From Our August Issue
Many have stated that Generation Z is one like no other. With recent tragedies hitting many countries and some with problems that have been ongoing for years, Gen Z has been at the head of it all by taking to social media and spreading the news as much as they can.
In this age, a good portion of the population have switched to online news coverage and distribution — and Gen Z used this to their advantage. Movements like #BlackLiveMatter and #SayTheirNames gained millions of Tweets, all filled with information on where people can sign petitions, send donations, and get informed on what’s going on around them.
In recent years, the younger generations have switched from getting information from the traditional radio and paper based news to news over social media and the internet.
“A lot of the times people don’t get the full picture because a lot of the news sources have biases towards what they feel is the real story. It’s not like that on Twitter. On Twitter you have people your age who are out there on the streets themselves witnessing what’s really going down,” states Sebastian Noisin, a North Miami resident who had gone to a protest that was held in Miami.
In recent months, Gen Z has organized multiple demonstrations and meetups, while keeping the Coronavirus in mind by wearing masks, in hopes to spark some change and justice for the many victims of police brutality and unjust systemic discrimination.
And that’s not all, the Black Lives Matter movement is not the only thing that Gen Z is spreading awareness of. From the humanitarian crisis in Yemen to the inhumane culture of human caging in ICE institutions, updates are constantly sent out every minute to shed light on the many injustices of this world.
The youth are using their voices all over platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to spread revolutionary messages and thoughts that people need to hear.
“I’ve noticed a lot of the times the news outlets would say that BLM is going out into the streets to start riots and are hurting officers when it’s the exact opposite. If I wasn’t on Twitter myself I would have believed every word with the way they are painting the movement,” Noisin continues.
Young people are creating google docs to share information, group chats to communicate meet up times, and are calling for businesses and celebrities to “open their purses” to support their causes.
These platforms that were common grounds for the birth of memes and selfies in previous years are now used by Gen Z as their meet up spot and hub for information on what’s going on in the world.
Gen Z is not on the sidelines. They are main characters fighting for their rights on the front lines.
