The Gen-Z sub-Culture
By Pat Bui
“There is some hierarchy at school, but if you surround yourself with good people… you can ignore it all.”
School is tough no matter what school you go to, what you learn - what generation you belong to. Challenges in school can almost always be seen repeating through history, yet Gen-Z’s generation of schooling has taken a whole different turn… the internet has arrived. Gen-Z, a term describing individuals born between 1997 - 2015, is so different to preceding generations because of how they grew up with the internet, social media and technology. Nowadays, it seems as though those three things basically rule a Gen-Z’s life, so how do those three things affect school? How is being a Gen-Z at school so different to the past years? Is there a hierarchy between the different year levels at school? Dahli Pestinger, a Year 10 University High School student, seems to know the answer.
Growing up with the internet and social media, Dahli Pestinger is a prime example of a Gen-Z. Although there are many different opinions of this generation, Dahli’s definition of a Gen-Z is simply “someone who has access to the internet - trends - and is up to date”. However, when present in the news and media, stereotypes of Gen-Zs are brought up most often: “They think we’re addicted to our phones, and we might have mental illnesses because of this.” Past generations often like to point out how technology has come to create impossible challenges for teenages, such as cyber-bullying and online peer-pressure; Dahli admits to this, however, she reckons Gen-Z’s ability to adapt due to the difference between a Gen-Z’s childhood and their teenagehood has pretty much got them covered. “You know, we grew up with CDs and cassette tapes; most of our childhood was way before the big technological update, but suddenly we started growing up with the internet. From this we’ve experienced both sides of life; one without the internet and one with, and we’ve become very strong from that.” So that’s why Gen-Z is so different.
When linking her experience as a Gen-Z to school, she says her biggest challenge as a Gen-Z doesn’t actually have anything to do with the internet or technology at all. “It’s hard balancing social life and school. In class you want to do your work but you also want to talk to your friends - they’re right beside you.” Guess the problems Gen-Zs faces in school are just the same with every other generation - they just want to socialise! Is there really any difference between our generation and other generations at all? “No.” Dahli blatantly states. “Not much, only the internet really. The education system is still so old fashioned, nothing’s changed much.”
So are there really any prominent challenges a Gen-Z faces in school at all? Is there really a difference that sets apart Gen-Z from other generations? Is there a difference or a hierarchy between them and the teachers and the older students? Is there any Gen-Z sub-culture at Uni High at all!? “Everyone is respectful and welcoming, so there isn’t a gap at all, even with year levels. People from older year levels also end up mixing with younger year levels, and vice versa, if they feel like it, and honestly it’s not a big deal at all. I don’t think we’re that different. Honestly... if you surround yourself with good people, you won’t have to care about all that, and you’ll just ignore it. ”