Opinion – Ronaldo Lemos: Forget generation Z: the generation that is emerging is the generation of paralysis

There’s something wrong. The world has become an inhospitable place for young people. Those between 15 and 35 are not in an enviable situation, both from an economic and social point of view.

Lack of employment, lack of prospects for social mobility and a growing existential void characterize a new type of youth. Forget marketers like “millennials” or “Gen Z” who just want to sell something or sugarcoat the pill. The generation that is emerging is actually the paralysis generation.

The phenomenon is visible in several parts. For example, China is experiencing the growth of the generation called Tang Ping (躺平). The term means “to lie down” and refers to a contingent of young people whose main motto in life is to do nothing. The idea is to refuse to work or study and simply let time pass.

One of the problems is that this posture has been adopted by young people between 18 and 30 years old. This is precisely the moment when a person builds relationships and creates professional bases that can serve as a lifelong support.

The phenomenon has recently worsened with the emergence of the Bai Lan (摆烂) generation. The term means “to let it rot”. And it indicates exactly that, not only doing nothing, but also a desire for the condition of life to go downhill and go off the rails.

The phenomenon is not specific to China. Brazil has been dealing for years with the problem of the Nem-Nem generation, who neither study nor work. In Brazil, the number of members of this generation is double that of developed countries, according to OECD data. In 2020 there were about 36% of people aged between 18 and 24 without a job and without any educational activity. In the OECD average, this percentage is 15%.

This phenomenon leads to alienation, loneliness, social breakdown and loss of meaning. Much of this free time can be occupied by social media, considering that this generation does not have a job, job or school, but has an intact attention span, which can be captured by digital content.

A survey conducted in the United States of people between the ages of 23 and 38 revealed that 22% of respondents said they had “zero friends”; 27% said they had no close friends and 30% said they live with a permanent feeling of loneliness.

Another expression also originating in China describes another dimension of this phenomenon: “strawberry generation”. A contingent of young people who seek to stand out or make a living by projecting their personal image. But like a strawberry, they can be nice to look at but are easy to crush. They have no real control.

That’s the paradox. In a time of hyperconnection through social media, people are more disconnected than ever. Anyone who interacts with a social media feed actually interacts with ghosts. None of that concerns you directly. It is a form of communication that serves more to deceive and disintegrate than to create human bonds that are real and lasting.

It’s over Generation X

Already Millennials and Generation Z

It’s coming Alpha Generation