This week I did more research on anxiety and social media. Social media didn’t invent FOMO, so I wanted to know how previous generations understood FOMO and what made them feel anxious when they were 18-20 years old. I conducted interviews with my parents and grandparents, trying to find some cultural connection at that age.

Both my parents were in college when they were 18 when flared trousers and Nike trainers were the most popular. They were unattainable for my parents, and they said they probably had to save up for two to three years before they could afford them. So not having enough money was the main thing that made them anxious, but they said the more popular something was the less rooted it was, and they were more likely to spend their money on travelling than saving up for items. My dad said that his biggest ambition at that time was actually to go travelling, to be able to travel all over the country during his holidays, hoping to take in new things and broaden his horizons.

My grandparents’ time was a bit simpler. The war had just ended in China, so they were more interested in living a stable life than in pursuing new things. My dad’s parents were married by the time they were 18, and they hoped to have a house to live in and a farm to farm in. My mom’s parents were in university when they were 18 years old and their goal was also very simple, that is to study well and find a good job. Only when a stable state of existence is guaranteed will there be room to consider other interests.

Now that I’m a little too far removed from my grandparents’ era, many of these issues are no longer issues. However, I can still find common ground with Gen Z’s anxiety from my parents’ age. At the age of 18 to 20, both of them retain their curiosity about new things, and both of them feel confused about self-expression and identity. Through this interview, I think I was able to better explain my research question to others and I can look at it more objectively.

Reading List

Le Bon, G. (1895) The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind

TED. (2010) “How to Start a Movement.” www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement?language=en&subtitle=zh-cn. Accessed 3 June 2024.

The voice of the masses

In “The Crowd”, Le Bon states that “the age we are entering will, in fact, be an age of the masses.” This quote may seem to point to the phenomenon of social media where everyone has access to the free flow of comments, or the trend towards the popularisation of culture amongst the masses. Interestingly, however, this decentralisation of discourse and the “collapse of power systems” has led to the exacerbation of the difficult consequences of emerging culture.

The digital revolution has brought about social media, which seems to be a platform for group voices that mix many voices, but it is also very individualistic. Each person engages in some public comment on events while equally posting bits and pieces of private topics on their respective accounts. While commenting or retweeting certain remarks with an attitude of approval or denial, they also vent their personal subjective opinions in private space. So there is a form of individual ➡ group ➡ individual. On the other hand, the “monitoring role” played by the group makes it necessary for us to be cautious and careful to make the “right” statement.

In contrast to the days of television, the social media/online media environment is slowly removing the authority of the spokesperson from the traditional media, and this de-authorisation is accelerating the demise of some cultures.

Nowadays, commenting, liking, and re-tweeting create a positive and supportive environment, but it also accelerates our vulnerability to breakdowns, as we naturally perceive the gaze of social media as a watchful eye, forcing us to be self-reflective of our words and behaviours. We are both creators and destroyers of culture.