewed. You can't just tell someone to move to another place. That's not how it works. Plus, with just the necessities to live getting more and more expensive, it just isn't realistic to be able to save money anymore either. I can maybe save $10 from my paycheck at this point, but that's it.
@@n.m.fergus yes that number includes doctors I beleive, but it IS the average- you cant just omit ocupations to make the numbers fit your agenda. however...albeit you may be emotionally correct but in reality you're going to have to figure something out. all I can say is the numbers don't lie. minimum wage is much better in other states, you're going to have to be smart if you want to make it at all. in arizona you can buy 1 acre of land for $1000 but its off grid so you'll have to know how to live like that. Learn all basic survival skills and how to shoot a gun. learn microeconomics and psycology. Most important of all, you're going to have to ight yourself from spending too much money all the time which is going to get much worse as time goes on because inflation is ramping up. I would say get a cheap piece of land, hunt for your food, get solar panels for power, live van-life or in a cheap trailer you can get for a few grand. you have to learn how to live frugally so that you can accumulate the money you need to make the big bucks. if all that fails, live in south-east asia (thailand,vietnam,etc) on an extended visa where cost of living could be as low as $1000 a month, and make USD while you're there from online. Expand your parameters and i promise you, you'll find a way. you have the whole world to do research on and not enough time to see it all.
@@banhammer3904 36k if you have no STEM degrees, not a business owner, not in white collar sector, not working in trades, etc. that's why average american salary is $75k. you can't just pick and choose what to include and exclude. $36k is for people with only a highschool diploma. Also, you need to learn how to shop. I got a mobile home for $1500 dollars and I just had to fix it up. I got an RV for $2000. there are lots of mobile homes on facebook marketplace in every state for less than $5000. The CATCH is moving it. if you move a mobile home over 100 miles you're looking at paying about $3k-4k for the move. moving it is expensive. Shoot, there's lots of people that will let you get them for free because to cost to move them is more than the value of the trailer. You can get unwanted shipping containers shipped to a port nearest to you from china, india, southeast asia for about $100 (or free in alot of cases because they're going to just scrap them for steel.) that they don't want and turn it into a house. OR, if you're lazy, buy one here in the US for about $1500. that in itself is a business tip for you.
I am a millennial and I have always struggled connecting with people my own age. I've spent the better part of the last decade feeling quite lonely and invisible. I tried to put myself out there and my friends, but I only found apathy, indifference, aloofness. People staring into their screens. Intuitively, I came to the realization that I likely wasn't going to get the connection and intimacy I longed for in this life. I didn't want to live my life in vain, so I decided to dedicate my life to helping others. Last year, I took a job with a non-profit and I finally found the community and connection I was looking for. It's like my own little Shangri-la every time I go to work. For the first time in my life, I feel like I belong, that I matter and that I am making a difference. I agree to an extent with Cole, the modern world is making it more difficult for people to meet their basic emotional/mental needs. However, we aren't meant to live as lone wolves, and it's ok to seek out connections. Instead of retreating into our own minds, lets build a community together.
@chazmichaelmichaels No, it's not you. In my opinion, technological advancement is outpacing human evolution. We are wired for connection and face-to-face interaction. We are truly the guinea pig generation when it comes to social media and smart phones. Just like cigarettes 100 years ago, we are now starting to see the side effects come to fruition. When everyone around you behaves like an automaton, it can be easy to give up. However, we need to be beacons of light to let others know that they are not alone. If my new job has taught me anything, its that people are starving for connection. Something as simple as eye contact and a smile can go a long ways.
@chazmichaelmichaels Thanks for sharing your observation, that is very interesting! I can only speak from personal experience, but I go out in the world expecting for no one to care what I have to say, how I feel, etc, so I often don't bother initiating any communication. You are making a difference in your client's lives, just by expressing interest in them. I have a few GenZ friends, and to be honest, I feel like they are more mature than I was at their age. They were raised during the Great Recession, Covid, etc, and do not have the rose-colored glasses on that I did. However, they do seem closed-off and it takes a while to get to know them, if ever. I am glad I am not a young person these days!
I'm gen z, and you're right. I have no will to live half the time and my mental health is in shambles. Living is a pain. Making sense of life is even worse. 98% of my friends are addicted to social media. Even if we go to a party or on a trip, all they care about is taking selfies and posting on their Snapchat and Tiktok. It's tiring, man. They call me a "boomer" for not having Tiktok lol although I know there's only addiction I'm missing out on 💀. One of the things I paradoxically hate about social media and the Internet is that it teaches us so much about the world to the point that it gives you existentialism. Sometimes I wish I didn't know so that I wouldn't question everything in front of me. Maybe I'd be happier then. Or maybe not. But I wish people weren't so self-absorbed and keep worrying so much about which filter looks best on them instead of noticing the world around them more often. And this doesn't just apply to gen z.
Yeah I think you're right. Social media has brought about some sort of detached cognition where people aren't simultaneously connected to their own thoughts, or each other, and lest of all the fleeting moment. Try to maybe connect with people outside of your generation? Beware though, the social media selfie clowns are everywhere - but you might have a chance of learning and connection with someone older than you. Good luck, whatever you choose!
I’m 15 and 16 soon and I agree with you. They all care about being a drama queen, looking good, and shaming others when they have different views. I hate it here. I just hope I meet more ppl like you and me in college
Social media makes ppl more depressed and anxious about themselves. U compare yourself constantly to others, and feel not good enough. It saps all ur time/mental energy. It makes ppl unable to develop social skills, and make meaningful real life connections/relationships.
I think it’s worth pointing out a reasonably large discrepancy here - this new era of loneliness negatively affects more mainstream (or normative, if you prefer) folks to a larger degree than it does those of us on the fringes. Look at how tightly knit fringe communities have become online, and how positively it affects people’s abilities to self-actualize, whereas before people may have never fully reconciled with themselves. I think we need more effort to help everyone find their niche - even if it’s not “fringe” enough to constitute needing to be online.
I am so happy I came across this video. Because when I was young I never really knew that social media had a negative impact on my life I spent hours on hours scrolling, not only was it bad for my mental but I only used it as a way to escape reality not knowing that was the main cause of my depression, and low expectations on the real world. I can’t say much but in my own opinion I think social media has ruined the way the world is viewed and how it works.
I'm a teenage Gen Z. Once I move out of my parent's house, I won't be on social media as much and I'd cut the majority of it off. I wish our world could be less obsessed with online media. I plan on focusing more on connecting with nature and real life because I already suffer with dissociation and depersonalization, and how everything doesn't feel real. I know it is and each event I try to focus on what's happening and see the reality, and I do, but afterwards I ask myself "Did that really happen?"... I'm an introvert and often isolate myself. I don't go outside unless I'm shopping or going to church because where I live, there's literally NOTHING to do. No one my age to hang out and no special events. When I do go outside other then shopping or church, there's nothing to do so I sit on the front steps and... well, just sit there. There's no nature around me either- just buildings. There's absolutely nothing to connect with on a deeper level where I live- just a poverty setting with trailers and buildings. I can only hope to get out of post-modernism when I move out, make money and start experiencing the real world.
Oh no. Start now. Try a sport that makes you uncomfortable… team sport, bond but also stand up for yourself and they will respect you. Fellow older introvert and soccer monster
Not trying to scare you but it must be said. Live out in the countryside/a rural town with a nice community, grow your own food garden, own g_ns, be wary of who you let in. It’s going to get worse, it’s all apart of W3F Agenda 2030 plan to make people weak and dependent on the government. We’ve seen a obvious spike in mental illnesses and it’s not a coincidence. People are deprived of the real world due to a number of factors, I guess you can understand what I’m trying to say. No I’m not a b0t, just warning others.
I agree! Doesn't project his own opinions and experiences into viewers? Check Isn't repetitive and doesn't say the same generic af shit almost all self-improvement channels use? Check Awesome editing? Check!
Thank you for putting together this video! As a Millenial, I just hung out with a group of Gen Z and couldn't believe how mono-dimensional and poor their social skills were. I think you're right about most points, but also are missing peoples' current obsession with being in a constant state of fear. There is not much optimism anymore, which is why people are even afraid to try to make new connections. The monetization of fear (think of news) and reduction of margins (eke every penny out of something and leave no luxury) in all things is destructive and truly sad for our species.
As a gen z and someone who grew up in the us i think its safe to say the main reason i got caught up in constant lonliness and no self purpose. One reason i can say is parenting. Growing up i had really strict parents who would basically never let me go out and see the outside and if i did most likely it would be to go to school or to go to work and majority of the time i would be under strict surveillance by my parents, constantly calling me and texting to see where im at, what im doing, and who im with. i asked them about this before and basically they blamed the reason on the news, the news outlets on tv constantly pushes out info that someone was rather shot, or murdered in some way making both me and my parents grow up thinking that if you go out and see people. Someone would be willing to kill you the moment you walk out the front door. This is also taking into account that i currently live in one of the most dangerous cities in the united states
I agree. I believe the older generation needs to take accountability. They love to bring the next gen down, but never advice them to do better imo. Might make a vid on this subject. I’m a Gen Z by the way.
@@gibrilsi I don't think parents of gen z want to bring their kids down they just overprotective. The helicopter parent most likely were the kids ignore neglected mess up got themselves in dangerous situations as teens. they went the extreme opposite likely trying hard not to be their parents that didn't care were never around. People need to be balanced
I'm older Gen Z (23) and I can confidently say that my life got so much better once I stopped using social media as much. I still use it on occasion to post my art and talk to far away friends, but I try my best to stay away from mindlessly doomscrolling. I still catch myself doing it on occasion, and I notice it because of how horrible it starts to make me feels. As soon as I log off and go hug my fiance or take my dog for a walk, my mood noticeably improves.
Fiance. That's the thing. You have people *right next to you* to talk to; many people my age (18/19) don't have people close enough to them. We don't make friends with neighborhood kids and everyone in public school can barely talk for more than 5 minutes. I'm homeschooled, so even though I socialize with a vast array of people, I have a problem talking to my peers because they can barely hang on to a conversation without checking their phone.
I’m from the generation with mostly encyclopedia in the bookcase and vivid memories about how all the flower buds were richly filled with a variety of butterflies and other insects until about the 90’s. Kids these days know only brands and artists. Farmers are now machine operators. We should definitely go back
I never realized how important that sense of community and human interaction was until i watched this video. As a 17 year old ive been increasingly frustrated with my generation for our lack of ambition, individualism, and social interactions. Ive never been able to devolp close relationships with people because there simply is so few people my age who care about the world outside the lens of a camera
@@VeeNaki A lot of us are very selfish and make tons of mistakes, but that’s the thing that makes us human in the first place. If you hurt somebody and have the self capacity to realize it, you’re very lucky. Most people go throughout their day not even knowing what they’re thinking about 90% of the time.
This was both a brilliant and very sad video… I agree with so much of what you said… especially the idea of stepping into a state of awe about everything we encounter day to day… that being said… I will say… if you don’t have community around you, consider moving… I have found that sometimes the grass IS greener on the other side… there are lots of people who still want to live in deep community… but they may not live in your city… likeminded communities often congregate together.. especially in recent years with more people having the ability to work from home and live where they want… don’t give up and find your tribe!
Whose gonna take advice from you Nikki? You made a video about killing your dog with your full chest, why are you in these UA-cam comments….? People don’t like you bc you’re an unlikable person who killed their dog for no reason. That’s not just a “mistake” girl you need to go to therapy and get out of these comments fr. And don’t use the term “tribe” if you aren’t Native American.
Most GenZ people are too young to be able to move, they are either still living with their parents or they don’t have enough money to relocate because they’re just starting out in their careers
As an older Gen Z, I highly recommend purposefully leaving your phone at home, in your car, or just turning it off for a day. Obviously let your people know where you’ll be especially if you’re underage, don’t forget to tell your guardians lol!! So anyway I just became a citizen this past month, I was raised here in the US since I was about 5 years old but bc my mom became a citizen after my 21st bday I had to do it on my own. And so after my oath I had to go to the social security administration office to make them aware of the change in my legal status. So as I arrive at the door, the security guard stops me and tells me to turn off my phone before I come in, & so I did. I got a ticket and sat down isolated from everyone else bc I’m just use to that. So as I’m sitting kinda bored just looking at the numbers on the TV listening to people get called, a younger Latina mom comes and sits beside me with her new born baby, she looks at me a couple of times nervously bc her baby is very fussy and crying. She begins to speak to me in Spanish unsure if I’ll answer back. I am fluent so I respond and as we are at conversation an elderly gentleman approached us and was clearly legally blind. She gets up and helps him take a seat, and her number is called so she leaves. He decides to sit right next to me. He immediately starts asking me about my day, and we begin to have one of the deepest conversations I’ve ever had in my entire 25 years of life. But something that stuck out to me was when he said “you’re warm, and welcoming unlike other young people..”I know it was meant as a compliment but it kinda hurt. It hurt me because I think highly of our generation, I believe we want to do better, we seek genuine connection, but we also seek an extreme & unrealistic amount of entertainment dopamine, validation24/7 and end up making situationships or relationships that lack everything we really want. This 76 year old man named Tom helped me realize that there is so much boomers and Gen Z have in common. He told me stories of post WW2 life, civil rights movement, segregation, ALIENS 👽 his wife, his new born baby who passed away. All the mistakes he made and how his generation thought they were the most innovative & how they planned to change the world. We also talked about race, ethnicity, about relationships etc. I never imagined I would make a friend that day.. bc it just feels like connections like these don’t exist anymore. But they do. We just have to be more present and in the moment🤍 Sd: go hiking, go swimming, go to that concert, join clubs, help out at a soup kitchen, go outside!! Get involved. This is one of the purest forms humans have made connections and it’s the best way. Meeting people in person helps you learn to read body language, communication styles, lip read. Just go for it 😊
Your comment reminded me of a time when I would go to a tiny remote country house left behind by my grandparents once in a while. It is so remote that there is absolutely no cell service, no internet, no tv, nothing. I would just pack some food with me for a couple of days, get there, enjoy the silence and the fresh air. I'd build a fire to cook food, get water from the well, air out the house... Once I'm settled in, I'd walk around, cut the grass in front of the house using a plain old scythe. Then I'd lie down with some book, until I'd drift off into sleep. I would then wake up some 14 hours later, sleeping for so long because of the abundance of oxygen. Spend a few days this way, pick some apples and plums, and eventually close everything up and make my way back to the city, back to the busy life. But even these few days of being cut off from all the technology, cars, noise... So absolutely refreshing. I suppose I am fortunate for not needing any social media at all. It's been years since I opened Instagram, I don't have TikTok on my phone. I enjoy going hiking when the weather is just a tiny bit rainy. I would drive for 2 hours one way just to watch the sunset on a beach. I sometimes go to a park just to sit on a bench and read a book. I started making attempts at writing music. I work, but I balanced my life in a way that I live within my means, while having free time to actually live. I eat healthy (I largely avoid processed and packaged food, and things with added sugar). Most importantly, I feel no need and no desire to impress anyone with anything, like expensive shoes or anything else. Actually, I would rather people don't pay attention to me at all. I have a few close friends. I created a message group and convinced them to make time for all of us to meet on a regular, scheduled basis. Every week they now look forward to us meeting, so everyone can vent if they need to, or just have fun. For a number of years I help out a lonely senior person, whom I visit once or twice per week, help him with groceries, we go out for a coffee or some such, have a chat. I feel bad that he (also 76 coincidentally) never married, never had kids, and is just all alone. I do feel that he really appreciates me coming over. There are a couple of teenage kids, who I also talk to regularly. For the most part, I would just listen to them talk through their problems and give them advice on how to deal with life. I do feel sorry for how lonely they feel, and understand that in their situation they really don't get any validation at all, so they are so happy to share their school accomplishments with me, just to hear me say "good job, kiddo!". I am proud to say that they no longer engage in "self-h***" and have a much more positive and hopeful outlook on life. Huh, recently one of them asked me if it's alright to call me "dad". Brought a tear to my eye.
im 21 and in college. I found that ever since ive stopped and talked to people and had short but meaningful conversations throughout my day i have felt so much more valued and happy. i noticed people actually stop me just to talk to me. ive also started placing timers on apps and sticking to the time limit ive given myself. Because 8 hours a day average screen time was scary to me.
I finished college last year and I get what you mean. I didn't really care about subjects in college, I only went there to talk to my groupmates and friends, it was a great time.
oh man, 8 hours !!! It feels a lot to me. I remember some motivational speakers talking about 7 hours of TV back 50 years ago I think. Basically, nothing has changed between the past generation and today's generation. TV or phone, still a screen. We also blame social media, but 50 years ago social media did not exist. What happens is people are more attracted to consuming something on a screen, rather than creating something with their thoughts, actively. Keep connecting with people! I'm glad it makes you feel good and at least you know it now, great experience.
The ‘solution’ you’re referring to will not manifest. Everyone lives in an echo chamber of tiktok algorithms. Community requires a common criterion by which everyone agrees to view life. This used to be Religion. Now it’s god knows which tiktok video.
This is true, and it is biologically engrained in us as a species. People by themselves don't last very long for many, many reasons, and even in today's society, where loneliness and mental issues are so lucrative, the system can only prop up the terminally alone for so long.
As a gen Z child, I was once in a state of purposelessness. then I found my goals, and now I will achieve them. Life doesn't have purpose until you give it purpose.
_'Man can do what he wills but he cannot will what he wills.'_ ~ Arthur Schopenhauer I.e. One has to prioritise that which is genuinely most important in their life. No lasting ideology can be built upon a whim.
Great for you, I've never been able to find such a thing. From my perspective everything is garbage with non-existent potential for any kind of purpose
I really want to write a long essay here But I got tired, so let me say this, I agree with you on that, for me, my own purpose is to atleast live through life and observe many things and also see if I can make a lot of money lolz
Honestly what Im trying to adopt a 'Modern' thinking as a Gen Z and currently focusing on doing one problem at a time and not all at once. This really help me with managing stress and stave of depression.
Living deeply means becoming so involved in even the most mundane of activities that you barely even have time to think if you are lonely or not. It means growing out of the instant gratification that makes the all inspiring world we find ourselves in boring. Everywhere you look, you are experiencing the miracle of life. The very fact that you can hear these words and see this screen with your eyes is a statistically impossible fortune that you’ve been gifted with. Each day, really examine what it is you are experiencing right now. Get really involved in this thing called life by participating in it in as many ways as you can, and as presently as you can. Have appreciation for the instrument that is your body. Take walks and marvel at the swaying of the trees, the color of the leaves, and all the different sounds and sights, even the ones that are man made. There is awe in everything if you focus deeply enough on it. Everything in this post modern era has programmed you to not understand and realize this. Post modern society wants you to believe that your existence serves no point and has no joy unless you achieve status, wealth, and popularity. But this perspective of being in awe and wonder over just about everything in this realm of human consciousness, which is very much so awe inspiring and wondrous, and adopting the child’s view point of seeing everything as novel is available for you to take back at any moment - Cole Hastings Beautifully said. Thank you Cole
As a millennial, I’m sorry for not doing more in this world for the next Gen. All I’ve done so far is planting. All I’ve done is make flowers for the bees. I love watching them work. I do not have a job and don’t know if I’m able to get one now that I have memory issues. I still feel like a child some days. I’m a 30 year old plays with toys and watches cartoons and can’t do much mentally. I hope to one day build an entire forest
build a forest?er er right! good luck with that! I think that you might need to find some land,I'm sure that you don't intend to build it in the heavens!useless? The only thing that I'm good for is producing waste matter,urea and carbon dioxide.millions of us are absolutely useless.it's part of the human condition.that's what happens when eight billion people are on a planet.i've been a useless lump of lard for eons it can't be helped!
