Have you ever wondered what if at the time of the Revolt of 1857, we actually had Twitter or Gmail? The cooperation between the different revolting groups across Awadh (Lucknow), Jhansi, Delhi, & Bengal would have been so different and effective. We just might have defeated the British in our first war of independence itself! Leaders of the time would love to be in our shoes, to have the opportunities we do, to live beyond the box, to be astute.
Every generation has had personalities who stood out, did things differently, changed the world whether it was through art, sports, business or leading a movement for change. These trendsetters transformed the way we live now.
Source:- https://www.drapersonline.com/insight/drapers-bespoke/gen-z-and-millennials-2020-report
Generation Z, born between the mid-1990s and mid-2010s, is rapidly becoming one of the most empowered and influential youth cohorts in history. With access to more information, technology, and communication tools than any previous generation, they are taking charge and making their voices heard in new and exciting ways.
We open social media and there is daily news which makes us feel sad, disappointed or even angry. It might be related to discrimination, animal cruelty, environmental changes, political fights and whatnot! We may consume the news, maybe share it, voice our opinion on the Instagram stories but we still feel helpless. But there is youth or also known as Generation Z who start a campaign or a movement and strive to fight for their cause with the help of social media and that at times brings us some satisfaction.
We are the first limitless generation. We don't need to make a strategy to create influence, all we need is a tweet and we figure everything as we go. We are taught to voice our opinion, to follow our passions and now for the first time, we can pursue anything we like at any given time anywhere with any identity.
Source:- https://www.istockphoto.com/illustrations/generation-z
The hurdles of past when you wanted to follow your passions have decreased, but one which is still here is judging us by our looks, judging us before even they hear what we have to say and telling us oh you’re so young you won’t have any “real world experiences” but social media helps us to voice, showcase and publish without any age discrimination. It goes beyond that, we have been programmed, we are tech savvy and we have all been developing a personal brand as soon as we got on social media. Nowadays you can see youth setting up charities, campaigns for ocean plastic, mental health, human rights, you name it Gen Z is promoting and unifying the youth on it.
Let's get back in time with the help of Google, in August 2018 a 15 year old girl skipped school and started protesting outside the Swedish Parliament against climate change and months later the campaign went worldwide, influencing millions via the internet, mobilizing thousands across the world and causing debates in parliaments all around, Greta Thunberg, a perfect example of the youth, Gen Z of today, who is willing to understand & empathize with others and stand for them, with them and take actions, either by starting campaigns and influencing the government to bring change or setting up charities or group initiatives like PURE (People for Urban & Rural Education) which started in 2016 by some high school students to help some kids to get quality education, and changed lives of 100,000+ children by 2019 itself, by installing Water ROs, giving scholarships, benches, books, digital classrooms, and more.
There has never been this much competition. What that means is if you have the ability to stand out, then whatever you are doing is special, it may be a one in a generation movement, if people are believing in it, your potential reach is infinite thanks to social media. We are often told we are dealt a perfect hand, but we haven’t, we are expected to be wise beyond our years, we are expected to be a force for good, to be global citizens all that while being ourselves. We have got a different set of challenges than what the previous generation had. But we do have the skills and opportunities at such a younger age which has never happened before.
Perhaps most importantly, Gen Z is a diverse and inclusive generation that values equity and representation. They are more likely than previous generations to embrace different identities and perspectives and are working hard to break down barriers and build a more just and equitable society. From LGBTQ+ rights to racial justice, they are pushing for a world where everyone is seen, heard, and valued.
Source:- https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/news/one-five-adult-members-gen-z-self-identifies-lgbtq-rcna36147
So Gen Z look at the leaders of our past Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, APJ Abdul Kalam Azad, Subash Chandra Bose or the modern-day leaders like Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai they all have one thing in common, passion to bring change. If you have a genuine passion for your field embrace this opportunity you have got, to live beyond the box because I have no doubt the leaders of the past would love to be in your shoes.
As the cliche states, be the change you want to see.
Written by:- Mohammad Altamash Khan
Edited by:- J Shree Nidhi
Comments