By Shazia Majale,
We’ve defined them by two words; social media. In other aspects we know them as lazy, rogue or party animals.
Their coming of age was nothing short of an uprising. In their numbers, they bellowed and reckoned the political regime bullies.
With songs, poetry, Artificially generated posts and TikTok videos across social media, they joined the rest of Kenyans in protesting the unpopular 2024-2025 Finance Bill.
The Good
The videos they make on social media entertain us all. They advertise, sensitize, have fun and make money while at it.
The millennial have caught the swing of it and are making the most of it too. We know them as the mental health advocates, not taking insolence for any reason.
They have lived with gadgets and the internet from childhood. They have a sense of what is acceptable and unacceptable and know how to articulate these with no gray areas.
Work is fun for them and they live by the I can’t kill myself slogan. It is what it is isn’t for them and the feel good vibes doesn’t stop them from delivering when needed to.
The Disputed
With change, everything along its path gets rippled. When Gen Z have a totally new culture, the millennials are struggling to keep up. We embrace what we can and what we can’t label.
What we called sick days are now mental health days, only they’re more unpredictable than the TikTok challenges, 9 to 5s’ are now obsolete and working from home is in.
Breathing down one’s neck to deliver by deadlines is being toxic. As long as work is delivered on time, how it is done shouldn’t be a reason to twist one’s nose out of shape.
Getting drunk to a stupor is a reserve of the millennials as alcohol free drinks become more appreciated.
Between their work culture, dressing choices, their idea of fun and everything else, a lot still leaves a sour taste for those used to doing things the way the world thought it should.
Their preferences leave one with a lot to desire.
The unexpected
Liberty loves surprises for a companion and the Gen Z sure did take us all by surprise with their activism. No one expected they’d be the face of the protests when the call to object the finance bill was made.
They showed up and gave hope to the fearful. The courage of those in the first day made more show up than could be anticipated and the mantle officially passed on to them by the public.
A good thing knowing the country’s future is being watched over and those thought most ignorant are actually involved. Safe to say all hope isn’t lost.
With such responsibility though there may creep in delusions of grandeur. We might have emboldened a whole generation into mercurial tendencies.
However, being of seminal age, with the right guidance from the right people then Gen Z are exactly what this country needs if we are to see drastic changes in governance.
The Gen Z’s will be here for a while and with the generation Alpha hot in their heels, the mantle will most definitely pass on.
Embracing the Changes, learning from the older generations, keeping all generations involved and interested may not be easy but a good step to ensure no one is left behind as we keep on evolving.
