Unscripted and Raw Generation Z
On the evening of February 1, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke for nearly 90 minutes to an audience of over 120k live viewers through her Instagram page. (Many more thousands have since viewed the replay.) This live stream event was not scripted and not produced, nor was it scheduled ahead of time. A couple of times, her phone even fell down in the middle of the broadcast. Yet through her candid, passionate, and often emotional story-telling, her viewers—many of whom are Generation Zers or Millennials like herself—were captivated. Ocasio-Cortez, or “AOC,” frequently utilizes the Instagram Live feature, and she has built her platform around being open, real, and accessible to her constituents.
Younger generations including Generation Z especially value authenticity and “rawness.” They are drawn to these unscripted and intimate moments, where they can “sneak a peek” into the lives of their favorite politicians, celebrities, athletes, or social media influencers. Gen Zers much prefer an experience or interaction that is real, rather than one that is overproduced and disingenuous. They are willing to overlook minor flaws in lighting, sound, or production value if they feel that they have been met with vulnerability and true connection.
In many ways, the Covid-19 pandemic has broken down many of the physical and personal barriers we tend to put up around ourselves to inhibit vulnerability and authenticity. We have gotten used to working from our unclean homes in our sweats with unkempt hair and make-up-less faces. Our friends and colleagues all understand our struggles in sharing a living and working space with roommates, spouses, pets, and children. We have all become familiar with Zoom meetings, online conferences, and digital gatherings and the technical difficulties that inevitably ensue. Not everything has to be neat and tidy and pulled together.
Due to the pandemic, we have also become more accepting of true connection on an emotional level as well. We all acknowledge that we are not living our “best lives” right now, and that is ok! We are more willing to make space for others’ faults and imperfections, and we hope others are able to look past our own.
But what about after the pandemic is over? Will we continue to embrace vulnerability and openness with one another? Or will we once again move back into a world where perfection is valued over realness and rawness?
What about the church? What can we learn from AOC and the pandemic? Perhaps, the church would be wise to remember that not everything needs to be highly polished and overly produced for Generation Z to engage with it. Rather, Generation Z most values openness, accessibility, and true connection in their worship experience. They want to come away from church feeling like they encountered something authentic and real; they don’t want to walk away with simply the experience of being entertained.
For the sake of younger generations, we need to live into a spirit of unscripted vulnerability and authentic community, even if it means sacrificing our plans, scripts, and production value.