As an 18 year old I’m over all the filters, challenges, and social media in general. Everything spins in a pot and resurfaces a different way. All the girls and guys look the same and act the same online and they all care about the same meaningless stuff. Nowadays it’s obvious they just do it for attention. It’s draining. sometimes it feels like I don’t belong in any other group because that’s all it is. I’m to the point to where I don’t even want to make friends anymore because every person I meet is like that in someway.
*"All the girls and guys look the same and act the same online and they all care about the same meaningless stuff."* I don't think I've heard it put so simply yet perfectly... In todays day and age we get too see the most beautiful woman and the hottest guys all at the touch of a button. We see the same thing's over and over and over again and everyone want's too be the same thing... I personally hate generalizing but nowdays all I've gotta do is look at the latest "trends" and i can guess alot of people's personalities, nobody has much of their own because it's just not "popular" and in turn makes everyone cookie cutter in nature. Though not everyone is the same, its just become so increasingly rare too find anyone actually interesting (or at least intrested) that it feels like anything but our made up perfection is unacceptable.
I've observed people who have a postmodernist view (all generations, not just Gen Z) and I can affirm that this worldview definitely creates a lost, very confused person. As human beings we need objective truth and morals. Not this "we all have our own truth" bullshit
Member of Gen Z here. I do think that the internet has had a huge impact for our loneliness. I'm going to sounds very old and blame it on social media, but it's true. People only post the best moments of their lives, and when the only thing you consume are the incredible parties, heartfelt confessions, and stunning views other people are taking part in, it makes you feel isolated; like you're missing out. The increase in information has also thrown us into the deep end. When my parents were growing up, they didn't know about the terrible wars happening across the globe. Their daily newspaper wasn't constantly updated with mass shootings, distant natural disasters, and corrupt politicians. Ignorance is bliss, and I think that when you expose young minds to how terrifying the world is, they lose hope. Whatever purpose we've been told we need either feels too small to have any true impact on the world, or feels too impossible for us to ever accomplish. It's hard to try to focus on the little things when you know about climate change and political downfall and heat death. edit: i accidentally posted before i was done woops
You make some very good points here. I think we should be fighting against demotivation, as another commenter wrote and look for what makes us happy. Sure, it can be hard but if there's something that sounds worse than all of what you presented, is a life full of nothing. We can't solve all the problems in the world, so let's try to focus on the people around us and ourselves.
I hear where you're coming from but that worldview is depressing. I'm 22 early gen z I struggle with that direction lessness what I found helpful stop worrying about how the world is falling apart (always is) and corrupt people are doing corrupt things (also always is) and instead take the tactic of focusing on my little patch of grass. The world is falling apart cool fix the stairs today I mowed the grass I took two classes in an I.T Certificate and then you slowly build out goals from there, all of a sudden you have a purpose at least a goal if that goal goes away just set another one
I'm also Gen Z and I think it's no longer an old geezer thing to say that the internet is ruining us. Anyone who's paying attention can see how horrible it has been on our development. Everything you said is spot on!
Keep up the good fight. It's funny, the great purpose that people of this generation could have is in opposition to the capitulation to a worse world that this video suggests. The video simultaneously observes that Gen Z feels a lack of purpose, while also observing a massive problem to be solved, but rather than putting those two things together, he suggests you just learn to cope. A lot of us realized this problem a long time ago, and while yes, the fact that a lot of people are still stuck in a harmful lifestyle presents headwinds, a lot can be done to brighten the lives of a small group of people. It just takes work.
@@kaifuller3535 I'm so glad that someone else thinks this way, seeing the opportunity for us as humans to keep evolving instead of only seeing a problem and accepting that problem as the new normal. I always used to say if people during the time of the war just accepted it without fighting for better days, then we wouldn't be here. Every generation has a fight and I believe this is our own.
You have to get off social media. You just have to. Delete all of your accounts. Break the dopamine addiction. You weren’t supposed to be so connected to so many acquaintances. Only you can break free from this. It’s absolutely not going to be done for you.
I'm a teenage gen z guy and the most frustrating thing for me is how vapid and superficial everyone around me is (and I'm not immune to this either). What seems to happen is they find an online community that they think represents them and define their personhood around that identity (for example their sexuality, a fandom, and attitude, etc). When they lose interest in that, they pick up a new one and start again, resulting in us having no constant self. Even when i'm with my friends, i can't really feel a connection because we all are performing for eachother - using eachother as entertainment. We don't know who we are anymore because we've buried ourselves under so many layers of irony. I want to have a deep emotional connection with someone but no one else seems to be interested in that kind of relationship. And when I talk about this stuff people look at me like I'm crazy- it doesn't even occur to most people there could be more to life and relationships than this. I've deleted apps like reddit and instagram and i'm trying to be more true to myself (less ironic humor, talking about things that really matter with people, etc) and that's helped a little bit, but i often find myself feeling like the last sane person left. i feel like a parody of myself and i have no idea how to dig deep and find that core of personhood most older generations seem to have within themselves. edit: well guys, i think i may have been lucky enough to find someone like me! we're not out of the woods yet but i feel more developed as a person if that makes sense- i know what kind of person i want to be. thank you everyone for your comments
This definitely is what I'm experiencing most of the times when I'm with my classmates. They're just there with you when everything is fun, but will leave you if you're feeling down. People these days doesn't really have the balls to make to talk deep abt something and it really makes me sad. I wish everything could be simpler just like before, good music, supportive friends, friendly environment. I also noticed how everyone is sort of acting like a slave to influencers like they copy their clothing, way of life, and give them shifty praises for nothing which definitely annoys me since it's making life harder for them and they wouldn't really know how they can be an advantage to other people's lives . I hope this generation will be able to experience true liveliness that everyone should have in the coming years.
Same other people don’t feel real to me at all anymore just NPCs with a handful of lines and no deeper story. No matter how hard I try to connect with people, put myself out there, start conversations first, be kind and funny, it never leads anywhere. People are completely numb.
I'm doing the same. Older, tho. I was on IG at the VERY beginning. Just turned 29 July 7. I watched as everyone slowly..(or quickly) became vapid and obsessed with doing things JUST to post on Instagram. It's ridiculous and I sad imo. And these live artists performing? Just looking back at a WALL of phones? lol. (Sorry not on topic, just saw some debates/input the other day) I'm off SM (basically) for the past year or so.. Curious to see how all of this pans out.. and the younger generations grow up in such a "tech-y" world. Don't think too hard. You're gonna be awesome, and meet the right people with the right ideals. I'm positive. Anyhow, cheers and GL. ^^
wow. I always felt the same. Everyone I know using me for entertainment. I'm glad to see someone else picked up on this. I'm a 34 year old millenial. But it wasn't always this way. For my age group it only began after cell phones.
I really like the How to Live Deeply section, to me that really boils down to be present in your moment. Huberman had an episode talking about this but humans naturally while doing tasks through their day to day tend to think about something different then what they are actively doing. He cited a great study that showed that even mundane tasks were rated as more enjoyable if you were mentally present with the task even compared to thinking about something awesome while doing the mundane task. And that has certainly been my experience as well.
I think a major reason why we are what we are is because of our lack of healthy social interactions, which we have comfortably justified under the guise of "being introverted"- when it is something deeper; something that is not healthy. It is not a shock that we have been "chronically online" since we were kids, when we should have been talking more and getting more experiences in real life instead of watching the world through a screen. The truth is- a lot of us are lonely. Our followers on our social media apps are not friends- they're just there to watch our stories and like our posts. That isn't friendship because there is no one-on-one conversation involving "deep" topics or legit anything aside from a "hi" from both the sides and then never talking to each other. Maybe I'm just projecting. Maybe this is just my experience. Whatever it is, I hope it isn't passed on to the next generation. There is no hope for me now, or even a chance at redemption, even though I'm 18, because I am in the worst "era" of my life. Days go on and on. They don't end. I truly don't have a purpose in life. I am just here to pass the time. I am sorry to Earth for not contributing properly as an adult. I truly am sorry. But I just don't see any point in being alive anymore. I know it will be over for me soon. Whoever is reading this (which is quite shocking), please know one thing: you don't have to have a purpose in life. You being here, being a part of this world is purpose enough. I know it is too late for me to act on my own advice, but I know YOU can do this. You are so precious. I mean it. Everything will be alright, okay? Please keep living. Please.
Yeah but also over analyzing why someone wants to be left alone is no better. People are not your personal essay to be baited into some kind of narrative. End anyone who's been wasting time planting those kinds of seeds for years. It's dehumanizing to pretend anyone depends on you for any closure, break up, commentary, etc of any kind. It's very unflattering for someone to have a following of stockpiling thoughts about you, only to say no when you've been judging them in order to decide whether or not you want to spend time with them.
LOL, bro, you’re eighteen. You’re barely an adult. How can you feel like your life is completely hopeless and you already failed despite barely starting out. I’m twenty-five about to go on to twenty-six and I have been living in my parents house since I graduated high school! Don’t lose hope-you haven’t failed at anything. Failure is what happens when you stop trying.
I'm so glad that I found you on this thing called the internet. It's like I'm learning from a bigger brother about the world. After I watch a video from you, I got so much inner peace in me. Really appreciate what you're doing.
Most of my peers are very disrespectful to the teachers. They think I’m weird for respecting the teachers or doing my homework, they bully me because I’m polite and respectful, when I hold the door or let someone pass, they laugh at me. Or don’t even thank me at all, like I’m invisible.
You are a good person. Keep going! And believe me, being nice nowadays isn't easy for anyone, no matter of the generation you belong to. But at least it counts for ourselves and for the ones close to us. That is why we are doing our best and keep on going forward no matter what. :)
I appreciate you trying to make sense of it all. For me, life took a purposeful turn when I got a dog. We absolutely love being with each other, and she doesnt come with the financial suicide and environmental impact of having a child. Go adopt a pet if you have the means and compassion, its amazing.
There needs to be a movement. That’s what we need. Where everyone just drops social media, a holiday for a month where Instagram, tik tok, snap etc, shut down.
While this would be cool nobody would agree with you. By that I mean company’s and governments. All of there money stems from it and they would lose so much from even a day of them being down. Everyone suffers. I guess the quote “money is the root of all evil” is true..
Great idea my friend. I have found that the best way to tell someone or convince someone, is to show them, so they see it's possible and they see the results. Try yourself and share on this thread what you found. Simply do an experimentation. It's funny to see other comments saying "Nobody would agree". It feels like we need agreement for others for our own actions. In these times of high customization, and individualities, we still are looking for conformity by the group. Personally, I don't have facebook, tiktok or twitter, installed on my phone. I use Linkedin, Instagram but I limit myself to 5-10 minutes a day. I have seen both how I feel when I spend too much time on it and when I restrict myself, and I feel much better without it. This is my incentive for doing it.
As gen Z, I find my own generation to be the most frustrating. There’s no loyalty, or “deep” thought. This generation I find to stand up to discrimination the most while also discriminating the most.
I hate to agree with you, but I do think your generation is the most intolerant living generation by far, despite your obsession with "social justice." Do you really need to divide everyone up by gender and race? How about just evaluate people based on their individual qualities?
I see those problems you listed in any age groups and in the decades past too. For example, the s3xual revolution and promoting promiscuity and no loyalty was from decades ago. It's also older people who raised and created the present young people, and creating some of the vapid entertainment with vapid and degenerate messages too. I don't think vilifying age groups helps btw. I've seen young people vilify older people and call them boomers too.
@@user-gu9yq5sj7c I agree with the s3xual revolution, but shaming people for it outside of marriage was just as toxic. Vilifying boomers doesn’t make anything better, then on the other hand people from that particular generation need to take more responsibility for the damage they’ve caused. There’s always two sides, there is no “right” or “left” because which way you go neither is fully right or fully wrong. The laws of man do not exist in nature. Right and wrong is a social construct because we’re social beings. What one may find right another will find wrong. All about perspective.
I’m 34 in university right now- a majority of them haven’t even gotten past the stage of acting like everything we hated about high school, meeting a genuine student is not easy. They’re still young and I can’t hold it against them, but I can’t get swept in their madness. LOTS of bravado; humility is almost nonexistent; narcissistic tendencies; toxic behaviour; lots of gossip; INSECURITIES thru, THA, ROOF; rudeness and more. They kinda keep me at peace, bcuz I see everything I’ve grown out of and I’m reminded DAILY of it
I agree so much, over the past 3 years I've spent so much time by myself that I actually enjoy it. Find hobbies that make you happy and figure out what YOU want.
When the Baby Boomers were young during the '60s and '70s, they were accused of not having a purpose too. I think every young generation is seen by their older peers as not having a purpose and overall being a misguided nuisance. No one can really criticize Gen Z unless they're willing to criticize Gen Y, Gen X and the Boomers too. Every generation going back to The Lost Generation (born 1883 - 1900) can take some blame for how Gen Z turned out. Every generation takes advantage of the things available to them at the time. Today, it's social media. They use it because they can. It's here for them. If social media existed in the '60s, the Boomers would've used it too. Online dating was around in the '90s, but most people didn't have much luck with that either. Gen Z's problems are just an extension of everyone else's problems from the past.
Gen z will live in to invent another society destroying technology just like the boomers did. So there is purpose. It's just not saving the world like every kid grew up thinking they would.
This makes me feel really good about myself because I came to the exact same conclusion instinctively. It helps to acknowledge other humans as beings capable of the same complex emotions rather than as NPCs.
@@beingsshepherd There's a difference between acknowledging other people have emotions and projecting your emotions onto them. It's like the difference between acknowledging people like cars and thinking everyone likes the same car you do.
@@Titere05 Isn't that the point I'd just made? Those with _"complex emotions"_ are wrong to ascribe the same to all others. Some characters are so emotionally simple that they jump off cliffs for fun.
Glad you popped up on this Boomers feed. I have two Gen Zs, and this resonates with me regarding their struggles. My youngest is the most genuinely self-reflective human I know, but he has extreme social struggles with peers. Works from home and rarely gets out... of his own accord (I try my best to get him out into the world, but he just doesn't want to most of the time.
I think that the modern condition is immensely frustrating because it feels like people have no agency in their own lives. For example, I know everything I need to do to escape the cycle: turn off the computer; cut off social media; and make my work with my hands. But I, and many other people, *literally* (not metaphorically) can't. My education and career require me to use digital tools constantly. I need email, software, and a search engine to make money and graduate in my field. Most of my peers gather in chat rooms to socialize, and because I don't participate there, I struggle to form a deeper connection with anyone. People consider me an outsider, no matter how friendly I am in person. Our generation's burden is not that we don't recognize our problems or that we don't want to solve them. It's that the system is so engrained in our existence that trying to escape it is like trying to switch to breathing water. How is anyone supposed to not feel demoralized?
I'm about to turn 40 here and it just gets worse as you get older. However - as you age you also get wiser and learn how to cope with existential depression.
This! I'm autistic(recently diagnosed).... So I've never been social. 😅 But i have learned how to mask over years I'm going through this now. I'm relearning myself and my life. I absolutely love myself. I am a fun, cool and interesting person. I need to get back to my hobbies and creativity. Also I absolutely love Spending time alone unpacking my past life. I totally understand the on and off social switch.
I must be Gen Z trapped in a millennial body because that totally describes me. I have no purpose, no motivation, no interests, no hope but anxiety and loneliness.
@Xylus I'm a 54 y/o Gen X dad with a 16 y/o Gen Z son. I asked him to read your comment and 1984 comment. There are actually many, many great comments here. I've been trying to teach him how to play guitar since he was 2 years old. He turned 16 in February and he finally picked up one of my guitars. I think he has been depressed and not happy at school this past year (9th/10th grade). It has been four months and I can't believe how well he is playing. I think now, he wants to out play me. I officially gave him a Squire Strat and Yamaha acoustic that's in my collection of many guitars. I'd probably go nuts if he damaged one of better guitars. He's been practicing everyday and watching great on-line teachers on his desktop computer. I hope this brings him out of the funk he's in.
I'm a millennial and I feel this, although I felt a sense of community as a kid, all the neighbors back then had bbqs etc and I played outside a lot, but as an adult I live alone in an apartment complex, I'm friends with one neighbor but no one else talks to each other lol
I saw this thing where this one person invited their other neighbours to a party at the top of their balcony or apartment (whatever you can do to get people together)
It's actually so depressing. No wonder we all feel bad. There's no community it's all online. Need something, just go online. I want something real, I want the human socialization and the care we could put into our lives. Our future can be different and we shouldn't wait to make changes.
Blame social media apps where people can get what they want on a screen rather than finding it themselves. No need to waste their time socializing and building connections
I'm gen z (25) and this year was the year where I really found a larger sense of purpose and community. I began a serious relationship with my girlfriend in February (after bouncing around between short term relationships, we met through dating apps) who I now live with. And I also switched jobs from a job that was 0-2 days a week in the office to a job that is 5 days in the office. Both these changes have been huge in helping me have a nice social network, engage more with the real world, and give me purpose. It wont always be easy you'll get there, ya'll got this gen z.
do dating apps really work then? I'm from a very small town so I've never dated and I have a hard time meeting new people. I've thought about using dating apps, but I feel like taking pictures of myself for a profile would be vain and I hate talking about myself. I also don't know what I would do even if I got a match with someone, because I have pretty much no social skills. People say "Just spend more time around people and you'll be more comfortable" or "stop overthinking", but again I live in a town with less than 700 residents and there are literally no places where you can go to meet people. Not trying to rant at you, and I guess my point is I don't know what to do or how to improve with my particular situation. Do you have any suggestions? I'm finishing my last semester of high school, and I don't see myself magically having more opportunities to meet people after I graduate, so I feel like I need to make it happen as soon as possible.
@@ChickentNug For the love of god, move outta there! I can almost promise, that in a bigger place it would be easier to find a community to belong to, work and just in general more things to do & explore. But I can relate to the feeling of not being willing to "up-root" your life, since I also live in the 50k small-mid city in Finland. But I have like almost 50% of the countrys population within 200km of my hometown.
