Gen Z, a generation born with a silver smartphone in hand, champions the intriguing duality of being engaged yet seemingly aloof – as long as the interface in question supports emojis. According to Google’s Jigsaw team, these digital natives are flipping the script on how information is consumed and trusted, preferring the fast and furious streams of data from influencers over the deep, laborious river that is traditional media. Their fact-checking? More like peer-checking on steroids, where the comment sections hold the keys to the kingdom of truth.
Though TV hasn’t died off yet, it’s only survived by adapting to the insatiable tech appetites of Gen Z-ers who binge-watch with captions while simultaneously updating three different social media feeds, because, multitasking! Apparently, attention spans are as passé as dial-up internet in the land of Gen Z. Bonnie from ‘Vampire Diaries’ might keep secrets, but these youngsters certainly don’t – keeping their thoughts and opinions well-aired in a digital echo chamber where long reads are swapped for quick memes and a thumbs up is worth a thousand words.
Despite their digital savviness, there’s a shade of concern over Gen Z’s reliance on the digital grapevine for their worldview. They’re navigating through noise and news with equal skepticism but remaining wary of mainstream media’s titanic clout. Their reliance on digital dialogue might keep them wonderfully woke, but the disconnection from traditional news sources could spell a misinformation miasma. Yet, there’s hope as their constant connectedness keeps them at the forefront of fast-paced digital evolution, potentially leading to a blend of old-school investigative rigor with their in-the-now information gathering.
**Hot Take**
I’d give this a solid Gen Z-approved ‘LOL’! But really, you can cut the cord on your TV, protect your precious newspapers, and maybe, just maybe, stash away those rotary phones gathering dust. Gen Z is here, sporting their digital armor, storming the castle of communication one swipe at a time. Watch out, ‘boomers’; it’s not just random YouTube videos they’re after — they may just debunk a myth or two while scrolling for the next viral TikTok challenge!
Original Article: https://www.techradar.com/computing/social-media/im-writing-this-because-i-know-my-gen-z-offspring-will-never-read-it-and-thats-ok