Humor: The Gen Z Version
BY SIVAPRIYA MARIMUTHU '23
Every day, humans use various coping mechanisms, ranging from journaling to binge-eating, to battle a dangerous monster—stress. However, Gen Z is unique; composed of 1.2 billion teens, our generation has mastered dark humor. Often, teenagers casually joke about death and mental health without a second thought. Though others view us as immature and callous, we simply cannot help ourselves. Humor has subconsciously become Gen Z’s coping mechanism; we shut our issues out, downplaying them to mere memes and TikToks. Rather than addressing our problems and their detrimental impacts, we deem them unimportant, reducing their significance with silly statements. This problematic behavior has prompted the creation of thousands of memes and TikToks about climate change, the Capitol Hill riots, COVID-19, and the 2020 presidential election. Through laughter, Gen Z represses their emotions, gradually normalizing poor mental health and leaving troubling current events unaddressed.
Technology has increasingly fueled Gen Z’s dangerous humor. Today, kids are handed electronic devices at an extremely young age. Early exposure to the internet impairs children’s emotional development and interpretation of what is “normal.” Additionally, the influx of internet users has initiated a massive increase in meme culture. Memes have become integral to Gen Z’s language and impacted their perception of the world. Unfortunately, said memes are often self-deprecating. Although they address prominent issues, memes reduce an issue’s importance by deeming it as silly and inconsequential.
In 2019, TikTok skyrocketed to fame. On this app, influencers and creators upload content that can go viral in seconds. Lots of viewers browse through these videos and are easily influenced by the self-deprecating humor. Recently, the “It’s the [insert subject of disapproval] for me” trend ruled TikTok. Though meant as a joke, this trend has serious repercussions. When humorizing one’s personal struggle, it becomes easier to neglect the emotional distress one has experienced. Instead of respecting others for overcoming or persisting through their problems, we’ve created a culture where we treat our issues as humorous or “cool,” rather than something to confront or improve.
When dealing with intense pressure and stress, it is easy to laugh off our issues instead of crafting tangible coping mechanisms. Laughter helps us confront our fears and clear up headspace. Gen Z uses humor as a form of defense, thinking it permanently eliminates their problems. However, this type of comedy is a band-aid solution; though it allows Gen Z to disengage from the problem, the fix is only temporary. This humor disastrously crowds out introspection and growth and has evolved into a ubiquitous coping mechanism that embraces constant negativity as an acceptable part of living over time. Unfortunately, it has even become extremely common to joke about suicide and self-harm.
Of course, Gen Z's humor is not always detrimental. By touching on once-taboo topics such as mental health, we also break past stigmas and start new conversations. Reinforcing depression and anxiety does not mean we reduce self-worth; rather, we have created a more open-minded culture where people feel less restricted by society’s strict beliefs. Though often self-deprecating, Gen Z’s honest humor demonstrates that no one is alone.
Right now, self-deprecating humor has become second nature for Gen Z. It’s too late to reverse that, but we can set boundaries. By drawing a line between detrimental and constructive humor, we can build a safer society. What’s more, through acknowledging that not being okay is okay, we can reflect on our lives to take positive and helpful steps with a composed mind.
Technology has increasingly fueled Gen Z’s dangerous humor. Today, kids are handed electronic devices at an extremely young age. Early exposure to the internet impairs children’s emotional development and interpretation of what is “normal.” Additionally, the influx of internet users has initiated a massive increase in meme culture. Memes have become integral to Gen Z’s language and impacted their perception of the world. Unfortunately, said memes are often self-deprecating. Although they address prominent issues, memes reduce an issue’s importance by deeming it as silly and inconsequential.
In 2019, TikTok skyrocketed to fame. On this app, influencers and creators upload content that can go viral in seconds. Lots of viewers browse through these videos and are easily influenced by the self-deprecating humor. Recently, the “It’s the [insert subject of disapproval] for me” trend ruled TikTok. Though meant as a joke, this trend has serious repercussions. When humorizing one’s personal struggle, it becomes easier to neglect the emotional distress one has experienced. Instead of respecting others for overcoming or persisting through their problems, we’ve created a culture where we treat our issues as humorous or “cool,” rather than something to confront or improve.
When dealing with intense pressure and stress, it is easy to laugh off our issues instead of crafting tangible coping mechanisms. Laughter helps us confront our fears and clear up headspace. Gen Z uses humor as a form of defense, thinking it permanently eliminates their problems. However, this type of comedy is a band-aid solution; though it allows Gen Z to disengage from the problem, the fix is only temporary. This humor disastrously crowds out introspection and growth and has evolved into a ubiquitous coping mechanism that embraces constant negativity as an acceptable part of living over time. Unfortunately, it has even become extremely common to joke about suicide and self-harm.
Of course, Gen Z's humor is not always detrimental. By touching on once-taboo topics such as mental health, we also break past stigmas and start new conversations. Reinforcing depression and anxiety does not mean we reduce self-worth; rather, we have created a more open-minded culture where people feel less restricted by society’s strict beliefs. Though often self-deprecating, Gen Z’s honest humor demonstrates that no one is alone.
Right now, self-deprecating humor has become second nature for Gen Z. It’s too late to reverse that, but we can set boundaries. By drawing a line between detrimental and constructive humor, we can build a safer society. What’s more, through acknowledging that not being okay is okay, we can reflect on our lives to take positive and helpful steps with a composed mind.