@@FinUgShiet And yet ever since I've moved to a metropolitan I've been the loneliest I've ever been. It's almost been a year, and my only friends are the friends I made at my old place :/
@@FinUgShiet if you dont have marketable skills or existing income / money, you will be working 70 hours a week to afford to live. Or youll be stuck with a revolving door of room mates, which is a roll of the dice (mostly they will be people that also cant afford a normal life, so they will be more likely to have mental health problems)
At school bus stops, all kids have their heads down staring at their devices. Back in my day, the bus stop was a rehearsal of how to socially interact and deal with conflict. I got into many scuffles, mini fights, wrestling matches, and on the giving and receiving end of bullying... also remember lots of great conversations and camaraderie. The bus stop is a microcosm of how society behaves during each generation and Gen Z isn't "living" a real human existence
Must be your local area. European here, bus stops were just as dead then. But people had their iPod out or stared at the street. The oppressive feeling of big city life isn't something that will go away just by putting smartphones down. Big city life is shit.
At 26, I try to not lose hope but sometimes it’s pretty hard. My biggest issue is the lack of human social interaction I’ve experienced in the last couple years. It seems to be much harder to connect with and meet people as you get older, but humans are meant for social interaction. The gym, my family, and cole Hastings videos are some of the only things that keep me sane lol. I can’t get down with the online/ dating app/ virtual world like everyone’s becoming accustomed to. I guess they say keep your head up/down and grind, it’s the only thing you can do
Yeah the online dating stuff is a joke. It's mostly dudes on there and nobody takes it seriously so the women that are on there are just trying to see if they can get somebody way out of their league. I know it's hard to make friends as an adult but just keep trying it's worth it
I couldn't connect with people irl so I started texting with people all over the world and after I went through all this people wanting my nudes shit, I managed to find people with similar values as me, we talked on camera and I even met with one even though he lived in another countryIt was worth it, I'm patient, I finally felt like I'm not the only one in this lonely world. I wish you all the same
Thanks for talking about this man. For some reason, its something that I’ve always thought about. I could never really form a deeper connection with other Gen Zs. I could only connect properly and deeply with men and women older than me. This is because we tend to be of a similar level of depth and maturity, allowing natural and deeper conversations to form. I often find it hard to connect with the shallowness of other GenZs and i have often struggled with it. Thanks for taking time to talk about this topic bro.
I think it could be the way your generation relates to each other, in my case as a millenial even though I was shy, overprotected and had a lot of social issues I wasn´t as lonely at their age as some people of GenZ seem to be, even though they have friends and go out they are unable to form human connections that satisfy them. I think it could be related to the way GenZ´s relate to technology. For us millenials, even though we learned about the use of technology in different forms while we were teens or young adults for us techonology is a tool, is an accesory, I like being in online communities and learn, but for me that is not an extension of myself and is not a substitute of my real-life connections. For GenZ´s is like an extension of themselves, and it seems that some of them are not able to make profound human connections outside social networks and internet, maybe is because they just don´t know how.
I also find it hard to relate to members of my generation. I’m the “old man” in the room, and that’s simply due to different life experience. Had to grow up early in my life, take care of people, do work, etc., so I’m not exactly “hip with the kids”. I still feel the crippling loneliness though, even though I’ve spent most of my social life alone. My fault for getting a taste of someone who actually cares, because now I want to be around some people. I want hope.
@@ColdBaltBlue hang in there brother. You’ll soon see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know it’s tough, but everything happens for a reason. Our loneliness is only a phase of preparation for the next stage in life. Without darkness, there is no light. Stay strong bro 💪. I know it hurts but we’ll push through.
personally i think the answer is returning to "tribe" social circles. there are enough people that want to find others like them and i think we might be getting to the point where these people will start searching for eachother and may end up trying to buy land together to carve a path as a group instead of a family or individual unit.
We shouldn't shield ourselves and learn to adapt to being alone. We need to connect more because it is killing my generation. We're lonely and it's a self inflicted wound.
Yeah completely agree, tricking yourself to think it’s ok has to be the worst possible solution to this, all it would lead to is more loneliness since no matter what we do there’s no changing the fact that deep down we still need social connections
@@peppr115 Yeah I understand, from what your saying I was in a very similar situation a couple years ago and I felt the same way, I still kind of do to an extent but still. Anyway I dunno it’s hard to explain but as much as online socialization works it’s just not as good as the real thing, there’s just something special about physically being with people and actually hearing and seeing them that can’t be replicated or replaced with online socialization. You get what I mean? Online’s missing some things so I feel it doesn’t really count as much, while you’re still socializing you don’t get as much satisfaction from it since it feels less tangible, less real to you.
The lack of community it's been hitting me hard, I've never in my life tried harder to approach and make friends or just to keep people in my life and it's just not working out, but how do you explain people that community is essential without sounding desperate while u do
Hey Cole! Been watching you for a few years and this might be my favorite video you made. I try to stand out in my generation and especially from what I’ve seen at college, and it’s pretty spectacular to see when you do things differently than the 99% of your college town you’re singled out as “weird” but you know what your doing is right and it’s helping you. Not many people practice self care in my town so it’s weird when someone does, but you know what your doing is only going to benefit you. Great content as always man 💪🏻
Great going my bro. You'd have the same people trying to stand out and do things differently when they hit their 30s and 40s. They say "schools are all about fitting in and life is all about standing out".
After 20 years alone in dark quiet rooms with migraines every day I can attest to your message. However, take care not to go too far and begin to lose interest in social experiences altogether bc that too is part of the delicacy of reality.
The single greatest problem of this generation is the lack of/loss of community, increase in loneliness.
We need to restore our cities to glorious levels no more suburbs they are lifeless
indeed, technology has done more harm than good
yep, married at 23 love my wife but we have very few friends. Covid didn't help(shout out remote college lol) but i'm remote and most people at her job aren't social. at the end of the day we don't meet many people. we don't go on dating apps obviously, I dont play much online video games with friends anymore/my new hobbies are more introverted, and we don't go clubbing so at the end of the day i don't feel like I have a community/social circle like I did back in HS or when I first left it.
@@Kaizen747 not technology, capitalism.
@@ADarnSmore not capitalism, society
As a gen Z, I am soul-crushed that one of the "best" solutions is forcing myself to be ok with a lack of genuine connection and intimacy. It only makes me feel more hopeless and purposeless. I'm gonna try my hardest from now on to drive more genuine connections with people, wish me luck on my journey out of hopelessness
EDIT: As per my original comment, almost 3 months later, I have made a new group of friends. It was really tough, but I did it. Now I'm trying to maintain it, but I've made some real connections with people I know have the potential with the right care to last me a long long time. People in my replies saying "people with a higher IQ or introverts tend to not want friends": I'm a high IQ INTJ. A couple of years ago I was a bitter skeptic who said friends are for losers, its not worth it because theyll leave anyways and the small talk is a bore, etc etc. The reality was I was depressed and making excuses for myself for not improving or getting better. It took me hitting a serious low to finally acknowledge things needed to change. I'm human and can't escape the human need for wanting close friends, as much as I bury it with scepticism and "I love my alone time" (which I do, it's just not a healthy mindset to live by). I recommend for those speaking so bitterly to seek help of some kind, whether it be spiritual, communal or via a specialist such as a psychologist. Whatever works for you. Good luck guys, it IS possible.
Edit 2: it's been over a year since I last edited this comment. My friendship group is still going strong, we are travelling overseas together in a couple of months :') been through some stuff, but we are all there for each other. I'm glad I've met some great people, and out the hard yards in to make sure these friendships can be meaningful and deep
Couldn't agree more. He points out the problem eloquently, but I'd argue the solution he gives still can't override the (very human!) need to belong and connect with each other in a genuine way. And it is a human need.
It might be harder now to find true community in a hyperrealistic world, but it's never impossible. Don't fret if it doesn't work the first many times; people can only meet you as deeply as they have met themselves. Soon enough, reaching out will pay off and you'll have a "tribe" of people who will appreciate you for who you are.
I wish you all the best on your journey.
@@mellowmallow5932 thank you so much for your encouraging and reassuring words. They mean a lot to me. I'm sure perseverance pays off. As I feel lonely and decide it's enough, I'm sure there are others around me who feel the same way. Just got to find them! Wishing the best for you too
don't worry you'll find the right people
Please dont follow his advice! We are social creatures. We need people around us to connect deeply with! Dont forget that. What hes saying is so dangerous.
@@Es-qh8kz no
It baffles me how many of my gen Z friends cannot be happy by themselves. My life drastically improved when I realized I could just do the stuff I wanted to do without waiting for someone to do it with. If society won’t accept me, the least I can do is accept myself.
And also not being broke lol, being broke just worsen that
Perfectly said! And that is how I live my life, but adding the "go with the flow" motto ha
THIS!!!
Couldn’t agree more
Life sucks and everyone wants to stop me from doing anything I'd actually enjoy. Everything has a price tag and none of it is within my budget. There is no worthy pursuit in the mind of a young, developing man who has seen nothing but the pain of those around him and the helplessness they exist within.
as a 20-year-old and a member of gen z, I often feel so disconnected from everyone else despite not using any social media minus UA-cam and sometimes Instagram. We have gotten to the point where no matter what we do as people, go on social media or not, choose our own paths or not, it will all end the same. I have never had a real romantic relationship, have only had a few friends who I just happened to run into, and only really have my parents as family. It's gotten so bad that at my college I cannot figure out how to connect with people anymore because all they talk about is tik tok and stuff that I just don't understand. I kind of wish all of that social media addiction stuff would just go away, cause it feels like its brought my generation more harm than good.
" choose our own paths or not, it will all end the same."
But it doesn't. I just turned 40, and NOTHING, EVER, NOT ONCE has been predicted correctly by me. However you think it will end, that's NOT how it will end.
If you can predict that, life just got amazing for you because you're now a billionaire with your future prediction powers.
Let me prove it: I believe in you.
Bet you didn't predict your path would go THIS way, being cheered on and validated by a successful older person. Looks like the wonder is back in your world, and don't fuckin forget it.
@@RobertMorgan I think that what they were trying to say is that wether or not you follow every trend, and know every pop culture reference or completely renounce using social media entirely to live a more “authentic” life, we all end up feeling lonely anyways. If we don’t know what’s popular, we lose what’s one of the few existing talking points for people around our age, that common connection between others (like talking about the weather, but we think it’s more interesting for some reason). If we keep up with trends and internet things, we sacrifice our individual interests and don’t form meaningful connections anyways. We’ve gotten to the point where people essentially have to choose between small talk or no talk, and people with passion can’t connect out of fear of being ostracized or the inability to find other passionate people.
Another issue is also that, because of everyone’s internet addiction, many people got so used to being fed content of their specific niches that we can’t have conversations about topics that don’t interest us specifically. I think that people could make friends easier in the past because a photographer could befriend a birdwatcher, but now you need to both be photographers to connect.
It's been a few months, how are you doing now? I'm 34 and I worry all the time about gen Z...I feel like you all are my younger sibling and our parents have abandoned us lol Things are going to get better I PROMISE. Sending you strength and love.
Literally me fr fr
I think gen Z's biggest issue is the internet, social media and dating apps. We're just not wired for it. We expect to connect with a bunch of people, but we don't - because that stuff only happens in person. We see glimpses of people everywhere, people we'd like to know, and would love attention from. We chat with people and we might think we're getting along, but we finally meet and we're either indifferent or downright appalled. No surprise everyone feels insecure. We're being socially scammed on a daily basis. Chemistry and connection only truly shines through face to face, but we're constantly being attracted to people either platonically or romantically through a screen. It creates a scarcity mindset.
True
(my attention span is .3 picoseconds so I'm not writing long walls of texts)
well said
Yes, I've had someone connect with me on Snapchat and Google Chat who lives over 2,000 miles away. She said that she was falling in love with me, even though we'd only been chatting for a couple days. I had to explain that true love has to be face-to-face. It's not possible to achieve such a thing online, without having met the other person in real life. I told her that she needs to find new friends where she lives (she hasn't been there very long).
I think simply put, the internet makes us weird. Also, Covid eroded social and emotional skills in people too. Lots of people are shy now and stay online instead of interacting with real people like I’m currently doing
As a boomer millennial pushing 30, everything you just described has been going on for around 10 years and will not stop. It too, has admittedly altered the course of my life for the worse.
If you're gen z and reading this, fight becoming demotivated with all your might. Doing something is better than doing nothing.
"Doing something is better than doing nothing."
That's a dangerous phrase. Often times doing the wrong thing is worse than doing nothing.
@@protox4 "touch grass" isn't a literal statement. It means to be productive in some way that doesn't involve staring at a screen and subconsciously comparing yourself to the people you see. Hobbies, starting a business, and yes, touching grass, are all important to making your day feel fulfilling.
T.-26 year old reformed doomer
are we really using the term boomer to describe people in their 30's now?
it's surpose to be people born in the 50's, the baby boom.
I’m doing something but it’s not enough.
@@MrJamiedudecompletely missed Gen X🙄
I feel like we're seeing the beginning of the "death" of social media's stranglehold on people. Younger gens are realizing how toxic and life sucking it is. I know my friends teenage niece basically has no social media because she just can't stand it and I have seen a similar trend with other kids her age.
Agreed. The main problem is that it is driven by profit motive, I am late 20s and I remember using the internet before it became a way to make money. It was more random and simple, but it was also more genuine
I can agree with this because now that the phycological effects are well known, Colleges are the only places I see that have genuine communities
Really? I think that’s a minority opinion. I think it’d be temporary too once she realizes the people she wants to be friends with are on some app so she better get on it lest experience the FOMO or lacking friends.
There are many people who don't use social media much, you just don't see them. Many people also use it just to see memes and keep up with what's going on and share little to no part of their personal lives in it.
Good luck trying to break the online addiction that most people have.
"If you're a young person in generation Z and you've been unable to with people on a deeper level, a good portion of that is probably due to the fact that people lack the ability to dive deep into themselves and don't really want to anyway in our current society, which does not value that."
This man is spitting facts and making me realise things about myself!
I don't think the issue is that we're unable to deep dive into ourselves. I think we're the first generation to actually deep dive and look inwards, almost obsessively, and that paralyzes us. Perhaps I speak for myself, but I know my fears, and I know that sometimes things don't work out how you want them to, but knowing that doesn't help me overcome it. If millennials knew how futile it was, they wouldn't have gone about and started all these tech corporations. Ignorance is bliss for them.
@@Ragman312 Gen Z is the first to do that? Doesn't seem right to me. I know lots of people born in the Millenial people like me who from an early age were navel gazers, meditating on themselves and life and our place in it. It's a good way to pat yourself on the back/shoulder and think that you're superior to others intellectually I guess, which is a defense mechanism in itself and not sure how that helps you connect with people that you're already acting superior to by claiming we are ignorant and have no self awareness like YOU do. lol.
@@Ragman312 It's literally a personality trait/tendency to be more inward focused than outward focused. People have existed in natural genetic variation with these temperments/minds since humans have existed. To think you're the first is like saying you're the first person to be an introvert, when introversion vs extroversion has always existed as an observable sociability scale from individual to individual. That's nonsense. Self-introspection is a human feature and a function. You didn't break free from the matrix or anything.
The concept that you have access to all information to educate yourself online is null for me. It used to be that the internet was a free educational resource. Now the internet seems to be 50% centered on adverts. That last 50% of knowledge can only be accessed through direct searches in (specific) websites that are locked and not displayed by search engines.
I kinda liked it better when fewer people were on the web 🤣😂
@@rookiej5587 i miss Flash games
@@Muhluri same man. Those days hit different now.
Interesting point. It takes more digging, but that knowledge is still out there. I think most people get too caught up in the first thing the search engine gives them, which could be inaccurate
It depends on whether you want to learn new things, but with platform such as TikTok, it sways others from wanting to seek the truth, in my opinion, but I still strive to become more knowledgeable through research and my channel.
As a Gen Z graduate, I can palpably FEEL the oblivion stretched out before us. Since our first science class, we were told the world was on fire with no one in the last 6 decades caring at all.
How are we supposed to do anything knowing the world is crashing, species are becoming extinct, AI can replace us (from writers to artists), and all with an economy that ensures we'll never buy a home or retire?
("Ain't It Fun" by Paramore starts playing)
I'm a millenial. I spent a large portion of my life dedicated to climate change, I studied two degrees focused in the subject, specializing on food security. Day after day, I learnt about new problems, impossible to solve due to our species selfishness and concietedness. I became deeply depressed, seeing no way out of our inevitable doom. In order to 'help' people, I gave up my youth, my passions as a writer and an artist to become a scientist, to save people I thought. But then, I realised, there's nothing I can do about it. I realised, why should I sacrifice my passions to help people who don't even want it? I meditated on that life on Earth has been changing for 3.9 billion years. Every species goes extinct one day and humans will too, one way or another. Mass extinctions happen, but after them life bounces back far more beautiful and complex than before, every single time. I mused that millions of years in the future, there could be another species, meditating on that they exist because of the destruction we caused today, just like if the meteor didn't wipe out the dinosaurs, humans would never have evolved. Ultimately, we're all transient beings in this world and it doesn't really matter from any universal perspective if our species endures or not. And so I abandoned life as a scientist to pursue my art and writing and in doing so found a purpose as a creator and some happiness. Don't worry about the future and things you can't change. Be positive to others in your own life, do good things that actually have an impact even if you only improve one person's day and enjoy your time in the present doing what you love, rather than thinking about the future. Your happiness is as important as anyone else's in this world, strive for it.
@@FullMetalFeline wow, it felt great reading your comment
@@FullMetalFeline it's hard not to worry about the future when you know money is completely worthless. So why trade your time/ labor for something that doesn't have any value.
@@FullMetalFeline i genuinely felt very much relieved and sad both at a time by reading your comment
Just heard my thoughts summarized, thank you!
one of the main reasons why I took up photography. Forces you to pay attention to what is going on, helps you focus on things you would have never thought to look at. This alone has helped me appreciate the small things in life
❤️🌻
Omg i love that! Now I’m thinking of taking up photography thank you
Yes, same with painting!! Or any art! You are mastering the skill of unbiased observation, living in the present moment and capturing the uncapturable.
As a 17 year old with clinical depression, photography has done me wonders that words fail to describe.
I'm going to ditch my phone for a while and start drawing again. Thanks for the tip
The lack of Community hits harder for me personally. When I visited my parents indigenous hometown. And how very communal and interconnected everyone was.
Especially the older generation. I felt genuinely more happier over there and had no issue with my depression. However coming back to the United States I started to see what everyone lacks here.
And what was the root of my own isolation and and what was the drive of my lack of purpose thinking. It’s this very individualistic mindset that is clearly very damaging to the human spirit.
damn so those thoughts about purpose kinda of faded away, it was more an isolation issue?
@@unclerandy398 I suppose?
The problem with the US is designed to everyone be isolated and focus on individual, that kills the spirit of community and social which leads into depression, anxiety, etc...
I agree with ya op. As someone who lives in a countey where the community is known for being lively. My fellow countrymen and relatives who have gone to the US realize how very isolating it is to be there.
