Gen Z and the dynamics of democratic engagement, Pg8

Key Highlights:

• Gen Z (born roughly 1997-2012) is emerging as a source of hope for democracy amid global backsliding.
• In 2024 in Bangladesh and 2025 in Nepal, Gen Z spearheaded protests challenging regimes around issues like corruption and accountability.
• Gen Z protests are more sporadic and episodic compared to organized movements like the farmers' movement (2020-24).
• Market and technology are integral to Gen Z's identity, challenging traditional identities like caste and religion.

Detailed Insights:

• Gen Z recalibrates ethics, values, and social practices, differing from previous generations, making their views initially difficult to understand.
• Gen Z combines radical individualism and social indifference with less prejudice, believing the 'personal is political' but the 'political is not personal'.
• This generation operates as exemplars rather than emissaries, emphasizing living practically and resisting being preached to, which complicates collective struggles.
• Gen Z is more comfortable expressing views on virtual platforms than in physical interactions, impacting the nature of protests and democratic futures.
• Gen Z is the first self-confident generation in post-independent India but also the most anxious, resulting from social democratization and disappearing economic opportunities.
• Mental health issues are pronounced in Gen Z, who are more open to counseling and therapy, contrasting with previous generations' handling of emotional trauma.
• The precarity of Gen Z is reflected in its fragmented involvement with democratic events, influenced by a sense of "mental despair" in toxic workplaces.
• Gen Z's engagement with technology and information can contribute to hyper-nationalism and the propagation of rhetoric about a glorious past.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Social Democratization: The spread of democratic values and practices within a society.
• Hyper-nationalism: Extreme form of nationalism characterized by a belief in the superiority of one's own country.
• Precarity: The state of existence in which material resources and social support are lacking or inconsistent.