The Fearless Generation?

Many of us fear the unknown, that which is “other” or foreign to us. However, in our present information age, there is little that is actually unknown. Through Google, nearly every question can be answered with a few clicks, and information is available at our fingertips. This is the world that Generation Z was born into and grew up in.

For this reason, many of the common fears of older generations are no longer concerns for Generation Z. Take internet safety: As a Millennial, I was often told by my teachers and parents to be aware of “stranger danger” on the internet. I should never give out any personal information online such as my name or where I lived, and I should only talk to people online that I also knew in real life. The internet was new and we feared the many unknowns about the World Wide Web, such as who was on the other side of the chat room. Generation Z does not share these fears, often revealing private details about their lives and engaging frequently with strangers on the other side of the world.

Similarly, older generations feared the unknowns of the “other” when it came to people of different races, nationalities, ethnicities, or sexualities. This is no longer the case for Generation Z. Besides being the most racially and ethnically diverse generations to have been born, they are comfortable taking on human rights causes such as Black Lives Matter and racial equality. They are comfortable discussing human sexuality and likely know someone who is a member of the LGBTQ community. The members of minority populations are not “other” to Generation Z, they are not people to be feared. They are their friends, their neighbors, their family members, themselves.

But just because Gen Z has access to loads of information and does not fear the “other” or stranger, this does not mean that they are a fearless generation. In fact, quite the opposite is true. This ease of access to information has actually led to increased anxiety through information overload for Generation Z. Through social media, the constant news cycle, and the endless stream of cell phone alerts, they know about every natural disaster, political upheaval, economic crisis, viral outbreak, celebrity scandal, and civil war—whether it’s five miles away or on the other side of the world.

For example, according to an October 2018 study conducted by the American Psychological Association, 75% of Gen Z youth report mass shootings and school shootings as a significant source of stress. Between their own digital access and stories of gun violence dominating the news, Generation Z teens hear about every school shooting. Through social media, Generation Z even has the ability to view cell phone pictures and video footage of the tragic events as they happen in real time.

While the spread of information can result in needed change—such as to gun reform laws and school safety policies—does it come at the expense of also creating anxiety and exposing a generation to information overload? Maybe there is such a thing as having too much information.

While the unknown may be gone for Generation Z, their fear is not. However, there are ways to manage anxiety and prevent information overload, such as setting screen time limits and turning off push notifications. While they may not be a fearless generation, Generation Z is pushing us to find out more instead of to be scared of the unknown.