I think what it boils down to is that...this is a particularly modern concept. Individualism in this extent as we know it is less than 200 years old through the surge of the Industrial Revolution. I believe that individualism can work when there is a focus on the self which can harbor any sense of humanity. When we know ourselves, it makes it easier to know whom to connect with. What we would all have in common (despite disagreeing) is that there is a human need for connection. As long as I see those who connect (with no intent to harm people who disagree) ...I actually find it heartwarming because we have no idea. The problem is that there has been less comprehension of our behavior. When there is more access to instant gratification, it makes it either easier for those who have access to it and those in poverty who want the same kind of comfort. I am only speaking for the majority since I see that metropolitan areas are notoriously known for the lack of community. Resilience seems to be lost because adulthood just began for most Gen Z (I am an older Gen Z). I hope that eventually it gets better. As for me, I know that I enjoy my life. I am proud mostly of the choices I had to make to stay alive.
A good article to read is “the demoralized mind” by John F Shumaker. He covers that people being diagnosed with depression are actually demoralized which is a completely logical conclusion the human mind comes to. Smart humans suffer from it the most because they realize that logically the path we currently on is pretty hopeless. The worst part is drugs can’t cure demoralization.
Dude, I recently came up with this conclusion myself. I honestly think nearly every source of depression comes from demoralization of some form.
With the state of the world, I feel like we don't have much of a future to look forward to. It felt like a lot of the perks of being an adult, like getting an education from secure housing to economic stability, were all lies to bring a contrived sense of hope and ambition. The unfortunate truth is that we're not too dumb to accept this false reality.
We mostly are looking towards the end of our journey of our lives rather than the present. Yet, we're normal nobodies who think we're all exclusively the main character. There's no good balance established. There's an overabundance of self importance through social media, yet no discussions about providing healthy boundaries and self-esteem.
That's precisely the motivation you can extract of that. Lead your life in a way that makes you do your personal best to prevent things from going downhill that much. Depression is there as a push to needing to slow down, reflect, plan carefully, then act. I mean, even if most of us won't do anything "grand" to take credit for, we will still feel satisfied with the way we'd led our lives, bc we will know we did what we could, we fulfilled out duty, we've stood on the side of meaning.
yall aint smart you just think you are
@@TetoSuperFan What's to say they're not? They seem to be pretty knowledgeable about a concept most people aren't aware enough about. What's your stance on all of this?
I to realize that our situation is hopeless. But....civilizations have fallen and always will .humans will survive it and hopefully next time around (if we save the records of our history) we can build a more equitable and enviornmentally conacious society. We have the knowledge now to make our world the best world but the behemoth of the capitalism supported by the military prevents us from making it a reality. Either way, it will be our responsibility to make sure the next generation understands what happened to us.
When I realized loneliness is an emotion and not a situation it got a lot easier
I wouldn't say that
Yeah alone but not lonely
@@ZVLIAN That would be "alone" in terms of activity. "Loneliness" is an emotion.
Exactly my thoughts, you only feel lonely when you're surrounded by people but have no one to talk to, or you're isolated but still think about your friends or family. You only feel lonely when you're reminded of how lonely you are
I'd say loneliness is a state of being. Sadness is the emotion it invokes.
Crazy that we live in a society where everyone wants to be loved but no one wants to love.
Rather many just don’t know how to love.
@@TheNightWatcher1385 And don't want to learn
But I want to love, just not the people who want to be loved by me.
Shit, humans are complicated.
@@uatcgfhdhu Fuck, that just about sums it up.
I don't want to love I just want to Kms.
I'm writing as a 65 year old, born in 1957, a "late" Baby Boomer- part of that generation but too young to go on anti-war marches or to be at Woodstock. Every generation comes into existence "without a purpose- as did mine. Gen Z will find their "purpose," in time, as has every generation before. Personally I find much that is admirable about Gen Zs, and I don't believe I'm being overly optimistic...
Thank you for this as a 22 year old whose really scared for her future.
Even more so when my 86 year old granddad who grew up during ww2 is saying he feels bad and worries for us as a generation, a literal child of war.. we know something is wrong.
Thank you for some level of reassurance. I hope you are right. No one knows what tomorrow will bring. Regardless. We continue with those that can and that’s why you should not KYS.
Honestly, just taking time out of your day to appreciate the things life has given us can be a real eye opener
@Joltacks Fr though 💀 we don’t know how good we got it till we lose it all
True!
Bs tell that to someone who has lost everything
Everyone will lost everything in the end :) That is beautiful.
@@peacewithfelix indeed. That’s why if you show gratitude for what you have now, you won’t regret anything when you lose it all
As a gen z I can say with 100% honest I have never had a super deep conversation with anyone of my own age just because nobody knows how to have a deep conversation and it’s honestly frustrating because I want to find people my age that can have the deep conversations I want but nobody has enough attention span to actually talk with each other
I have this problem with people im surrounded with in real life but i dont have a problem at all online with my online friends, there are alot of different types of people online where you could meet in different kinds of ways, you may think thats its just the same people in real life and online but in my experience it isnt at all
im able to actually make very deep conversations with my online friends which i love and they all watch tiktok and i dont think that tiktok at all ruins peoples attention span, i myself watch youtube shorts for like an hour or 2 a day but then i can still keep up with a convo that could last for hours or a couple videos that lasts for 30 min or a movie that could last for 2 hours
just know that there are always different people with different experiences that you could eventually meet some day
edit: the reason why i think people online and people irl are different is because you have much more access to more people online and it gives u a bigger chance to find the right people who have the same interests as you
I can’t connect with Gen z because they don’t care!! They don’t even put their Phone down to have a conversation.
It is very interesting. Have you thought to just grab 1 person have force it, just have a conversation? Or have you tried to do an activity? Go for a run, go to the park, or to the zoo, go get a coffee, go help someone, try doing somehting with at least 1 other person and see how that feels.
Honestly I don't have the answer of how it's gonna feel, only you will be able to see and know. Maybe something crazy will happen and then you'll have something to talk about and share with others !
@@BusinessHealthMasters Atleast these are the things one can do , to improve their social life a bit
Honestly you either aren’t going out enough or you confide yourself into spaces with small minded people. I am also Gen z, but I know a good deal of people my age that are great aspiring minds. One of the people I look up too greatly is only 22, but he has more wit and ambition than I’ve ever seen in most adults.. I do definitely agree with the point about our generation having significantly poorer attention span though.
Honestly my hopelessness comes from the constant pressure of looming existential threats from every angle. War, climate change, pointless work for the sake of merely surviving with no hope of growth or change, these affect me even more so than social media. I don't even really use social media, and I still feel the hopelessness of my generation.
Well, it may be that or it can also be that you are running away from your own real life problems and issues trying to hide them under the guise of "looming existential threats".
Climate change...LMAO
@@davidkeys4284 yes climate change
@@XYZ-qt5rn Or it could just be that the world is going to shit and that's what we young people have to look forward to. Working multiple jobs to make ends meet, renting a 10x10 box, renting a car, eating garbage food and having to compete with everybody just for a chance to survive. Feels like we've gone backwards a few centuries, except for the evolving technology
@@XYZ-qt5rnman, why do people always go to the bootstrap argument? Can't you just believe someone when they tell you how they feel?
At leats for me, when I actually fully grasped the fact I can never retire, build my own house or even have more than 1 kid without struggling, thats when I honestly started to feel hopeless for the future, but weirdly enough, that also makes me feel less pressured somehow
Post-modernism: "Nothing Matters"
Future:"Than progress doesn't matter"
Past:"Than history doesn't matter"
Present:"Than working doesn't matter"
Me:"So all risk and failure doesn't matter, tommorow is meaningless. There is no concquence because you aren't expirencing pain or anxiety."
This is "optimistic nihilism". Because nothing matters, there's no point getting stressed about anything. Do what it takes to not die (assuming that's something you want), and beyond that, you owe nothing to anyone -- including yourself, oddly enough.
Have goals or don't, as you see fit. If you don't have goals, all good! That shit didn't matter anyway, haha.
It's very liberating to embrace TRUE nihilism. It's just hard to do without sliding into depression. (And I will say that if you live this way for a few decades, you will probably look back with regret at the emptiness of your life when you get older, so...it's probably philosophical fool's gold, in the final analysis. But hey, your mileage may vary.)
As a Gen Y person growing up through the constant technological changes that we had in the 90s and early 2000s I kinda understand how Gen Z feels, but what they experience is 10x more agressive than what we got. Gen Z guys, even if you feel the world is falling apart please don't give up, we love each and every one of you!
Thank you so much for this message! I myself keep trying to remember what it was like when I was really young in the early 2000’s, how the world was when only blackberries and flip phones were a thing, and it frustrates me because it all seemed better but idk, I can’t remember clear enough. Your positivity is a huge help though, so I’m hoping that each and every one of us who reads your message feels as happy as I did!
@@kon2175 I was a junior in college on 9/11, and I can tell you: the amount of messages of condolence and sympathy I got over ICQ and AIM was moved me to tears. Total strangers from the other side of the world who I'd never chatted with left me messages like "I'm so sorry about what happened." "We're thinking of/praying for you." "We're with you" etc.-all because I had "NYC" in my username.
I still think about it, and it makes me sad because that's what social media could've been. That's what I thought the internet would be. And don't get me wrong-we had anger and name-calling in chat rooms and forums back then too. But there was a sense that, when it truly mattered, most people would be able to put that negativity aside, do the right thing, and be there for each other, even if it was only for one message.
💕
If you do, show it in person, not on screen. Maybe get our phone numbers so you can say "lets meet up". Btw, you have to show courage and bravery to actually say it.
My generation is already headed there, expected to have a family, better jobs, better education. Im sure most of us hate that expectation and want real freedom, without consequences, but looh and behol, life became an enemy, responsibility suddenly being dumped onto us without warning, boom. Please .... save us ....
@@josephsoltero7326 I would add though that the 9/11 attacks caused immense amount of hate and attacks on Middle Eastern and South Asian people. Most of the South Asian people that were attacked weren't even Muslim so they targeted the wrong person, but the perpetrators couldn't care less. 9/11 cause immense fear which culminated in lashing out that fear on certain groups. So it definitely wasn't as rose-coloured as you portray it. It's human nature to romanticise the past, but in reality each era has it's pros and cons. I would imagine any female and/or POC would be treated better in the present day age than in the 90s and early 00s where the bullying was brutal. Female celebrities were harrased as hell about their virginity for old men's cruel amusement. Males got away easily with things females couldn't and the females got harrassed relentlessly. The standards of beauty was eurocentric: blond-hair, blue eye and stick thin which most POC (especially black people) don't have subconsciously telling them that they're ugly. Representation was nil and the little representation was plagued with stereotypes and generalisations. Factors that resulted in internal racism, and an inferiority complex in a lot of POC, where they would try to be as "white" as possible. Racism and sexism was extremely poignant back then. It was quite common to use slurs casually without a regard on the effect it had on marginalised groups back then. Many discriminated communities were bullied horrendously whether it was at school, at work or when buying groceries etc. Not to mention the amount of ED's that arised due to the beauty standards, it's effects still present today amongst the millennials who had an ED in the past.
As a 20yo Gen Z "kid" I am proud to say I have never installed TikTok and deleted Instagram and such almost 2 years ago. Im alone all the time, but I don't care anymore because I don't get peopless"perfect" lives shoved into my face
2003 is now 20 years tho- the whole 00s is gonna be in its 20s soon 😫
I have tiktok on my phone because it was pre installed and I only opened it like once or twice.
@@peggylee3045 oh god
@@peggylee3045 not like you can be a millenial and a kid anymore btw lol
So when you're on social media, you decide what kind of content you view. If influencer type perfect lives isn't what you want to see, the algorithm will stop presenting these to you in your feed. I follow chronically ill activists, cute pets, LGBTQ+ accounts, stuff that feeds my soul. It's easy to write off social media if you don't give it a chance and assume it's all bad. As a chronically ill person who's basically housebound, social media is the main way for me to v=break my isolation. I hope you can find community, whether online or in real life
I’m 24, older gen Z and I see a big problem, nobody has a passion. Something that they can identify with, for me that is drumming and metal, I was lucky to figure that out early, but not everyone is that fortunate, and they search their entire life for it. And the problem stems from us having a sense of accomplishment from watching other people on social media
I also have a passion, which is arts in general, and something that makes me suffer a lot is the fact that since people lack passion, I don't relate to any of them. I have a huge hard time finding people who share my interest, since it's a minority now. People feel ... Empty.
It doesn’t help when your parents actively shamed you out of your passions, too, telling you you can ‘never make money’ off of it and treat it like the money making aspect is the only focus we should have. I pushed away the things I *liked* to do because it wasn’t going to ‘benefit’ me.. and now that I’m older, I can’t find that love again. It’s taken me a long time, at least, to start finding passion inside me again.
19 and I don’t know what to do and am in college wasting money
Edit: I was one of those kids who used electronics a lot as a kid. I did this because I struggled to make bonds with people and activities at school. But now I have no passions or incentives, my childhood was just doing well in school and playing video games
i was passionate about art, my entire life. i just eventually lost that spark for everything.
@@FreeValen Thankfully, as a rebellious kid, I didn't let that happen. As a 23 year old guy, I still like playing video games, making art, learning music and so on. You CAN find that love again, it's there, you just have to look for it.
Everyone lives isolated lives nowadays, but older generations can at least remember a time before the internet
The oldest Boomers have never used social media except to look at pictures of their grandkids and they have empirically been shown to be the happiest members of society. And most of them are essentially at end-of-life and are just running out the clock until it all cuts to black.
This fact should say all that needs to be said about social media.
Human relationships are so incredibly precious. Even as somewhat of an introvert, the importance of connection is incredibly evident to me . Our solution should not be start placing less and less value in it. Human connection and communication is exactly what got our species as far as it is today. Evolving out of it would be like evolving backward, in my speculative opinion. However... being able choose to be a social human in some situations and not in others could be incredibly valuable.
Yeah. I am 17 years old, and am an introvert. On one hand, it isn't fun to be seen as shy and quiet at times and not have as much social connections, but on the other hand, I'm not imprisoned by my need to constantly be with people, but can instead focus on my own passions. I feel terrible for the people who are really extroverted, but are living in the modern world, where there is much more loneliness.
Exactly this! I'm also an introvert but I have a hard time getting through my week without the once a week in person D&D session. Or group chat with irl friends.
I am fine with having a few friends, male or female but I still prefer to live my life as a single person. I just think it's cool to enjoy life by yourself or with your friends who share your views. You know what made me realise this? Video games like Final Fantasy. There's just something about journeys with your friends that I find appealing.
@aviation cat i am 17 and i have lots of online friends, too. but our only connection is through the internet. meeting in person and playing games together cant be replaced at all.
Finally a comment from an 'introvert' I appreciate. Getting tired of all the anti social vibes from internet introverts.
We haven't NEEDED purpose for a long time. A lot of "purpose" has been thrust upon us and we've been fighting against it. That's what leading lives in quiet desperation is about.
You need to "extract" hopelessness from somewhere, and most of it is from the perpetual high school that stuff like social media has become.
You don't need to change the world, you just need to make sure that you and those who are important to your life are happy and safe. But because communication is now so constant, we're tricked into believing that if you aren't perfect and trying to make the next groundbreaking new cool thing that will save the world, you're a total degenerate loser.
Couldn't have said it better tbh
Your past or country, your God and your family is the base and is good to study this and master it.
Then you have to create your house...after that your can make your community better with your vision.
Is hard because you go 20 years to school and anyone shows us that path.
Perpetual high school is a very good way to describe it. Social media has stunted our growth in so many ways I dont think most people actually understand.
Sometimes its ok to make stupid shit in minecraft, or watch irl clouds go by. The world will still be waiting.
c'est la vie
As a gen-z 18 years old, I've gotta admit that our gen problem is social media addiction and lack of meanigful activities during the day. Most of my friends in the university keep chatting all day on the phone, scrolling through an unstoppable feed of Instagram and TIKTOK( especially this one) , their earphones are bugged to their ears all the day long, and although they sacrifice a large fraction of the day for studying, they get nothing useful other than that done. They don't read books, develop a sense of community, "turn themselves in to the world" and acquire experience or learn how to be genuinely happy.
I'm 18 too
That's really really sad. I'm sorry. I think social media also promotes groupthink and intellectual intolerance, in addition to all the more commonly recognized perils.
@@andrewb8235 what a joke 🤣 80% of internet is trash
I'm 22, but weirdly enough, I don't really have an addiction to social media, I've got Facebook still, but I barely go on it. Never had Twitter or TIKTOK, I think I've either got Instagram or Snapchat, but my brother signed me up for them, and I've never used them.
I will say I do spend a lot of time on UA-cam, but that's usually because most of my family are glued to TIKTOK. Seriously, I go downstairs, and my parents are sitting next to each other on their phones in silence, we joke about it, but it actually kind of upsets me. I honestly feel like I was born in the wrong generation, whether a generation too late or a generation too early, probably the former.
@@Foxster_13 same but im 19
as a person apart of gen z, i fully agree. everyone feels the need to group themselves into some sort of category like “sigma” or “alt-coquette” or “baddie” (when these terms are just considered as styles of clothing) and so they force themselves to act the way other people do in that group. everyone’s the same nowadays. they speak the same, make the same jokes, always making tiktoks, always on their phones, etc. everyone is boring and lacks sense too. people just want to fit in nowadays and nobody is truly themselves. it’s a shame.
edit: it's as if the categories give them a purpose- a standard to look up to and follow because they have nothing to do. that's just my opinion though
I think what we’re experiencing as a society is the increasing irrelevancy of physical spaces. We just simply don’t need to only communicate to those around us - we can talk to anyone anywhere at anytime. So the need, and frankly, the desirability of conforming to those in our immediate surroundings is drastically reduced.
I think this has a much more negative effect for more “normal” people, and I apologize if that sounds overly reductive. But I’ve noticed that those of us who started out as socially deviated, that is, inherently not fitting the standard of society, have found more solace online. But now *everyone* is being made to feel out of place, so now even normative folks are forced to carry around this burden.
We’re in an era where nationhood is being superseded by “identity,” for better or worse. Even if we didn’t have one before, we gotta figure out how to find one.
I agree with you.
well said @@Zeoytaccount !!
I used to really hate signing up to things in general because I didn’t give enough of a shit to ever make passwords, so I saw TikTok, gave up on signing up and just left it to collect dust on the device
thank god I did because that shit looks like garbage
@@maxwellmegagamer8535 same. been off for 2 years. it’s so boring n toxic. js a waste and it’s not beneficial to any of us
I think the hopelessess of gen comes mostly from two factors. One is economic dead end, most young people don't see themselves befoming homeowners let alone successful in the market as it is today. And two, they have zero faith in their communities and government. They see the world as this unstoppable force that will still bulldoze through anything despite their outcries. So there is that feeling of "everything is doomed anyway". and I don't blame them for it. Being average is no longer passable and if you look at the odds they fight against you would feel their despair
i agree on both factors. i lost almost 2 years of high school due to the lockdowns. i remember that was the lowest point of my life when i was so angry but numb inside. i didn’t give a damn about the virus, at some point you’d rather be dead than isolated.
i had beaten my fists bloody and raw just from the anger i felt, in my formative years i was alone every single day of the week. people would never see the pain i went through. as a man we’re expected not to cry and know that nobody cares. but when i’m alone i just sit there in silence and let the tears flow. i feel all the anger and frustration inside me and want to scream. i ask myself what i did to deserve this. then i get up and continue on with my day, as if nothing happened.
luckily i got the end of my senior year to finally have fun and got invited to parties. but the damage was already done. i try not to fall back into those dark thoughts but i thought it was worth sharing.
