28/07/2026
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28/07/2026
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The lazy convenience of social media, masked as time-saving “efficiency,” has laid off the desperate need for deep-rooted cultural understanding of the world. And Gen Z, it seems, is bearing the brunt of it.
The glittering screen in our hands has mounted a wall, disconnecting our link with people. In the midst of watching reels and the back-and-forth sending of memes, the importance of learning, and as such the importance of engaging with and reading the news, has all but disappeared for the youth. Not only have their comprehension, critical thinking skills, and analytical functions been hurt, but so has their level of empathy. And the latter here is much more concerning.
The misconception that the news is exclusively a conductor of geopolitical events has discredited its true nature as a forum connecting the world and its many cultures, and providing countless interesting insights and varying perspectives. More importantly, this misconception has created a sense of isolation, disallowing the margins of our socialized environments to broaden.
In the case of Gen Z, it has kept them rooted within a narrow and limited vision of their prospects and significantly reduced the compassion they maintain for issues that otherwise do not directly concern them.
Being able to read a story regarding a harmful incident, understand not only the given details but the broader unsaid meaning behind it, is important in improving comprehension and critical thinking skills. However, the vitality of successfully establishing a sense of sympathy with those involved and affected is a basic exercise in preserving the shred of humanity that today’s otherwise nonchalant and apathetic youth seems to lack.
The active trend of responding to any and all news with humor or sarcasm as a method of coping or for reasons of lacking empathy is seen in the creation of memes regarding matters of seriousness and importance.
This was recently seen in India, where in response to the youth-led protests regarding exam paper leaks and consequent demand for accountability and a resignation from the education minister turned violent with local police striking peaceful democratic protests. While a large demographic shared their support, the insistence of some turning the gruesome event into satirical videos watered-down the inhumane treatment of brave protestors.
The creation of AI-generated videos emulating security personnel, politicians, and celebrities additionally became a popular answer to temporarily resolve the discomfort experienced by young individuals upon learning about the unfortunate event.
While many youngsters believe such acts to be a sign of solidarity, their overall discomfort in sharing vulnerability manifests in the form of shrouding the true gory sides of movements. The acceptance of social media such as instagram as their main source of information- with their algorithms boasting their preferred satirical compilations rather than the actuality of events, in lieu of news outlets has normalized the consumption of parodies and a resulting breakdown of their ability to digest the truth.
However, in the past, social media has worked as a tool in organizing these protests alongside aiding the amplification of marginalized voices, addressing human rights issues, and providing faster access to information.
It is important to note however, that the viability of this information is often contested and in turn makes the spread of false information easier.
It is a very simple thing- the only difference between us and those experiencing grievances is our luck, and our gratefulness in getting the better end of this geographical deal must manifest in the form of our respect for those on the other end of it- by reading the news, improving our ability to read between the lines, and not turning our back on the reality of things.
Therefore, we must urge the current generation of youngsters to pass on making caricatures of ongoing events and position themselves to better learn about the horrors of what their peers experience and gain the ability to respond to them in kind, with a respectful level of empathy.
by Reem Javed Baloch
