Why is Gen Z so depressed? And why is Gen Z quietly giving up?

In this thoughtprovoking video essay, we'll dive deep into the challenges faced by Gen Z in the Internet Age. From the adoption of smartphones to the loss of traditional metanarratives and to the distortion caused by the digital realm, we'll explore why this generation is grappling with unprecedented feelings of hopelessness.

In this video, I lean heavily on the work of Dr. Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University. Her book "Generations" is based on twentyfour datasets, some of which go back to the 1940s. They assess children, adolescents, and adults and include a staggering total of 39 million people. Nearly all of the datasets are nationally representative, meaning that respondents resemble the whole population in terms of gender, race/ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, and region of the country. Most of the data is from the U.S., but other datasets were collected in countries around the world.

If you're interested in Dr. Twenge's work or learning more about Gen Z, I've left a link to all my sources below!

▬▬ Video Chapters ▬▬
0:00 Introduction
1:05 Chapter 1: The Problem
3:11 Why Smartphones?
5:17 Chapter 2.1: Beans
8:00 Chapter 2.2 Broken Promises
13:22 Chapter 2.3: A Bigger World
16:21 Chapter 3: A (Potential) Solution
19:26 Be Here Now

▬▬ Sources ▬▬
1. "Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future" by Jean M. Twenge https://amzn.to/469GiXQ'>https://amzn.to/469GiXQ
2. "Gen Z" by XYZ University (Sarah Sladek and Alyx Grabinger)
https://www.xyzuniversity.com/wpcont...
3. "Gen Z, Explained: The Art of Living in a Digital Age" by Roberta Katz https://amzn.to/469GiXQ'>https://amzn.to/469GiXQ
4. "Generation Z is Waging a Battle Against Depression, Addiction and Hopelessness" by the Walton Family Foundation
https://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.or...
5. "Stress in America, Generation Z" by the American Psychological Association https://www.apa.org/news/press/releas...
6. https://www.theguardian.com/world/202...
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9.    • How IBM quietly pushed out 20,000 old...  
10.    • IBM 1993: The Biggest Layoffs in US H...  
11. "Mobile phone ownership over time" by Pew Research Center https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/...
12. https://qz.com/work/1663731/masslayo...
13. "Displaced Workers: Trends in the 1980s and Implications for the Future" by the United States Congressional Budget Office https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/fil...
14. "The Disposable American" by Louis Uchitelle https://amzn.to/3SI5HEW
15. "Nihilism (The MIT Press Essential Knowledge series)" by Nolen Gertz https://amzn.to/49BrjIP

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