@@slipknot658 my advice to you is keep moving forward keep your mind occupied find hobbies you enjoy doing. Things that you enjoy if your busy you don’t have time to feel sad. Inactivity causes depression because when all you have is time to think that’s what you do.
Owning your own home gives you hope? 🤔
@@beingsshepherd yes
@@Acronimz In my experience it's having a strong will and developed imagination that inspire hope.
Always find myself having deeper conversations with past generations, then my own.
Coz we have nothing ‘deep’ to talk about. We spend 8 hours consuming tiktok videos instead of living out life and experiences to talk about 😂😂😂
I have a LOT of older gen friends, and I was at a meeting last night just listening into random conversation groups, and all the talk was around stuff I and people younger than me, I'm 40, have no relation to: how are your kids, how are their kids, how is your family, how is work oh wait you retired, how's that, did you see that thing that happened last week, who was part of that, oh really him how ARE they....
It was real interested discussion about each other's life, about stuff none of us seem to care about anymore. They sit and talk (and drink) for hours, about nothing, daily, IN PERSON.
I feel more like a gen xers than a zoomer I'm a zino zoomer in name only
@@zeeinvest9473 Ehh, that's because nothing good came on our generation. Wars, the world dying, and many people not being able to connect with us personally (atleast to me)
I notice, some gen z, are into older genres of music.
8n those times, the songs connected you to people.
Now, everything seems homogenized, or dirty.
IMO I think, music went downhill around 2010ish
I've recently started thinking along the lines of appreciating absolutely everything about life and it really does make a difference, people laugh and think you're some kind of stoner for thinking this way, but it's great to be able to find something interesting in everything
For a bit of time now, once in a while i lose control of my brain and for a few minutes my brain can’t believe that I am alive right now. It just can’t comprehend how it is possible to be alive, see things, hear things, just even think anything. Everytime i experience this, i am so peaceful during and after, that for a few days i don’t have any “depression“ (i don’t have actual depression, but i don’t know how to call this occasional anxiety otherwise)
@@arctrix765 That happens when i think about aliens, its just so crazy how different we may be from lifeforms that evolved outside of earth.
@@Narko_Marko ikr think about this sometimes too and I wonder about humanity's origins and if we might have untapped powers! I don't know if you've heard of Dr. Micheal Salla's on UA-cam, but he does Exopolitics and topics on ETs and I watch his video
Sometimes we tend to forget about the simple things in life and not just appreciate existence for what it is. Our materialistic world has convinced everyone to ignore what’s right in front of them.
This is so painfully accurate lol!! I allow the littlest things to make me smile and laugh greatly I constantly get asked if I’m on drugs lol?? It’s absurd and rather sad just how miserable people are in general. Making the best of things as much as possible has made my days loads of fun even during the most painful of times. Shame other people don’t try to do the same making the most of every moment with a positive and grateful mindset. It’s funny how people find that so bizarre though
I was hopeless, then I did some self reflection, soul searching, and gave it a lot of time to process. I'm now in a much better headspace and am ready for whatever life throws at me. I'm 20 and I hope other people my age can feel the same
I'm 59 and a boomer and can totally relate to this because I've lived most of my life before 2010, before the smartphone and social media became pretty much mainstream. I miss how colorful and outgoing people used to be; this modern-day social malaise has affected all age groups. The last 13 years have been the loneliest and most isolated years of my life and I almost look forward to my death and the end of all this misery. Pre 2010, I could always pull a rabbit out of my hat and overcome a rough patch in my life but today after multiple efforts at change for the better, I'm still batting .000. I can quit social media and leave my smartphone at home, but there isn't anyone left to go back to, so it will be just as lonely as things currently are in this so-called modern day, virtual matrix. I hate how dull and boring society and most people in it have become.
Yep, I remember the days when people were everywhere. You could walk out of a convenience store, see a group of people and start talking to them. It's what people did because that's what there was..people. Summer was a blast because my group of friends would be walking (we walked everywhere), run into a totally different group and talk, swap things, head to a multitude of different hang out spots where again more people there. We'd run into girls everywhere and groups of girls walking and get excited and rowdy and quickly figure out something fun to do and they would join us. I look around now and it's nobody. It's really concerning.
I totally get what you say...I too hate this dull, boring silent and impersonal world of "technology"...people type "LOL" instead of hearing a friend's actual laughter in a phone call, or in person....everyone orders things that come to the doorstep instead of getting out around other people. Glad that my best years were before all this, I sure did have fun in those days too. No smart phones back then. and being social was being with others In Person. Now that the damned pandemic is over I am getting out there in person again. I actually know how to do that.
Fucking exactly
I'm your age. What I determined over the years is that my life has no purpose. That modern existence has no purpose. You know what, I'm fine with that. My goals these days are simply to enjoy the rest of my life in any way I can. My hobbies are more important than almost anything else. I read alot these days. Fantastical stories that fill my need to adventure. Because there is no adventure left in the world. I like working on cars and old sewing machines. Space travel will never be more than a toy for the elite. UA-cam and Reddit are the only social media I use. I might go days without doing anything on my phone (though I use my PC every day).
I doubt anything I say can help you but, maybe you should think about what you still enjoy and try to focus on that. Just ignore everything else because it's not important. Biden or Trump? I just don't really care. At one point, I worried about whether humans would continue on for the next 1000 years. Now I just don't care. I don't see much value in most humans. We're like bacteria infesting the earth.
UA-cam and Reddit are the only social media I use. I might go days without doing anything on my phone (though I use my PC every day).
@Juniper_Wippersnache You're wrong. I'm the happiest person I know. I enjoy what I enjoy. I do what I want to do. I don't worry if the rest of the world burns around me. With no social media and not watching the news too closely, I can just be myself and do what I want.
People become unhappy when they think "is this it?". They realize their lives are insignificant. You should embrace that and prioritize your own happiness over anyone else.
As an older Gen Z I think the worst thing about this generation is that the internet as made us become a gigantic group of homogenous people so if you don’t conform with the norms you are put a part. That makes it hard to create genuine connections because we don’t have several groups that we can fit in etc it’s either you fit in or you don’t. Individuality and tolerance is kinda gone hosnestly.
Yeah, as soon as you disagree with something you are considered either toxic or something-phobic. People dont listen to arguments anymore, they cant accept that others have different opinions and that this is okay. People believe that you have to 100% identify with something and that you have to go extreme about it. Everything is seen in black and white. Famous people are cancelled the second they say one controversial opinion, as if it was their whole personality and as if it makes them a horrible person. I just wish people in this generation would learn to discuss by using real arguments and listening and being able to either agree or disagree while still accepting the other side, instead of accusing everyone of being close minded.
Yes!! I'm also an older gen z and I completely agree with you. These echo chambers that social media has created is not helping us as well
millenial but I see the same problem with you all. Nobody is allowed to be unique in any way. I actually find a lot of these young kids copying me after they see me in real life. but that can only show a very few of them that its ok to be your own person. most will never run into someone like me where I'm older but all the gen z girls stare at me. So all the gen z boys take notice of me.
The fact that all of you guys know and realize these things, I find it is kinda great. That is the hope for others! The thing is society and technology both eveloves. There is nothing we can do about it. Of course, because of the topic of that video, we tend to look at the negative side of that evolution. There are also many benefits (I'm not going to list them).
Think about what you can do and try to contribute as much as you can.
This is such a bizarre statement to hear as someone from the US. We are practically the most hyper-individulaized society in the history of the planet. There has *never* been a golden age in which people could press the boundaries of individuality and still maintain a position of acceptance in a group. It's definitionally not reasonable to expect. To delve deeper into individualism is to move away from collectivism. *Of course* the more individual you make yourself, the more lonely you are going to feel. You are prioritizing yourself being "unique" (just like every other angsty teenager) over maintaining harmony in a group. It genuinely baffles me that so many of you don't understand this.
You seem to be so steeped in self-centeredness and entitlement that you don't understand that nobody else *has* to care about you and how special you think yourself to be. You want friends? A group? A tribe? Try prioritizing them over yourself every now and then. This is a generation of narcissists upset that nobody cares about them, but none of you make the effort to care about anyone else. If you want friends, *be* a friend to someone else and stop waiting for them to be a friend to you. It's a generation of adult babies sitting in high chairs crying for food and none of you will get out of your high chair to bring food to someone else.
And what's worse is when someone *does* bring you food, all you can think is "yes, this is what I deserve" and you maintain your seat in your chair - because you're self-centered, entitled, and lazy. Even when others show you what it looks like to be a friend - what it looks like to give food to someone else, you don't get the hint that you should be doing the same for others. It has never been easier to help other people. We are the most affluent and privileged society that has ever existed. Our basic needs are so taken care of that more of us are fat than not, but instead of giving back, instead of acknowledging that your life is pretty good compared to other people around the globe and throughout time, you still want *more* for yourself.
You want meaning, purpose, and belonging? There are literally *billions* of people living on the planet right now that you could be helping. You don't have anything else to do other than browse the internet and social media for hours every day. You have more freedom and more free time than most humans have ever had ever and you *still* cannot get out of your self-centeredness and entitlement to have *more* delivered to you instead of doing something with the wealth of your freedom to help someone else - to prioritize someone else for just a while.
You don't have friends because you're not a friend. You don't have love because you don't love others. You are alone because you expect people to come to you instead of going to them. And *all* of you are like this so when you *do* escape your high chair and give your energy to someone else, they also don't get the hint.
You are your own worst enemy and you don't realize these things because you've been in your spoon-fed bubble for so long that it never occurs to you that maybe you should be expending some of your own energy and giving it to others - that *you* are not the black hole center of the universe that naturally should have all energy fed into it.
It's funny, sad, and pathetic all at the same time.
Here's the solution: Get out of your own head and give your time and energy to others instead of expecting them to give it to you. The more you can do this, the more you will feel like you have a community because those people that you give your time and energy to will keep coming back for more - because they are just like you: they want other people to give to them just like you want more people to sacrifice their energy for you.
I have no doubts this falls on deaf ears. You will recoil at the judgment and say "how dare she assume so much about me? That's not me."
Sweetheart. This *is* you. This is all of you. And my message to you can be summed up as "Be what you needed." Need a friend? Be a friend. Need someone to care about you? Care about someone else. Need to be told that you're beautiful and valued? Tell other people they are. This is how to find meaning, purpose, community, and belonging.
I've done it and I'm doing it. It works. There is a need for something scarce in the world and *you* have the ability to provide it. You just have to get out of your high chair and do it.
I'm so thankful I grew up in the 90s, but my heart goes out to all these kids that won't get to experience a longer childhood. They have to grow up so fast these days, and they seem so lonely and scared of life.
My 18th birthday is this week and I’m terrified tbh.
Can you blame them??? I'd be scared of life too after seeing what adults are doing.
I was born in 1997 I would say that was maybe the last year kids grew up doing normal things lol
You are damn right....
This is so relatable, I feel like my innocence when to shit once I turned 14-15, nothing was ever the same
I work with Gen Zs. They have an interesting point of view, almost authority less. No gods, no identifying hierarchy, no doing because they’ve been told to and nothing seems to excite them. I often reflect on how I grew up and came up the “corporate ladder” and see the hardships and hurdles I had to go through and they don’t want any of it. We keep replacing them because the rate of quitting is astronomical.
Research shows that people who switch jobs every two years make 50% more money.
@@petelee2477 Research is right. Before I got to a managerial position, and ultimately started my own business, I used to stay in a company for 1.5 - 2 years max. Tbh, I hardly ever got to 2 years working in the same place. My observation is that there is a difference between resigning to move to another company and being fired. Gen Zs are being fired.
Nobody should ever have done stuff just because they were told
@@TheRealMan_EmperorHimself Well, how else would they receive information on what to do? Typically, someone has to give you information to act on… even a client can give you information to action on.
i think what a lot of ppl dont realize is that Gen Z grew up purely in a world that was already taken over by internet (atleast in America), and beginning social media, which made every world issue 100x more in our face than it used to be. take this along with the fact that over the years people in general are getting sick of our government and taking it online. sick of the racial issues, gender issues, economy, housing crisis, etc etc. expose young, easily influenced kids to that kind of environment for more than 10 years and i don't think anyone would be as hopeful/optimistic as previous generations were, which causes gen z to feel a sense of nihilism and less willing to do work/be controlled.
a lot of us also have short attention spans from growing up purely on youtube for our tween years and moving onto tiktok which is way worse. and we don't even know the long term effects of things like tiktok yet where you get a short dopamine rush causing your brain to need more dopamine in order to experience that same feeling which in turn causes people to doomscroll and then half of those people will try to become content creators and then some of those people make it big on the platform which then gives hope to the people just watching tiktoks that they could also make it big and its just a long cycle of people seeking for attention because it's more easy to receive it than ever
also the fact that a lot of gen z were raised by gen x (which were the first group to be properly fucked by boomers) and older millennials (also fucked over). now you have these kids being raised by people that experienced things like an alarming amount of corporate downsizing & being called a slacker 24/7 by boomers which causes the parents to also be more nihilistic and passes those views onto their children (which then allows them to realize at a much earlier age that a lot of corporations or employers see you as easily replaceable)
but in the end who cares honestly because who you are as an individual matters more than anything
I grew up in the 90s and have suffered from several undiagnosed mental problems, and i always said my generation had no purpose. The only things we really had to fight for was ridiculed and ignored. The things we had to fight against were so embedded in society we could never win. If you grew up in a small town you had no way to find anyone with the same ideas and was forced to conform or go crazy.
I chose crazy.
But we were promised a better future, which turned out to be a lie. The same religious fundamentalist crusaders screaming about Satan and sex on TV in the 90s are running the country now. They've ruined the economy and created a state of hopelessness for generations beyond the boomers.
Elaborate
You have to conform even more now. Back then I was an atheist experimenting with drugs. Now not conforming is that I became a true Christian. We said don't label me, but now we decide everyone must be labeled.
@@marierejoiceinjesus3846 The indoctrination, obsession with identity, and Gen Z's intolerance for diverse intellectual or ideological perspectives is stunning and disturbing.
Gen Z here. I feel like my brain has evolved to be self-sufficient. In my childhood and teenage years I had a great need for connecting with others but no matter how much I tried I was always isolated, bullied or mocked by my peers. It's not that there was something wrong with me physically but I was just thinking differently from the rest of the crowd. I could never fit in despite all my efforts to be accepted. My family didn't help either because there I wasn't really understood too and my mother was very toxic. So after million rejections, I accepted being alone to the point when now it is even hard for me to form real connections. Being in a group for a long time makes me anxious.I don't know if this is real evolving or just coping with trauma in the least harmful way. I still feel lonely many times, but I have accepted being alone as something normal and comforting.
I'm the exact same way and to be honest I feel like it's probably just us coping with the trauma of being ostrocized, bullied and in a toxic family situation. At this point if I didn't need to work to survive I'd probably have no issues spending whatever there's left of my life by myself, at home on the internet
@@furiousdestroyah9999 Wow! I feel for you two....
ostrocized (racism), bullied (raped as small child) and in a toxic family situation (very violent mother and insensitive father).
But I'm a 54 y/o Gen X and I am now finally accepting this fate in life.
I tried too. I tried hard. Army/University/Peace Corps/Career Professional. I've given up. I retired.
By myself and playing guitar the best I ever have! I started playing when I was 15.
It's honestly rare for kids to go through school unscathed. I was heavily bullied up until high school. This was in the 80s and 90s. Being bullied forced me into introversion even though I'm naturally an extrovert. Didn't help that my father died when I was 13, saw a boy get crushed to death, was sexually assaulted at 16, and was heavily abused by an ex and my mother. I've been professionally diagnosed with C-PTSD and severe depression. I also have debilitating autoimmune conditions.
But I'm still here. I still love being social, despite all my trauma and mental health issues. I'm definitely not as social as I once was, but I'd like to be.
My point is to see a therapist asap. For your own good. Gen Z needs massive help when it comes to mental health. Gen Z doesn't have to be lonely. You guys can still make real connections outside of the internet. Please don't let those bad experiences you had completely keep you away from a social life. I mean, look at my life. It's been a total shit show. Many people have asked me why I haven't gone nuts, turned to drugs and alcohol, or offed myself. I always tell them that there's always something to live for. There are things I haven't done, places I haven't seen, and people I haven't met. Therapy has also been a keystone.
So please don't resign yourself to a fate that's depressing, lonely, and hard on your brain. If you need advice, ask away. I love helping people.
I feel ya, brother. I'm from Norway, and we have a tradition where we celebrate our 14th birthday. Before the celebration, we you get to choose to do it religiously or not.
You then have (I think) a few weeks to prepare for the celebration, but you also get taught different relevant topics for today's world, etc.
Here's the important part to note. I had it right after covid. Because of that, I was moved with peers who were one year younger than me.
The striking thing was how even though we were grouped together, basically no one wanted to socialise unless it was people who they already knew. They never opened up, never tried to make conversations (we even had games made by the organisers and such to try and have people make friends).
It was sad, really.
Very interesting! At least you have the mental capacity to think about it and express how things look for you and how you feel. Kudos for sharing it online too.
If you have a need a connection, that is normal - this is a universal need in all of us as humans. If you do not feed that need enough, it will always ask for it, it will always be hungry, and the way it will show it to you is by giving you some negative emotions (can you think of 1 negative emotion that may be related to it?). And simply put, emotions are just messages sent by your body and your brain, and you should not ignore them.
If you parents did not help, it's kind of sad but it is what it is and you can't do anything about it.
If you feel that you don't fit int or if you felt that you were isolated, have you tried to dissect these words to understand why? Like, what exactly makes you think that? I think if you work on these important questions, with absolute curiosity, you may find surprising stuff, and someday something will click and you'll become maybe super connected to people, on your own terms. I encourage you to respond to these questions on paper, as you write on paper (something very few people do) you'll free up space in your head for new insights, you will give room to your deep sub conscious and you'll find new answers. I urge you to try. Good luck!
i've been a lot happier enjoying art, such as music and games, and just being what people would consider "cringe" about it. i stopped caring. i've never been happier. the only problem i find myself facing, other than the future, is pressure from others. im only 18, i have my whole life ahead of me. people keep trying to push me into the world, suggesting i work myself to death instead of relishing each day and the things i enjoy. one day, im sure i'll find a good balance of responsibilities and the inherent joy i find in things. my hope for the future hinges on this.
truee, staying true to yourself and accepting that there will always be expectations will make your life happier.
Truer words have never been spoken
Check out Micheal Franti and the SpearHead, and Stick Figures. The lyrics are what get me.
Not a super popular bands but dang they have great messages.
Thank you so much for bringing my attention to them. They're actually quite nice.
