How Gen-Z Uses Humor as a Coping Mechanism?

Source- Memegenerator

‘The only thing your generation does is make memes’,

‘Stop acting childish and immature!’,

‘Your generation is just lazy and spoiled!’

As a part of generation Z, I have come across all such statements that the previous generations, aka. The millennials and Gen X, have talked about. Out of all the generations, it can be argued that our generation can turn any serious situation into a laughable gig. Be it, a famous actor slapping a comedian at one of the most prominent award nights, or a war between countries, we do not leave any opportunity to make memes and throw a laugh at them.

Sometimes, though one can’t help but question, if we are just re-sharing these memes as a way to distract ourselves from the bigger issues or have, they become the very means to protect ourselves from these bigger issues? 

According to a survey conducted in a high school, it was found that 65.1% of the students consider memes as a coping mechanism, and this does not seem unreasonable. Being born at a time, when the financial crisis, rising costs of living and education, climate crisis, and one of the deadliest pandemics, have occurred, it is a matter of the question of how our generation was supposed to cope with these situations which have impacted our growing ages dreadfully.

Why Gen Z’s Humor is so Different

Every generation has its own style of humour; however, it can arguably be said that out of all the generations, Gen Z has had the most distinct and absurd humour. Gen Z who was born between 1997 and 2012, is the generation who was completely exposed to the internet, which impacted not only their culture but also their humour.

Growing up in the internet age not only allows for a collective understanding of the issues around the world but also creates a collective attitude towards them. Gen Zs are avid technology users who are fluent in making memes and sharing them on the internet. And this aspect of their life is how makes their humour so different from the other generations.

The phenomenon of meme culture reflects the generation itself. This generation can laugh about a traumatizing real-world problem as a way to make it more digestible, but when it comes to jokes about racial stereotypes or homophobia, it is least expected that a Gen Z would react to it by laughing. They have grown in an era where people have stood for themselves, and they expect that they should also respect each and every community in the society, no matter how different they are. 

Source- TheMcKendreereview

Why Use Humor as a Coping Mechanism

In recent years, generation Z has risen to be the loneliest and most anxiety-stricken generation. According to a study conducted by the American Psychological Association, it was found that Generation Z had the least chances, out of the other generations, to report good mental health. Feelings of instability and disillusionment surround the present and the future of this generation. 

However, Gen Z has found a mechanism to cope with these feelings: humour, and in this digitalized age, there is an apparent reliance on viral internet memes and TikTok videos, that can be considered as a way to relate, communicate and bond with others who are a part of this generation.

Normalization and the spread of dark humour, which embraced the collective helplessness of this generation, have become an inherent part of it. This generation seems to adopt the absurd and nihilistic humour of the millennials by throwing some light on the current state of affairs of the world in a gentle manner.

Source- Medium

Gen Z’s urge to share information on current political and social issues comes from a feeling of outrage and helplessness, that this generation has to suffer due to the current state of the world. Gen Zs have grown up facing the horrors of mass shootings, separation and deportation of immigrant families, rising sexual harassment reports, the 2008 financial crisis, the 2019 pandemic, and the list still continues.

Even though the 2008 financial crisis impacted the lifestyles and attitudes of the millennial generation, they still grew up to adapt to their struggles primarily because the event occurred during their teenage and adulthood. Unlike the millennials, however, the Gen Z generation has grown up to observe these horrifying events, that have clearly impacted them to the core.

This constant exposure to stressful situations is reflected in their humour as well. They relish in dark and self-deprecating humour, making light of the sufferings and hardships of the world, that they know are inevitable. Humour, can thus be seen as a small attempt that the people of this generation can use, to make their sufferings slightly more bearable.

Conclusion

Now, even though the other generations may question the absurdity in Gen Z’s humour, there is no doubt that these memes reflect the optimism of this generation, who seeks to see a positive change in the world. This generation questions the wrong and understands that there is much to be done to correct these wrongs.

By joking about serious issues such as mental illnesses, it has made it more acceptable in society to talk about these issues and seek help for them. By making such jokes on issues that are out of our control, humour acts as a defensive mechanism, that protects our feelings of anxiety and depression from being bottled up.

But no matter what the other generations have to say, humour has become a significant part of our generation which helps to voice our opinions and redefine the ways we communicate and connect with each other. With the right amount of moderation, this generation has created a new way to cope with this unpredictable world.

Written by Paridhi Aggarwal