Generational Perspectives: Shaping Identities in the Digital Age

Written by Yue

Year 12 at St Andrews International School, 107

Every generation behaves differently due to the environment in which we grew up and external factors that shape our internal core values and influence behavioral patterns in each lifestyle. Without a doubt, our childhood experiences play a significant role in shaping our identity.

Technological advancements have now become an integral part of everyone's life, similar to how my generation was raised. My generation, well-known today as Gen Z, is considered quite tech-savvy, being the first generation to have 24/7 access to the internet, connected devices, and social media since birth (although still limited then). Consequently, this generation tends to have little to no difficulty in adapting to complex search engines, apps, or new innovative devices. Because of the most drastic change in technology's development during my generation, I believe Gen Z is the most flexible and least vulnerable to other external changes happening around the world.

In comparison, my parents' generation, Generation X, primarily utilizes email and the telephone to communicate. Having had rare encounters with technology devices and none with advanced modern ones during their childhood and teenage years greatly reduces their ability and speed to navigate the internet freely, despite being the first generation to grow up with personal computers and cable TVs.

For my generation, educational institutes are less strict with their students due to increased accessibility and overall acceptance. Moreover, we were raised by parents who witnessed their parents (baby boomers) struggle with overworking prior to retirement, only to be hit with severe recession. In this sense, my parents' generation highly values the ideal work-life balance in their careers. Similarly, Gen Zers also had to witness their parents cope with another recession during their childhood.

Regarding the rising social awareness that my generation has been well-taught since young, we are more inclined to be vulnerable towards jobs and products that give a sense of fulfillment. Undeniably, my generation has turned out to be the most outspoken, influenced by the growth of online platforms that allow people to express themselves limitlessly. Gen Z is the first generation to experience cyberbullying.