Our greatest form of social control is through coerced imitation. We're told to look down upon these original tribal societies as lacking in culture, intelligence, and basically amounting to uncivilized savages, when in reality they often experienced a greater level of freedom and community than we do in the modern day, and many of these ancient tribal societies had great inventions in architecture, mathematics, agriculture, etc. In turn, upper class society since the late 19th century has set the standard for what the "pinnacle of civilization" is "supposed" to be. In doing so, we're slowly being conditioned to accept these stratified aspects of society where the wealthy upper class is something to respect and aspire to, while the lower classes are looked down upon as we might look down upon "lesser" civilizations. Thus, by imitating the upper class and trying to associate with them, and feeling shame when we cannot live up to these ridiculous notions of what it means to be valued according to nothing more than arbitrary factors like wealth and birthright, we are subconsciously being controlled and coerced into behaving within the rigid structures and formalities set in precedent by the 19th and 20th century bourgeoisie.
Ironically, these standards were often set on a foundation of racism, as freed slaves and people of color being permitted to participate in business and society might elevate themselves to a respectable status, and so they had to make races/cultures seem "inferior" regardless of wealth and status, creating a Euro-centric pinnacle during a time when Europe was about to engage in one of the most savage catastrophes in human history (WWI and WWII), while trying to make more peaceful, though technologically backward societies seem less civlized and more savage and less desirable to imitate. We sort of broke free of this thinking during the 60's when people actually looked to these communal tribal socieities as a means of escaping the violence and social stigmas of thise Euro-centric imitations, but the world was gradually adapting to this concept on the whole, and modern conveniences started to trickle down into the average household, so that by the 1980's people were being brainwashed with pop culture and television to mindlessly accept these standards, and that trend has continued to the modern day. We're mindless drones in pursuit of a standard set by the racist elite of the early 20th century, and we have to first stop chasing these vapid things before we can redirect ourselves in the right direction, away from the pursuit of wealth and status, and towards a more community-based society.
This is the most unfathomably based comment I’ve ever received
Personally, I would prefer the system of bartering a young bride or 2 in exchange of livestock as it still happens in many remote societies in Africa over the western system where males are subjugated and financially enslaved by an unjust system.
@@ColeHastingsone issue with the graph you showed at the beginning of the video is we’re comparing the rates of feelings of depression, anxiety, hopelessness etc… among generations during different ages and periods of one’s life.
I know for a fact that I felt far more depressed anxious and hopeless in my late teens and early 20s than I do today.
its why I play World of Warcraft, it gives me a sense of adventure and purpose in a virtual world
Interesting video, Cole. What I find is that the people who feel most free are the ones who are lost. Gen Z grew up without as many rules and we as humans all need guidance and a sense of belonging. No wonder there's so much anxiety!
It's one of my fears raising a child in this day and age. I'm 28, no child yet. It's up to us to teach our successors to have a solid mindset. Spend more quality time with them, mentor them, love them, rather than handing them an ipad or cell phone and leaving them on their own for your own convenience.
That hit deep.
This is so true!! I see si many 5yo's with phones and ipads and the parents just don't seem to care... You shouldn't get children then.. If you buy kids, go do stuff with them like going on a hike, showing them new hobby's and stuff... My granddad always did sports with me and he's the reason I'm now good in tabletennis :)
A solid mindset doesn't think of having successors 😏
Difficult to do when 2 parents need to work full time to afford rent and the very basics in life.
I have four children and none of them have ever owned a phone, ipad, electronic of any kind besides a basic TV. we spend most of the day outside and I totally agree- we have to raise the next generation of responsible internet users.
The internet shallowly fulfills four needs, porn, community/attention, dopamine and a sense of purpose. It's easy for humans to abuse it since it's so accessable and socially acceptable.
As someone who is Gen Z (2002) I used to feel a lack of purpose and hopelessness fairly often, amplified by the fact I was poor and my mother died when I was 15. This past year changed my life, I lost my home, my car, and then nearly my life to a drunk driver. I've lost practically everything, but I was given another chance to live and friends who have supported me. Although my purpose is not immediately clear I now cherish the fact I am alive and the people around me. I live because I can, because I want to experience everything while I'm still here.
Thank you for sharing your story 💕 I think finding your purpose starts by being open to finding it and being open to life. Sounds like you're already on that path. I wish you good things from here on out!
Porn is not a need.... That's like saying cigarettes are a need...
@@MrisaVigil agreed it's not a need, it's a want, It's a desire
@@andeers416 we might disagree but I would say it's more of a perversion of a desire. Masturbating is healthy, sexual desire is healthy, being attracted to an image of another human being is healthy, mainstream pornography, the most popular tropes, the way people interact with it, almost always detrimental.
If you consider porn a need, therein lies the problem. Gen Z needs to put the fucking phone down and stop feeling sorry for themselves. It's pathetic
I'm 19 and I have been increasingly anxious of my empty mental state. I am riled with emotions then immediately calm the second after. I keep some distance from all social media, and engage only with UA-cam, because it seems like the only platform that isn't very fast-paced in the individual sphere. I always feel apart from everyone around me, detached from my surroundings, unbothered by situations. I don't feel emotionally balanced nor properly reacting. I find myself floating in matter and flatted out by philosophies. And I think what I am experiencing feels like a generational phenomenal. A line of unbothered but concerned fresh adults.
Your generation is a result of big pharma and doctors over diagnosing everything. You guys are told that you have things wrong with you, Andre labeled, and treated with drugs. Truth is, every generation is like that, and has been like that, but you generation accepts the diagnosis and you guys let that label define you. That, with keeping you face in a tiny screen all of the time just compounds it. If we got rid of these ridiculous diagnoses and people went out, you all put you phones down, and went out and actually socialized in person like GenX and Boomers, and maybe the first of millennials, you would be normal. You generation can’t even socialize in person, which means you’ll have a difficult time in coping with reality. You live in a virtual world, and your addicted to phones and TV. I have a 5 and 7 year old, and they are being raised to live in the real world. Wry limited screen time and a lot of social interaction with other kids and adults. I think we learned just how damaging unlimited screen time and dependence on the interwebs can be. If GenZ and later millennials want something, all they do it look it up on the interwebs, and much of the time it has someone’s spin on it, so it not correct. They are being fed a lot of misinformation.
You're not alone, mate.
I completely relate to how you feel except I do use some other forms of social media.
@@Riverinthesky-i9m I recommend reading Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl and 7 Habits of Effective People. I've been rereading them over a couple of days and their ideas certainly make me feel healthier. I hope the same happens for you as well.
@@thepeshwa We take steps at our own pace, but be it steps nonetheless.
Gen Z here it’s really hard to feel like you have purpose when everything your parents had are so far out of reach. I don’t think I’ll be able to buy a home, barely able to really afford an apartment and on top of that I graduated during a global pandemic where I was competing against everyone else who graduated from 2020 until now. There’s really nothing to look forward to when every single day you’re reminded of how much you can’t do, can’t buy, or can’t progress. I just want to be able to pay bills and have a family with a regular home and that’s so out of reach now.
I lot of boomers say stop living out of your means but I’m not sure what means they’re talking about. You have to make over six figures to maintain a home and live comfortably in the US now when the average salary is around 30-40k. It’s just so out of reach..
then you need to rethink your location. Average salary in USA is $75k. if you're in a poor state where average salary is 30-40k then its time to move. You're an American so you should be making American money.
You should start online business or work for someone on internet. It doesn't matter if you make money or not, skill and experience are important.
@vegnagon You need money to move. Plus, does that average include the salaries of doctors and ceos? Cause if so, then it is heavily skewed. You can't just tell someone to move to another place. That's not how it works. Plus, with just the necessities to live getting more and more expensive, it just isn't realistic to be able to save money anymore either. I can maybe save $10 from my paycheck at this point, but that's it.
@@n.m.fergus
yes that number includes doctors I beleive, but it IS the average- you cant just omit ocupations to make the numbers fit your agenda. however...albeit you may be emotionally correct but in reality you're going to have to figure something out. all I can say is the numbers don't lie. minimum wage is much better in other states, you're going to have to be smart if you want to make it at all. in arizona you can buy 1 acre of land for $1000 but its off grid so you'll have to know how to live like that. Learn all basic survival skills and how to shoot a gun. learn microeconomics and psycology. Most important of all, you're going to have to ight yourself from spending too much money all the time which is going to get much worse as time goes on because inflation is ramping up. I would say get a cheap piece of land, hunt for your food, get solar panels for power, live van-life or in a cheap trailer you can get for a few grand. you have to learn how to live frugally so that you can accumulate the money you need to make the big bucks. if all that fails, live in south-east asia (thailand,vietnam,etc) on an extended visa where cost of living could be as low as $1000 a month, and make USD while you're there from online. Expand your parameters and i promise you, you'll find a way. you have the whole world to do research on and not enough time to see it all.
@@banhammer3904 36k if you have no STEM degrees, not a business owner, not in white collar sector, not working in trades, etc. that's why average american salary is $75k. you can't just pick and choose what to include and exclude. $36k is for people with only a highschool diploma. Also, you need to learn how to shop. I got a mobile home for $1500 dollars and I just had to fix it up. I got an RV for $2000. there are lots of mobile homes on facebook marketplace in every state for less than $5000. The CATCH is moving it. if you move a mobile home over 100 miles you're looking at paying about $3k-4k for the move. moving it is expensive. Shoot, there's lots of people that will let you get them for free because to cost to move them is more than the value of the trailer. You can get unwanted shipping containers shipped to a port nearest to you from china, india, southeast asia for about $100 (or free in alot of cases because they're going to just scrap them for steel.) that they don't want and turn it into a house. OR, if you're lazy, buy one here in the US for about $1500. that in itself is a business tip for you.
I am a millennial and I have always struggled connecting with people my own age. I've spent the better part of the last decade feeling quite lonely and invisible. I tried to put myself out there and my friends, but I only found apathy, indifference, aloofness. People staring into their screens. Intuitively, I came to the realization that I likely wasn't going to get the connection and intimacy I longed for in this life. I didn't want to live my life in vain, so I decided to dedicate my life to helping others. Last year, I took a job with a non-profit and I finally found the community and connection I was looking for. It's like my own little Shangri-la every time I go to work. For the first time in my life, I feel like I belong, that I matter and that I am making a difference. I agree to an extent with Cole, the modern world is making it more difficult for people to meet their basic emotional/mental needs. However, we aren't meant to live as lone wolves, and it's ok to seek out connections. Instead of retreating into our own minds, lets build a community together.
@chazmichaelmichaels No, it's not you. In my opinion, technological advancement is outpacing human evolution. We are wired for connection and face-to-face interaction. We are truly the guinea pig generation when it comes to social media and smart phones. Just like cigarettes 100 years ago, we are now starting to see the side effects come to fruition.
When everyone around you behaves like an automaton, it can be easy to give up. However, we need to be beacons of light to let others know that they are not alone. If my new job has taught me anything, its that people are starving for connection. Something as simple as eye contact and a smile can go a long ways.
@chazmichaelmichaels Thanks for sharing your observation, that is very interesting! I can only speak from personal experience, but I go out in the world expecting for no one to care what I have to say, how I feel, etc, so I often don't bother initiating any communication. You are making a difference in your client's lives, just by expressing interest in them.
I have a few GenZ friends, and to be honest, I feel like they are more mature than I was at their age. They were raised during the Great Recession, Covid, etc, and do not have the rose-colored glasses on that I did. However, they do seem closed-off and it takes a while to get to know them, if ever. I am glad I am not a young person these days!
How do you even go about finding that? Everything I see is dead end jobs for peanuts or decent jobs that are locked behind qualification walls
I'm gen z, and you're right. I have no will to live half the time and my mental health is in shambles. Living is a pain. Making sense of life is even worse.
98% of my friends are addicted to social media. Even if we go to a party or on a trip, all they care about is taking selfies and posting on their Snapchat and Tiktok. It's tiring, man. They call me a "boomer" for not having Tiktok lol although I know there's only addiction I'm missing out on 💀. One of the things I paradoxically hate about social media and the Internet is that it teaches us so much about the world to the point that it gives you existentialism. Sometimes I wish I didn't know so that I wouldn't question everything in front of me. Maybe I'd be happier then. Or maybe not. But I wish people weren't so self-absorbed and keep worrying so much about which filter looks best on them instead of noticing the world around them more often. And this doesn't just apply to gen z.
Yeah I think you're right. Social media has brought about some sort of detached cognition where people aren't simultaneously connected to their own thoughts, or each other, and lest of all the fleeting moment. Try to maybe connect with people outside of your generation? Beware though, the social media selfie clowns are everywhere - but you might have a chance of learning and connection with someone older than you. Good luck, whatever you choose!
I’m 15 and 16 soon and I agree with you. They all care about being a drama queen, looking good, and shaming others when they have different views. I hate it here. I just hope I meet more ppl like you and me in college
@@hailey857 im 17 going off to college next year and yessir this is the hope
May I ask you a question?
Social media makes ppl more depressed and anxious about themselves. U compare yourself constantly to others, and feel not good enough. It saps all ur time/mental energy. It makes ppl unable to develop social skills, and make meaningful real life connections/relationships.
I think it’s worth pointing out a reasonably large discrepancy here - this new era of loneliness negatively affects more mainstream (or normative, if you prefer) folks to a larger degree than it does those of us on the fringes.
Look at how tightly knit fringe communities have become online, and how positively it affects people’s abilities to self-actualize, whereas before people may have never fully reconciled with themselves.
I think we need more effort to help everyone find their niche - even if it’s not “fringe” enough to constitute needing to be online.
I am so happy I came across this video. Because when I was young I never really knew that social media had a negative impact on my life I spent hours on hours scrolling, not only was it bad for my mental but I only used it as a way to escape reality not knowing that was the main cause of my depression, and low expectations on the real world. I can’t say much but in my own opinion I think social media has ruined the way the world is viewed and how it works.
Completely true.
And yet your still here 😂
@@nolimitzmovement you gotta adapt some how man 🤷🏾♂️
And this is why I deleted my social media. My mind feels so free and decluttered, and I feel like 14 years spent on it was not worth it.
I'm a teenage Gen Z. Once I move out of my parent's house, I won't be on social media as much and I'd cut the majority of it off. I wish our world could be less obsessed with online media. I plan on focusing more on connecting with nature and real life because I already suffer with dissociation and depersonalization, and how everything doesn't feel real. I know it is and each event I try to focus on what's happening and see the reality, and I do, but afterwards I ask myself "Did that really happen?"... I'm an introvert and often isolate myself. I don't go outside unless I'm shopping or going to church because where I live, there's literally NOTHING to do. No one my age to hang out and no special events. When I do go outside other then shopping or church, there's nothing to do so I sit on the front steps and... well, just sit there. There's no nature around me either- just buildings. There's absolutely nothing to connect with on a deeper level where I live- just a poverty setting with trailers and buildings. I can only hope to get out of post-modernism when I move out, make money and start experiencing the real world.
Oh no. Start now. Try a sport that makes you uncomfortable… team sport, bond but also stand up for yourself and they will respect you. Fellow older introvert and soccer monster
Not trying to scare you but it must be said. Live out in the countryside/a rural town with a nice community, grow your own food garden, own g_ns, be wary of who you let in. It’s going to get worse, it’s all apart of W3F Agenda 2030 plan to make people weak and dependent on the government. We’ve seen a obvious spike in mental illnesses and it’s not a coincidence. People are deprived of the real world due to a number of factors, I guess you can understand what I’m trying to say. No I’m not a b0t, just warning others.
Why not start now?
33
Is running away from it the only solution we have?
Cole is the best self improvement UA-camr, hands down.
I agree!
Doesn't project his own opinions and experiences into viewers? Check
Isn't repetitive and doesn't say the same generic af shit almost all self-improvement channels use? Check
Awesome editing? Check!
Hamza is good too, but his way of teaching is way different tho, but worked for me.
koldheartkam +
@@Virtahep0 Hamza leaves minimal room for thought. His channel isnt very good.
@@Virtahep0 bro is a cult leader, get away from that channel
Thank you for putting together this video! As a Millenial, I just hung out with a group of Gen Z and couldn't believe how mono-dimensional and poor their social skills were. I think you're right about most points, but also are missing peoples' current obsession with being in a constant state of fear. There is not much optimism anymore, which is why people are even afraid to try to make new connections. The monetization of fear (think of news) and reduction of margins (eke every penny out of something and leave no luxury) in all things is destructive and truly sad for our species.
As a gen z and someone who grew up in the us i think its safe to say the main reason i got caught up in constant lonliness and no self purpose. One reason i can say is parenting.
Growing up i had really strict parents who would basically never let me go out and see the outside and if i did most likely it would be to go to school or to go to work and majority of the time i would be under strict surveillance by my parents, constantly calling me and texting to see where im at, what im doing, and who im with.
i asked them about this before and basically they blamed the reason on the news, the news outlets on tv constantly pushes out info that someone was rather shot, or murdered in some way making both me and my parents grow up thinking that if you go out and see people. Someone would be willing to kill you the moment you walk out the front door.
This is also taking into account that i currently live in one of the most dangerous cities in the united states
I agree. I believe the older generation needs to take accountability. They love to bring the next gen down, but never advice them to do better imo. Might make a vid on this subject.
I’m a Gen Z by the way.
I 100% relate
It almost felt like I wrote that post 😂
@@gibrilsi I don't think parents of gen z want to bring their kids down they just overprotective. The helicopter parent most likely were the kids ignore neglected mess up got themselves in dangerous situations as teens. they went the extreme opposite likely trying hard not to be their parents that didn't care were never around. People need to be balanced
Same with me…
As a person who isn’t gen z I feel bad for you..
A decade or so later: "Gen Alpha: The First Generation With No Purpose"
Exactly 🤦♀️
It's the same since ancient times...😂
If we make it there
Pffft 😭😭😭
@@linusschmutz3985 Yet every generation thinks they're saying something new. In ten years' time it'll be the same.
I'm older Gen Z (23) and I can confidently say that my life got so much better once I stopped using social media as much. I still use it on occasion to post my art and talk to far away friends, but I try my best to stay away from mindlessly doomscrolling. I still catch myself doing it on occasion, and I notice it because of how horrible it starts to make me feels. As soon as I log off and go hug my fiance or take my dog for a walk, my mood noticeably improves.
Fiance. That's the thing. You have people *right next to you* to talk to; many people my age (18/19) don't have people close enough to them. We don't make friends with neighborhood kids and everyone in public school can barely talk for more than 5 minutes. I'm homeschooled, so even though I socialize with a vast array of people, I have a problem talking to my peers because they can barely hang on to a conversation without checking their phone.
FIANCE?? HOW DID YOU GET SO LUCKY
Haha I'm the same age and I never even dated
I have nothing to do all day cause I can't find a job and without my phone, I got nothing to do
I’m from the generation with mostly encyclopedia in the bookcase and vivid memories about how all the flower buds were richly filled with a variety of butterflies and other insects until about the 90’s. Kids these days know only brands and artists. Farmers are now machine operators. We should definitely go back
@@pedroherrera8762 You can't find a job or won't find a job? The trades are always looking for more people.
