The Plight of Gen Z - Now Trending (Throughout Eternity)
Some musings on the TikTok ban
I feel for all humanity. When you look back at history, there is a pattern of abuse, a lack of accountability, and a repeat of bad behavior no matter the empire, pretty much in each and every era.
Sure it’s not 24/7, there is still a great deal of good in people and overall beauty found in life. But we need to cultivate the ability to appreciate beauty more than ever because somehow, somewhere, some alot of the time, the phrases:
“F*ckin sh!t show.”
“Bat sh!t crazy.”
And “Dumpster Fire” or “Level 10 Clusterf*ck” don’t seem to capture the fullness of the overwhelm and the exhaustion that pops up with all of that through each life.
But all that said, I feel for Gen Z. We’re on the cusp of losing TikTok, which speaks to many generations, but think about it, the Gen Z kids, who live life where all they know is digital, have already lost Vine and Twitter, well, we kind of all lost Vine and Twitter but I digress bc imagine losing these extensions of your cyborg self that serve as enhancements and in some cases, replacements, for comunication.
When Friendster (remember that?) slowed down, everyone in the clurb went to MySpace, and the same can be said about Facebook, Instagram, and now TikTok.
Okay, sure, there’s Pinterest and Snap, but TikTok, was kind of like the thing that allowed Gen Z a bit of hope. So many people who got Facegram and Instabook or whatever Belichick said all those years back had no clue what TikTok was.
I was one of them. But over time, I really came to see and appreciate why TikTok was so glorious.
TikTok teaches you things and this was like a front row seat to really get to learn about different generations. Front and center was Gen Z, the cool kids at the digital mall, while we all shopped there.
And Gen Z taught us all about rizz, how much this is giving that, and not to mention all performance art to trending sounds and dance trends.
So many dance trends.
I leave the house and can’t go anywhere without it feeling like a Fortnite lobby.
People just be emoting left and right.
And in the same day I’ve seen a guy on a motorcycle wearing a tactical backpack and Pikachu helmet walking out of the elevator as I enter said elevator with the DoorDash/Uber Eats Bradah with dreads that look like a crown, in Naruto’s gi, and rocking a grip of crystal rings giving so much Thanos (Marvel Thanos not Squid Game) his aura had a Madden Rating of 98.
I might not be fluent in Gen Z but TikTok allowed me to learn about Gen Z, to see and feel their humanity, even if my growth and place on the life map is a different generation.
Speaking of which…
Depending on who you ask, what study they’ve read and/or subscribe too, I fit:
Gen X
Millenial
The Lost Generation between both of those
Xennial, a nice way to acknowledge that we don’t have a home
The Oregon Trail Generation (I missed that btw but played Where in the World is Carmen San Diego)
and my personal favorite, Geriatric Millenial.
And for every person out there who tells me I look 10-15 years depending on the day, let me just say, thank you, but alas, it’s true, I’m somewhere all of the above.
I’ve probably missed a few but being assigned to like 17 different generations, micro-generations, and sub-communities in the generation, and not to mention being a mixed-race person, I feel for anyone who might be confused at all the mass f*ckery that takes place in life while you’re just trying to grow up, find fulfillment, your purpose, which is where Gen Z finds itself.
I remember trying to understand and balance juxtaposed against living with undiagnosed depression and that wasn’t a fun period of life. Add to all that while trying to juggle having a place to stay, pay a mountain of student loans, and watch prices skyrocket while you pay your dues to climb the ladder.
But f*ck all that noise, there was TikTok!
TikTok was a place where GenZ could be seen, heard, and the thing is, while it probably drove many of them a little crazy by the generations before and after, they loved it so much, they weren’t bothered if all were there.
While GenZ was starting out in life, with so much energy and fire as they created, consumed and lived for the comments, the rest of us were visitors to their digital native land. Many of us were just there to see the sites, learn, to pick up something we might have needed, and tbh, a whole lot of what we didn’t. Like consuming more cat videos.
But Gen Z shared that with us. They let us in the secret and now the government has taken a stance because they’re worried about data and propaganda. But I have to say this, as long as Gen Z has been alive, where was all this during one of the far too many data breaches we’ve all lived through. If data and privacy was so important, why do I get political messages from both parties addressed to someone named Doreen when I’ve had this number for as long as Gen Z has been alive?
The cosmic joke of this as its come to the imminent ban is all the people migrating en mass as TikTok Refugees to another Chinese app - Xiaohongshu (“little red book”) - or Red Note.
This migration is hilarious for multiple reasons.
You got Chinese people trolling hard, greeting US users as their personal Chinese Spy ready for their data while others openly welcome the interest and opportunity for their culture to get this - be seen, be heard, and be felt.
Imagine that…
Social media is still pretty young but mass communication is something humanity has been doing forever. With AI, life moving on chain, this isn’t the last innovation we’ll see.
In the end, while we potentially say goodbye to a beloved app, maybe by taking this away, we’ll regain something.
Soul embrace the change my friends of all generations because that’s life,
And oftentimes, change is an outcome of grief.
And with any loss, whether it’s this TikTok ban, or the loss of something more, that loss needs to be seen, heard, and felt.
Aloha, Light, and Love - jmaw