My generation is so weird man, I’m in college and my peers are all very strange individuals. Let me begin by saying that I am a social individual and have had many friends, relationships, and social experiences. But ever since the pandemic something about my generation has been very off. I have made new friends this year that are at least somewhat cool and social, and we all agree that our classes are very antisocial. People seem to lack basic social skills, social awareness, and stare into their phones all day. The girlfriends I’ve had were all super addicted to their phones and TikTok and it was kinda annoying in a relationship dynamic.
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Yup, I hate it. All my friends are constantly on their phones on snapchat and tik tok. I see people walking around campus with their head in their phone watching videos. I’m gen Z as well and I don’t understand how these people are so addicted to social media
Dude I feel the same way as you. I started to wonder am I the weird one or did things actually change. My whole life I’ve had many friends as well but college is pretty isolating. People are very distant and it kinda puts me off when I try to talk to them. But, I met people through clubs. Im not rly into frats much but clubs worked for me. Classes are kinda dead. Everyone’s on their phones or have earbuds in. Im glad to find out im not the only one thinking this!
Ayo pls help, what are u looking for in a friend? What kinda humor do u enjoy? What do u talk abt? How important is body language to u, how do you read it, and what do u feel is “supportive” body language? Thanks 😋
people are traumatized and the youth that had to live through the pandemic were developmentally stunted.
don’t do the boomer thing of “theyre addicted to their phones and that damn TikTok”. There are very real systemic issues and I dont think people are okay, to a very large degree.
it’s a developing problem all across the glove. During the pandemic people stayed at their house and spent a huge number of their time on social medias and streaming apps. Now, even though the pandemic has ended but the habit of people isn’t changing.
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They are. I can see it with kids in my family. 15-25 year old kids on family parties stare into phone entire time. Sometimes they even message each other.
I don’t notice the same in Europe here. If anything most of the people I know are using their mobile devices less and less. But I might live in a bubble
Well, this weird millennial understands & supports ya’ll Gen-Z. You’ll figure it out 🫶
You’d be shocked at the social change that happened in the 1990s. In the early 1990s all of the kids went out to play much like the movie [The Sandlot](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108037). (Great movie btw.) Back then if someone chose to stay inside and read books instead of go out they were called a “hermit” and something must be wrong with them. I remember PSAs about how hermits aren’t bad people. Then the news was deregulated and fake news started with a serial killer scare reporting kids being kidnapped all over the country. (As well as cults abducting kids and a Dungeons and Dragons scare.) Parents all over the US started locking their kids up inside. If you wanted to socialize now you had to invite someone over or be invited over. Life was inside your house or at school. Freedom was removed. This drastically changed how kids were raised and has caused loads of psychological issues across the US. (This issue doesn’t exist in most or all European countries today.) Ofc your generation is socially wrecked. The Millennials and the Gen Alpha too. This is why.
Then the internet popped up and social spaces popped up online. Gen Z got some of the socializing back, but it’s imo kind of messed up. It’s a husk of what it once was.
Today if kids go out on their own their parents can be reported as endangering their children. If freedom to go outside is still taboo, one such solution is a generation of kids that grow up with VR Chat. It can start to look like what it did for for previous generations again.
I’m a millennial and have dated gen-x, millennial’s and gen-z, and the phone addiction with gen-z is way beyond. Gen-alpha will be even worse, they’ve had ipads from before they had teeth.
It’s never ending and won’t stop. Smartphones and social media apps made it worse. It’s to the point I don’t even try to make eye contact with people in public and I’m not addicted to my phone.
Had someone arguing with me today that the lockdowns don’t count as wasting young peoples lives for three years, because they had skype.
As if three year olds would rather look at a picture of a park than play with it. As though a 20 year old wants to do teams monopoly instead of ploughing his way through the local pub.
Wherever you stand on lockdowns, two things can be true – and one of those is that lockdowns destroyed people’s social lives. There does not need to be any caveat, that is just a plain and simple fact. Many are still struggling to get back their social skills (I myself am so different than I was).
The people I work with your age are all so social. I feel left out.
Wait till you’re deep in the workforce. Mixing with older generations and then you age and have a weird incoming generwtion you don’t remotely relate to.
I’m 35. And agree about gen z.
Do you mind- can you describe the approach your parents took with you?
I may ask some follow up questions, but I want avoid leading questions.
Covid changed me and I lost all my social skills. I’m working on getting them back, but it’s a slow process😩 It’s not you.
I know right. Legit, people were all on their phones and no one is talking to each other. I mean, I feel like I would be the same but I’m trying to be on my phone less. Why is nobody talking to anyone anymore?
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I don’t think it’s just gen z. Im gen x/y and moved to a new place 4 years ago. I was just starting to make a few acquaintances when the pandemic hit and still have zero friends here. I’m also on my phone waaay more than I used to be so that is a contributing factor
I’m GenZ too and in college. I deleted my social media a year ago, and whenever someone asks me for my social media, I’ll tell them that. Most of the time when this happens, they’ll follow up asking, “Why did I delete it?” I’ll usually say that social media is irrelevant to me, and so I deleted it. Then sometimes, someone will criticize me for not having it and say something like, “bRo, yA GoTTa sTaY uP To dATe!” Well yeah, I’ll stay up to date when I read my news reports and read Reddit. I cringe when I know someone is glued to their phone 24.7. Seriously, there’s far far more to life than stupid social media. That’s why I’m off it because I’d rather be living my own peacefully without anyone blowing me up or stalking me. Social media is a plague to the brains of humanity.
as an elder millennial i tend to think Gen-Z is weird, but then i just remember how my boomer parents thought everything i did and said was ridiculous and then i realize you guys aren’t weird, im just old.
You’ve hit the nail on the head with this! It drives me nuts to see a bunch of people just staring at their phones when there is so much opportunity to talk. When I was on campus I’d keep the phone in the pocket, maybe have 1 AirPod in but music volume would be low and I’d jump into casual conversations with people. I kind of lucked out being an older gen Z so I almost exclusively socialize with millennials now.
The last year of my high school was virtual and I honestly think it set back my social skills so far back for freshman year of college
Gen Z here.
When I was in high school (late 2010s,) I noticed more and more people on their phones in class. People weren’t talking to each other as much as they were when I was in elementary school.
Then the pandemic happened. This appeared to mess everyone up. People in public became ruder.
Now it’s 2024, and I’m working in a warehouse. I’ve noticed new hires who are constantly on their phones instead of working. I’ve noticed a lot of quiet people. I’ve noticed some old people are more willing to talk to people than younger people.
I honestly don’t get the obsession with phones.
Yeah this is what social media/phones has done. Your generation knows nothing else..scary
Bro I’ve noticed this too it’s the strangest thing lol, I’m in college and the classes are always quiet. The professors says you can work together and everyone is still quiet and awkward. I hate to see it man. No none really follows up, they would rather you add each other on social media but not actually have a relationship in real life.
Because nobody wanna be bothered with y’all lol
Honestly, I’m convinced the pandemic impacted our social skills. I definitely noticed mine had degraded after spending so long isolated from everyone.
Myself and many of my peers missed the end of school and the first year or two of uni – times where you’re supposed to be social and develop those skills further.