I never realized how important that sense of community and human interaction was until i watched this video. As a 17 year old ive been increasingly frustrated with my generation for our lack of ambition, individualism, and social interactions. Ive never been able to devolp close relationships with people because there simply is so few people my age who care about the world outside the lens of a camera
It’s depressing how bad the world we’re building is.
Our world was bad back than too there were so many R acists and H omophobes back in the old days.
It is, but if you can focus on the good instead of the bad, you’ll find meaning even in a world like this
@@Drexical I agree make the best of life focus on the good hangout with friends and family go out in nature too.
Humans are extremely selfish creatures and very dangerous I don’t know why we gotta be like that well if not most but it’s just sad.
@@VeeNaki A lot of us are very selfish and make tons of mistakes, but that’s the thing that makes us human in the first place. If you hurt somebody and have the self capacity to realize it, you’re very lucky. Most people go throughout their day not even knowing what they’re thinking about 90% of the time.
Man this hits close to home. I've never felt more alone in this world. I just can't find people to connect with above a superficial level anymore.
I've never been able to find any. Either they're super fake or we don't share similar interests, so can't form any kind of bond besides acquaintances
@@furiousdestroyah9999Absolutely the same.
This was both a brilliant and very sad video… I agree with so much of what you said… especially the idea of stepping into a state of awe about everything we encounter day to day… that being said… I will say… if you don’t have community around you, consider moving… I have found that sometimes the grass IS greener on the other side… there are lots of people who still want to live in deep community… but they may not live in your city… likeminded communities often congregate together.. especially in recent years with more people having the ability to work from home and live where they want… don’t give up and find your tribe!
Whose gonna take advice from you Nikki? You made a video about killing your dog with your full chest, why are you in these UA-cam comments….? People don’t like you bc you’re an unlikable person who killed their dog for no reason. That’s not just a “mistake” girl you need to go to therapy and get out of these comments fr. And don’t use the term “tribe” if you aren’t Native American.
Why do you add an ellipsis after everything?! I'm going to go crazy! Stop!
@@QUBIQUBED I write how I think…? Loo sorry not sorry hahahah
How's your dog?
Most GenZ people are too young to be able to move, they are either still living with their parents or they don’t have enough money to relocate because they’re just starting out in their careers
As an older Gen Z, I highly recommend purposefully leaving your phone at home, in your car, or just turning it off for a day. Obviously let your people know where you’ll be especially if you’re underage, don’t forget to tell your guardians lol!! So anyway I just became a citizen this past month, I was raised here in the US since I was about 5 years old but bc my mom became a citizen after my 21st bday I had to do it on my own. And so after my oath I had to go to the social security administration office to make them aware of the change in my legal status. So as I arrive at the door, the security guard stops me and tells me to turn off my phone before I come in, & so I did. I got a ticket and sat down isolated from everyone else bc I’m just use to that. So as I’m sitting kinda bored just looking at the numbers on the TV listening to people get called, a younger Latina mom comes and sits beside me with her new born baby, she looks at me a couple of times nervously bc her baby is very fussy and crying. She begins to speak to me in Spanish unsure if I’ll answer back. I am fluent so I respond and as we are at conversation an elderly gentleman approached us and was clearly legally blind. She gets up and helps him take a seat, and her number is called so she leaves. He decides to sit right next to me. He immediately starts asking me about my day, and we begin to have one of the deepest conversations I’ve ever had in my entire 25 years of life. But something that stuck out to me was when he said “you’re warm, and welcoming unlike other young people..”I know it was meant as a compliment but it kinda hurt. It hurt me because I think highly of our generation, I believe we want to do better, we seek genuine connection, but we also seek an extreme & unrealistic amount of entertainment dopamine, validation24/7 and end up making situationships or relationships that lack everything we really want. This 76 year old man named Tom helped me realize that there is so much boomers and Gen Z have in common. He told me stories of post WW2 life, civil rights movement, segregation, ALIENS 👽 his wife, his new born baby who passed away. All the mistakes he made and how his generation thought they were the most innovative & how they planned to change the world. We also talked about race, ethnicity, about relationships etc. I never imagined I would make a friend that day.. bc it just feels like connections like these don’t exist anymore. But they do. We just have to be more present and in the moment🤍
Sd: go hiking, go swimming, go to that concert, join clubs, help out at a soup kitchen, go outside!! Get involved. This is one of the purest forms humans have made connections and it’s the best way. Meeting people in person helps you learn to read body language, communication styles, lip read. Just go for it 😊
Your comment reminded me of a time when I would go to a tiny remote country house left behind by my grandparents once in a while. It is so remote that there is absolutely no cell service, no internet, no tv, nothing. I would just pack some food with me for a couple of days, get there, enjoy the silence and the fresh air. I'd build a fire to cook food, get water from the well, air out the house... Once I'm settled in, I'd walk around, cut the grass in front of the house using a plain old scythe. Then I'd lie down with some book, until I'd drift off into sleep. I would then wake up some 14 hours later, sleeping for so long because of the abundance of oxygen. Spend a few days this way, pick some apples and plums, and eventually close everything up and make my way back to the city, back to the busy life. But even these few days of being cut off from all the technology, cars, noise... So absolutely refreshing.
I suppose I am fortunate for not needing any social media at all. It's been years since I opened Instagram, I don't have TikTok on my phone. I enjoy going hiking when the weather is just a tiny bit rainy. I would drive for 2 hours one way just to watch the sunset on a beach. I sometimes go to a park just to sit on a bench and read a book. I started making attempts at writing music. I work, but I balanced my life in a way that I live within my means, while having free time to actually live. I eat healthy (I largely avoid processed and packaged food, and things with added sugar). Most importantly, I feel no need and no desire to impress anyone with anything, like expensive shoes or anything else. Actually, I would rather people don't pay attention to me at all.
I have a few close friends. I created a message group and convinced them to make time for all of us to meet on a regular, scheduled basis. Every week they now look forward to us meeting, so everyone can vent if they need to, or just have fun. For a number of years I help out a lonely senior person, whom I visit once or twice per week, help him with groceries, we go out for a coffee or some such, have a chat. I feel bad that he (also 76 coincidentally) never married, never had kids, and is just all alone. I do feel that he really appreciates me coming over. There are a couple of teenage kids, who I also talk to regularly. For the most part, I would just listen to them talk through their problems and give them advice on how to deal with life. I do feel sorry for how lonely they feel, and understand that in their situation they really don't get any validation at all, so they are so happy to share their school accomplishments with me, just to hear me say "good job, kiddo!". I am proud to say that they no longer engage in "self-h***" and have a much more positive and hopeful outlook on life. Huh, recently one of them asked me if it's alright to call me "dad". Brought a tear to my eye.
im 21 and in college. I found that ever since ive stopped and talked to people and had short but meaningful conversations throughout my day i have felt so much more valued and happy. i noticed people actually stop me just to talk to me. ive also started placing timers on apps and sticking to the time limit ive given myself. Because 8 hours a day average screen time was scary to me.
I finished college last year and I get what you mean. I didn't really care about subjects in college, I only went there to talk to my groupmates and friends, it was a great time.
oh man, 8 hours !!! It feels a lot to me. I remember some motivational speakers talking about 7 hours of TV back 50 years ago I think. Basically, nothing has changed between the past generation and today's generation. TV or phone, still a screen. We also blame social media, but 50 years ago social media did not exist.
What happens is people are more attracted to consuming something on a screen, rather than creating something with their thoughts, actively.
Keep connecting with people! I'm glad it makes you feel good and at least you know it now, great experience.
Being more alone is not the solution, community is the solution
The ‘solution’ you’re referring to will not manifest. Everyone lives in an echo chamber of tiktok algorithms. Community requires a common criterion by which everyone agrees to view life. This used to be Religion.
Now it’s god knows which tiktok video.
This is true, and it is biologically engrained in us as a species. People by themselves don't last very long for many, many reasons, and even in today's society, where loneliness and mental issues are so lucrative, the system can only prop up the terminally alone for so long.
As a gen Z child, I was once in a state of purposelessness. then I found my goals, and now I will achieve them.
Life doesn't have purpose until you give it purpose.
_'Man can do what he wills but he cannot will what he wills.'_ ~ Arthur Schopenhauer
I.e. One has to prioritise that which is genuinely most important in their life.
No lasting ideology can be built upon a whim.
Indeed, we are the drivers of our own purpose.
Thats why I am excited just to start college. I have a purpose in my head and I want to reach it so bad bc I want to raise my own family
Great for you, I've never been able to find such a thing. From my perspective everything is garbage with non-existent potential for any kind of purpose
I really want to write a long essay here But I got tired, so let me say this, I agree with you on that, for me, my own purpose is to atleast live through life and observe many things and also see if I can make a lot of money lolz
Honestly what Im trying to adopt a 'Modern' thinking as a Gen Z and currently focusing on doing one problem at a time and not all at once. This really help me with managing stress and stave of depression.
Living deeply means becoming so involved in even the most mundane of activities that you barely even have time to think if you are lonely or not. It means growing out of the instant gratification that makes the all inspiring world we find ourselves in boring. Everywhere you look, you are experiencing the miracle of life. The very fact that you can hear these words and see this screen with your eyes is a statistically impossible fortune that you’ve been gifted with. Each day, really examine what it is you are experiencing right now. Get really involved in this thing called life by participating in it in as many ways as you can, and as presently as you can. Have appreciation for the instrument that is your body. Take walks and marvel at the swaying of the trees, the color of the leaves, and all the different sounds and sights, even the ones that are man made. There is awe in everything if you focus deeply enough on it. Everything in this post modern era has programmed you to not understand and realize this. Post modern society wants you to believe that your existence serves no point and has no joy unless you achieve status, wealth, and popularity. But this perspective of being in awe and wonder over just about everything in this realm of human consciousness, which is very much so awe inspiring and wondrous, and adopting the child’s view point of seeing everything as novel is available for you to take back at any moment - Cole Hastings
Beautifully said. Thank you Cole
Much love ❤️
As a millennial, I’m sorry for not doing more in this world for the next Gen.
All I’ve done so far is planting.
All I’ve done is make flowers for the bees.
I love watching them work.
I do not have a job and don’t know if I’m able to get one now that I have memory issues.
I still feel like a child some days.
I’m a 30 year old plays with toys and watches cartoons and can’t do much mentally.
I hope to one day build an entire forest
You've done more for the world than most people ever lived! ❤
build a forest?er er right! good luck with that! I think that you might need to find some land,I'm sure that you don't intend to build it in the heavens!useless? The only thing that I'm good for is producing waste matter,urea and carbon dioxide.millions of us are absolutely useless.it's part of the human condition.that's what happens when eight billion people are on a planet.i've been a useless lump of lard for eons it can't be helped!
Dude, bees are so important to the ecosystem. Planting flowers and trees is a great way to help. I wish I did as much as you and I'm 32.
@@Ironication As are also important as well! Otherwise we'd have to say the ct st on the Mt and then we'd just sound stupid wouldn't we?
That's inspiring holy cow
As an 18 year old I’m over all the filters, challenges, and social media in general. Everything spins in a pot and resurfaces a different way. All the girls and guys look the same and act the same online and they all care about the same meaningless stuff. Nowadays it’s obvious they just do it for attention. It’s draining. sometimes it feels like I don’t belong in any other group because that’s all it is. I’m to the point to where I don’t even want to make friends anymore because every person I meet is like that in someway.
you arent alone
Same..
I have literally no social media, you wont get real friends there and people just flex their money spent on garbage that wont improve their lives
In the exact same boat as you, I've found my people luckily enough
*"All the girls and guys look the same and act the same online and they all care about the same meaningless stuff."*
I don't think I've heard it put so simply yet perfectly... In todays day and age we get too see the most beautiful woman and the hottest guys all at the touch of a button. We see the same thing's over and over and over again and everyone want's too be the same thing... I personally hate generalizing but nowdays all I've gotta do is look at the latest "trends" and i can guess alot of people's personalities, nobody has much of their own because it's just not "popular" and in turn makes everyone cookie cutter in nature. Though not everyone is the same, its just become so increasingly rare too find anyone actually interesting (or at least intrested) that it feels like anything but our made up perfection is unacceptable.
I've observed people who have a postmodernist view (all generations, not just Gen Z) and I can affirm that this worldview definitely creates a lost, very confused person. As human beings we need objective truth and morals. Not this "we all have our own truth" bullshit
Yes. There are things that are wrong at the end no matter what. It's not about opinions or feelings.
👍🏾👍🏾🤎
Member of Gen Z here. I do think that the internet has had a huge impact for our loneliness. I'm going to sounds very old and blame it on social media, but it's true. People only post the best moments of their lives, and when the only thing you consume are the incredible parties, heartfelt confessions, and stunning views other people are taking part in, it makes you feel isolated; like you're missing out.
The increase in information has also thrown us into the deep end. When my parents were growing up, they didn't know about the terrible wars happening across the globe. Their daily newspaper wasn't constantly updated with mass shootings, distant natural disasters, and corrupt politicians. Ignorance is bliss, and I think that when you expose young minds to how terrifying the world is, they lose hope.
Whatever purpose we've been told we need either feels too small to have any true impact on the world, or feels too impossible for us to ever accomplish. It's hard to try to focus on the little things when you know about climate change and political downfall and heat death.
edit: i accidentally posted before i was done woops
You make some very good points here. I think we should be fighting against demotivation, as another commenter wrote and look for what makes us happy. Sure, it can be hard but if there's something that sounds worse than all of what you presented, is a life full of nothing. We can't solve all the problems in the world, so let's try to focus on the people around us and ourselves.
as a gen z member, i completely agree and have felt/feel all of these.
forsenDespair . . .
I hear where you're coming from but that worldview is depressing. I'm 22 early gen z I struggle with that direction lessness what I found helpful stop worrying about how the world is falling apart (always is) and corrupt people are doing corrupt things (also always is) and instead take the tactic of focusing on my little patch of grass. The world is falling apart cool fix the stairs today I mowed the grass I took two classes in an I.T Certificate and then you slowly build out goals from there, all of a sudden you have a purpose at least a goal if that goal goes away just set another one
I'm also Gen Z and I think it's no longer an old geezer thing to say that the internet is ruining us. Anyone who's paying attention can see how horrible it has been on our development. Everything you said is spot on!
This breaks my heart, but I still believe we can overcome this
Keep up the good fight. It's funny, the great purpose that people of this generation could have is in opposition to the capitulation to a worse world that this video suggests. The video simultaneously observes that Gen Z feels a lack of purpose, while also observing a massive problem to be solved, but rather than putting those two things together, he suggests you just learn to cope. A lot of us realized this problem a long time ago, and while yes, the fact that a lot of people are still stuck in a harmful lifestyle presents headwinds, a lot can be done to brighten the lives of a small group of people. It just takes work.
@@kaifuller3535 I'm so glad that someone else thinks this way, seeing the opportunity for us as humans to keep evolving instead of only seeing a problem and accepting that problem as the new normal. I always used to say if people during the time of the war just accepted it without fighting for better days, then we wouldn't be here. Every generation has a fight and I believe this is our own.
You have to get off social media. You just have to. Delete all of your accounts. Break the dopamine addiction. You weren’t supposed to be so connected to so many acquaintances.
Only you can break free from this. It’s absolutely not going to be done for you.
I'm a teenage gen z guy and the most frustrating thing for me is how vapid and superficial everyone around me is (and I'm not immune to this either). What seems to happen is they find an online community that they think represents them and define their personhood around that identity (for example their sexuality, a fandom, and attitude, etc). When they lose interest in that, they pick up a new one and start again, resulting in us having no constant self.
Even when i'm with my friends, i can't really feel a connection because we all are performing for eachother - using eachother as entertainment. We don't know who we are anymore because we've buried ourselves under so many layers of irony. I want to have a deep emotional connection with someone but no one else seems to be interested in that kind of relationship. And when I talk about this stuff people look at me like I'm crazy- it doesn't even occur to most people there could be more to life and relationships than this.
I've deleted apps like reddit and instagram and i'm trying to be more true to myself (less ironic humor, talking about things that really matter with people, etc) and that's helped a little bit, but i often find myself feeling like the last sane person left. i feel like a parody of myself and i have no idea how to dig deep and find that core of personhood most older generations seem to have within themselves.
edit: well guys, i think i may have been lucky enough to find someone like me! we're not out of the woods yet but i feel more developed as a person if that makes sense- i know what kind of person i want to be. thank you everyone for your comments
This definitely is what I'm experiencing most of the times when I'm with my classmates. They're just there with you when everything is fun, but will leave you if you're feeling down. People these days doesn't really have the balls to make to talk deep abt something and it really makes me sad. I wish everything could be simpler just like before, good music, supportive friends, friendly environment. I also noticed how everyone is sort of acting like a slave to influencers like they copy their clothing, way of life, and give them shifty praises for nothing which definitely annoys me since it's making life harder for them and they wouldn't really know how they can be an advantage to other people's lives . I hope this generation will be able to experience true liveliness that everyone should have in the coming years.
Same other people don’t feel real to me at all anymore just NPCs with a handful of lines and no deeper story. No matter how hard I try to connect with people, put myself out there, start conversations first, be kind and funny, it never leads anywhere. People are completely numb.
I'm doing the same. Older, tho. I was on IG at the VERY beginning. Just turned 29 July 7.
I watched as everyone slowly..(or quickly) became vapid and obsessed with doing things JUST to post on Instagram. It's ridiculous and I sad imo.
And these live artists performing? Just looking back at a WALL of phones? lol. (Sorry not on topic, just saw some debates/input the other day)
I'm off SM (basically) for the past year or so..
Curious to see how all of this pans out.. and the younger generations grow up in such a "tech-y" world.
Don't think too hard. You're gonna be awesome, and meet the right people with the right ideals. I'm positive. Anyhow, cheers and GL. ^^
@@Niffumable thanks man 👍
wow. I always felt the same. Everyone I know using me for entertainment. I'm glad to see someone else picked up on this. I'm a 34 year old millenial. But it wasn't always this way. For my age group it only began after cell phones.
What you were saying about how we should try to enjoy the little things in life rather than wealth, fame, etc. is so true
I really like the How to Live Deeply section, to me that really boils down to be present in your moment. Huberman had an episode talking about this but humans naturally while doing tasks through their day to day tend to think about something different then what they are actively doing. He cited a great study that showed that even mundane tasks were rated as more enjoyable if you were mentally present with the task even compared to thinking about something awesome while doing the mundane task. And that has certainly been my experience as well.
I think a major reason why we are what we are is because of our lack of healthy social interactions, which we have comfortably justified under the guise of "being introverted"- when it is something deeper; something that is not healthy. It is not a shock that we have been "chronically online" since we were kids, when we should have been talking more and getting more experiences in real life instead of watching the world through a screen. The truth is- a lot of us are lonely. Our followers on our social media apps are not friends- they're just there to watch our stories and like our posts. That isn't friendship because there is no one-on-one conversation involving "deep" topics or legit anything aside from a "hi" from both the sides and then never talking to each other.
Maybe I'm just projecting. Maybe this is just my experience.
Whatever it is, I hope it isn't passed on to the next generation. There is no hope for me now, or even a chance at redemption, even though I'm 18, because I am in the worst "era" of my life. Days go on and on. They don't end. I truly don't have a purpose in life. I am just here to pass the time. I am sorry to Earth for not contributing properly as an adult. I truly am sorry. But I just don't see any point in being alive anymore.
I know it will be over for me soon.
Whoever is reading this (which is quite shocking), please know one thing: you don't have to have a purpose in life. You being here, being a part of this world is purpose enough. I know it is too late for me to act on my own advice, but I know YOU can do this. You are so precious. I mean it.
Everything will be alright, okay? Please keep living. Please.
I had the same thoughts at 18. You will find something worth moving towards. Just keep going
You only 18 bro plenty of life left to live
@@ColeHastings I thought it was only me so this is natural thx
Yeah but also over analyzing why someone wants to be left alone is no better. People are not your personal essay to be baited into some kind of narrative. End anyone who's been wasting time planting those kinds of seeds for years. It's dehumanizing to pretend anyone depends on you for any closure, break up, commentary, etc of any kind. It's very unflattering for someone to have a following of stockpiling thoughts about you, only to say no when you've been judging them in order to decide whether or not you want to spend time with them.
LOL, bro, you’re eighteen. You’re barely an adult. How can you feel like your life is completely hopeless and you already failed despite barely starting out. I’m twenty-five about to go on to twenty-six and I have been living in my parents house since I graduated high school! Don’t lose hope-you haven’t failed at anything. Failure is what happens when you stop trying.
I'm so glad that I found you on this thing called the internet. It's like I'm learning from a bigger brother about the world. After I watch a video from you, I got so much inner peace in me. Really appreciate what you're doing.
Most of my peers are very disrespectful to the teachers. They think I’m weird for respecting the teachers or doing my homework, they bully me because I’m polite and respectful, when I hold the door or let someone pass, they laugh at me. Or don’t even thank me at all, like I’m invisible.
We teachers appreciate kids like you. I have to deal with the other type far too often…and their parents who often have the same attitude…
@@alleycat616 I am so sorry. And thank you.
You are a good person. Keep going! And believe me, being nice nowadays isn't easy for anyone, no matter of the generation you belong to. But at least it counts for ourselves and for the ones close to us. That is why we are doing our best and keep on going forward no matter what. :)
I appreciate you trying to make sense of it all. For me, life took a purposeful turn when I got a dog. We absolutely love being with each other, and she doesnt come with the financial suicide and environmental impact of having a child. Go adopt a pet if you have the means and compassion, its amazing.
but a lot of people that have children feel like they have a purpose to better themselves for their child
Getting a dog or even a child just to have some kind of meaning in your life isn't a good idea.
There needs to be a movement. That’s what we need. Where everyone just drops social media, a holiday for a month where Instagram, tik tok, snap etc, shut down.
Nah, we should attactk these social media companies, we kidnap somo of the company boss and we threaten the rest
While this would be cool nobody would agree with you. By that I mean company’s and governments. All of there money stems from it and they would lose so much from even a day of them being down. Everyone suffers. I guess the quote “money is the root of all evil” is true..
A day? No. A Month. 1 month per year of "SOCIAL MEDIA FASTING MONTH". I propose October.
Great idea my friend. I have found that the best way to tell someone or convince someone, is to show them, so they see it's possible and they see the results. Try yourself and share on this thread what you found. Simply do an experimentation.
It's funny to see other comments saying "Nobody would agree". It feels like we need agreement for others for our own actions. In these times of high customization, and individualities, we still are looking for conformity by the group.
Personally, I don't have facebook, tiktok or twitter, installed on my phone. I use Linkedin, Instagram but I limit myself to 5-10 minutes a day. I have seen both how I feel when I spend too much time on it and when I restrict myself, and I feel much better without it. This is my incentive for doing it.
Then hundreds of millions of jobs to be affected by this move alone...nah not like this, some other way..
As gen Z, I find my own generation to be the most frustrating. There’s no loyalty, or “deep” thought. This generation I find to stand up to discrimination the most while also discriminating the most.
I hate to agree with you, but I do think your generation is the most intolerant living generation by far, despite your obsession with "social justice." Do you really need to divide everyone up by gender and race? How about just evaluate people based on their individual qualities?
@@andrewb8235could say the same thing for you, why divide everyone into age groups and make generalizations based on how old someone is?
I see those problems you listed in any age groups and in the decades past too. For example, the s3xual revolution and promoting promiscuity and no loyalty was from decades ago. It's also older people who raised and created the present young people, and creating some of the vapid entertainment with vapid and degenerate messages too. I don't think vilifying age groups helps btw. I've seen young people vilify older people and call them boomers too.
@@andrewb8235 I've seen people from any age group obsessed too much with gender and race too.
@@user-gu9yq5sj7c I agree with the s3xual revolution, but shaming people for it outside of marriage was just as toxic. Vilifying boomers doesn’t make anything better, then on the other hand people from that particular generation need to take more responsibility for the damage they’ve caused. There’s always two sides, there is no “right” or “left” because which way you go neither is fully right or fully wrong.
The laws of man do not exist in nature. Right and wrong is a social construct because we’re social beings. What one may find right another will find wrong. All about perspective.
I’m 34 in university right now- a majority of them haven’t even gotten past the stage of acting like everything we hated about high school, meeting a genuine student is not easy. They’re still young and I can’t hold it against them, but I can’t get swept in their madness. LOTS of bravado; humility is almost nonexistent; narcissistic tendencies; toxic behaviour; lots of gossip; INSECURITIES thru, THA, ROOF; rudeness and more. They kinda keep me at peace, bcuz I see everything I’ve grown out of and I’m reminded DAILY of it
I agree so much, over the past 3 years I've spent so much time by myself that I actually enjoy it. Find hobbies that make you happy and figure out what YOU want.
When the Baby Boomers were young during the '60s and '70s, they were accused of not having a purpose too. I think every young generation is seen by their older peers as not having a purpose and overall being a misguided nuisance. No one can really criticize Gen Z unless they're willing to criticize Gen Y, Gen X and the Boomers too. Every generation going back to The Lost Generation (born 1883 - 1900) can take some blame for how Gen Z turned out. Every generation takes advantage of the things available to them at the time. Today, it's social media. They use it because they can. It's here for them. If social media existed in the '60s, the Boomers would've used it too. Online dating was around in the '90s, but most people didn't have much luck with that either. Gen Z's problems are just an extension of everyone else's problems from the past.
Nam was hell, home was no better.
Very true.
Gen z will live in to invent another society destroying technology just like the boomers did.
So there is purpose.
It's just not saving the world like every kid grew up thinking they would.
Best comment
Vidform is one of the very few internet commentators who knows how to use apostrophes properly.
This makes me feel really good about myself because I came to the exact same conclusion instinctively. It helps to acknowledge other humans as beings capable of the same complex emotions rather than as NPCs.
Yet they still go bungee jumping.
I'm not convinced. Projecting your emotions onto others is a source of constant erroneous pain.
@@beingsshepherd What's wrong with bungee jumping?
@@user-gu9yq5sj7c Recklessly risks grave danger, which is antithetical to the sensitive.
@@beingsshepherd There's a difference between acknowledging other people have emotions and projecting your emotions onto them. It's like the difference between acknowledging people like cars and thinking everyone likes the same car you do.
@@Titere05 Isn't that the point I'd just made?
Those with _"complex emotions"_ are wrong to ascribe the same to all others.
Some characters are so emotionally simple that they jump off cliffs for fun.
Gen Z, you aren't the first generation with no purpose. No one ever had a purpose. You're just the first to notice.
Then why are yoi alive, if you have no purpose then its best to stop being alive.
@@Cpt_John_Pricehow is that best? if there is no purpose, there's no reason to die either.
Glad you popped up on this Boomers feed. I have two Gen Zs, and this resonates with me regarding their struggles. My youngest is the most genuinely self-reflective human I know, but he has extreme social struggles with peers. Works from home and rarely gets out... of his own accord (I try my best to get him out into the world, but he just doesn't want to most of the time.
I think that the modern condition is immensely frustrating because it feels like people have no agency in their own lives. For example, I know everything I need to do to escape the cycle: turn off the computer; cut off social media; and make my work with my hands. But I, and many other people, *literally* (not metaphorically) can't. My education and career require me to use digital tools constantly. I need email, software, and a search engine to make money and graduate in my field. Most of my peers gather in chat rooms to socialize, and because I don't participate there, I struggle to form a deeper connection with anyone. People consider me an outsider, no matter how friendly I am in person. Our generation's burden is not that we don't recognize our problems or that we don't want to solve them. It's that the system is so engrained in our existence that trying to escape it is like trying to switch to breathing water. How is anyone supposed to not feel demoralized?
I'm about to turn 40 here and it just gets worse as you get older. However - as you age you also get wiser and learn how to cope with existential depression.
Embrace the suck.
This!
I'm autistic(recently diagnosed).... So I've never been social. 😅
But i have learned how to mask over years
I'm going through this now.
I'm relearning myself and my life.
I absolutely love myself. I am a fun, cool and interesting person.
I need to get back to my hobbies and creativity.
Also I absolutely love
Spending time alone unpacking my past life.
I totally understand the on and off social switch.
I must be Gen Z trapped in a millennial body because that totally describes me. I have no purpose, no motivation, no interests, no hope but anxiety and loneliness.
So you identify yourself as a Gen Z lol
@@blackshadow3508 oh god xD
I'm Gen X and I have a Gen Z son. He is breaking my heart! I am fucking crying.....
@@rolex3560 "deal with him"
@Xylus I'm a 54 y/o Gen X dad with a 16 y/o Gen Z son. I asked him to read your comment and 1984 comment. There are actually many, many great comments here. I've been trying to teach him how to play guitar since he was 2 years old. He turned 16 in February and he finally picked up one of my guitars. I think he has been depressed and not happy at school this past year (9th/10th grade). It has been four months and I can't believe how well he is playing. I think now, he wants to out play me. I officially gave him a Squire Strat and Yamaha acoustic that's in my collection of many guitars. I'd probably go nuts if he damaged one of better guitars. He's been practicing everyday and watching great on-line teachers on his desktop computer. I hope this brings him out of the funk he's in.
I'm a millennial and I feel this, although I felt a sense of community as a kid, all the neighbors back then had bbqs etc and I played outside a lot, but as an adult I live alone in an apartment complex, I'm friends with one neighbor but no one else talks to each other lol
I saw this thing where this one person invited their other neighbours to a party at the top of their balcony or apartment (whatever you can do to get people together)
We have become a highly connected community of isolated monks.
Yeah same. I’m 30 and remember many block parties and having lots of friends to hang out with. Now this generation seems distant. I live alone
It's actually so depressing. No wonder we all feel bad. There's no community it's all online. Need something, just go online. I want something real, I want the human socialization and the care we could put into our lives. Our future can be different and we shouldn't wait to make changes.
Blame social media apps where people can get what they want on a screen rather than finding it themselves. No need to waste their time socializing and building connections
I'm gen z (25) and this year was the year where I really found a larger sense of purpose and community. I began a serious relationship with my girlfriend in February (after bouncing around between short term relationships, we met through dating apps) who I now live with. And I also switched jobs from a job that was 0-2 days a week in the office to a job that is 5 days in the office.
Both these changes have been huge in helping me have a nice social network, engage more with the real world, and give me purpose. It wont always be easy you'll get there, ya'll got this gen z.
do dating apps really work then? I'm from a very small town so I've never dated and I have a hard time meeting new people. I've thought about using dating apps, but I feel like taking pictures of myself for a profile would be vain and I hate talking about myself. I also don't know what I would do even if I got a match with someone, because I have pretty much no social skills. People say "Just spend more time around people and you'll be more comfortable" or "stop overthinking", but again I live in a town with less than 700 residents and there are literally no places where you can go to meet people.
Not trying to rant at you, and I guess my point is I don't know what to do or how to improve with my particular situation. Do you have any suggestions? I'm finishing my last semester of high school, and I don't see myself magically having more opportunities to meet people after I graduate, so I feel like I need to make it happen as soon as possible.
@@ChickentNug For the love of god, move outta there! I can almost promise, that in a bigger place it would be easier to find a community to belong to, work and just in general more things to do & explore. But I can relate to the feeling of not being willing to "up-root" your life, since I also live in the 50k small-mid city in Finland. But I have like almost 50% of the countrys population within 200km of my hometown.
@@FinUgShiet And yet ever since I've moved to a metropolitan I've been the loneliest I've ever been. It's almost been a year, and my only friends are the friends I made at my old place :/
@@FinUgShiet if you dont have marketable skills or existing income / money, you will be working 70 hours a week to afford to live. Or youll be stuck with a revolving door of room mates, which is a roll of the dice (mostly they will be people that also cant afford a normal life, so they will be more likely to have mental health problems)
Im 21 and found his from college at 18-19. Was a tough road but I've had the best 2 years of my life.
At school bus stops, all kids have their heads down staring at their devices. Back in my day, the bus stop was a rehearsal of how to socially interact and deal with conflict. I got into many scuffles, mini fights, wrestling matches, and on the giving and receiving end of bullying... also remember lots of great conversations and camaraderie. The bus stop is a microcosm of how society behaves during each generation and Gen Z isn't "living" a real human existence
You think it's a bad thing that Gen Z aren't getting into fights with random strangers or getting bullied at the bus stop?
Must be your local area. European here, bus stops were just as dead then. But people had their iPod out or stared at the street.
The oppressive feeling of big city life isn't something that will go away just by putting smartphones down. Big city life is shit.
At 26, I try to not lose hope but sometimes it’s pretty hard. My biggest issue is the lack of human social interaction I’ve experienced in the last couple years. It seems to be much harder to connect with and meet people as you get older, but humans are meant for social interaction. The gym, my family, and cole Hastings videos are some of the only things that keep me sane lol. I can’t get down with the online/ dating app/ virtual world like everyone’s becoming accustomed to. I guess they say keep your head up/down and grind, it’s the only thing you can do
Yeah the online dating stuff is a joke. It's mostly dudes on there and nobody takes it seriously so the women that are on there are just trying to see if they can get somebody way out of their league. I know it's hard to make friends as an adult but just keep trying it's worth it
Sign up for some mma or other martial arts you can find alot of people same age as you
I couldn't connect with people irl so I started texting with people all over the world and after I went through all this people wanting my nudes shit, I managed to find people with similar values as me, we talked on camera and I even met with one even though he lived in another countryIt was worth it, I'm patient, I finally felt like I'm not the only one in this lonely world. I wish you all the same
26 is a millennial bro.
@@fuosdi64 does that mean I can’t relate to these things?
Thanks for talking about this man. For some reason, its something that I’ve always thought about. I could never really form a deeper connection with other Gen Zs. I could only connect properly and deeply with men and women older than me. This is because we tend to be of a similar level of depth and maturity, allowing natural and deeper conversations to form. I often find it hard to connect with the shallowness of other GenZs and i have often struggled with it. Thanks for taking time to talk about this topic bro.
I 100% relate. I don’t get along as well/connect with people my age. I seem to connect better with older people. I’m 24.
Maturity level isn't the only factor that could play a role in that...
I think it could be the way your generation relates to each other, in my case as a millenial even though I was shy, overprotected and had a lot of social issues I wasn´t as lonely at their age as some people of GenZ seem to be, even though they have friends and go out they are unable to form human connections that satisfy them. I think it could be related to the way GenZ´s relate to technology. For us millenials, even though we learned about the use of technology in different forms while we were teens or young adults for us techonology is a tool, is an accesory, I like being in online communities and learn, but for me that is not an extension of myself and is not a substitute of my real-life connections. For GenZ´s is like an extension of themselves, and it seems that some of them are not able to make profound human connections outside social networks and internet, maybe is because they just don´t know how.
I also find it hard to relate to members of my generation. I’m the “old man” in the room, and that’s simply due to different life experience. Had to grow up early in my life, take care of people, do work, etc., so I’m not exactly “hip with the kids”.
I still feel the crippling loneliness though, even though I’ve spent most of my social life alone. My fault for getting a taste of someone who actually cares, because now I want to be around some people. I want hope.
@@ColdBaltBlue hang in there brother. You’ll soon see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know it’s tough, but everything happens for a reason. Our loneliness is only a phase of preparation for the next stage in life. Without darkness, there is no light. Stay strong bro 💪. I know it hurts but we’ll push through.
personally i think the answer is returning to "tribe" social circles.
there are enough people that want to find others like them and i think we might be getting to the point where these people will start searching for eachother and may end up trying to buy land together to carve a path as a group instead of a family or individual unit.
Damn this actually sounds like a good idea
"Buy land" Kek, not in this economy
Last time that happens the government stepped in and burned everyone alive.
Never forget Ruby Ridge... They'll do it again.
Of course my earlier comment only applies to being able to find other people like me. I'm such an extremist that it's essentially proven impossible
It just sounds like the beginning of a cult, but for sure it'd be a cool one lol
We shouldn't shield ourselves and learn to adapt to being alone. We need to connect more because it is killing my generation. We're lonely and it's a self inflicted wound.
Yes he is giving terrible advice. You can’t be the biggest entity in your life
Yeah completely agree, tricking yourself to think it’s ok has to be the worst possible solution to this, all it would lead to is more loneliness since no matter what we do there’s no changing the fact that deep down we still need social connections
@@peppr115 that would be one big en-titty then
@@peppr115 Yeah I understand, from what your saying I was in a very similar situation a couple years ago and I felt the same way, I still kind of do to an extent but still. Anyway I dunno it’s hard to explain but as much as online socialization works it’s just not as good as the real thing, there’s just something special about physically being with people and actually hearing and seeing them that can’t be replicated or replaced with online socialization. You get what I mean? Online’s missing some things so I feel it doesn’t really count as much, while you’re still socializing you don’t get as much satisfaction from it since it feels less tangible, less real to you.
The lack of community it's been hitting me hard, I've never in my life tried harder to approach and make friends or just to keep people in my life and it's just not working out, but how do you explain people that community is essential without sounding desperate while u do
Yea man, We have failed Gen Z. 90% of them are so detached from reality its crazy they think they are in a UA-cam video at all times.
Hey Cole! Been watching you for a few years and this might be my favorite video you made. I try to stand out in my generation and especially from what I’ve seen at college, and it’s pretty spectacular to see when you do things differently than the 99% of your college town you’re singled out as “weird” but you know what your doing is right and it’s helping you. Not many people practice self care in my town so it’s weird when someone does, but you know what your doing is only going to benefit you.
Great content as always man 💪🏻
Great going my bro. You'd have the same people trying to stand out and do things differently when they hit their 30s and 40s. They say "schools are all about fitting in and life is all about standing out".
Keep going man, glad I could help
Me too! I’m on my self-improvement channel, trying to improve myself as well as others.
After 20 years alone in dark quiet rooms with migraines every day I can attest to your message. However, take care not to go too far and begin to lose interest in social experiences altogether bc that too is part of the delicacy of reality.
If you feel that you have no purpose, then make something your purpose. Purpose is chosen not necessarily given