Is social media making Gen Z the most politically aware yet politically tired generation?

Imagine it’s 3 am, you are lying on your bed, scrolling social media, and suddenly you come across a video breaking down a verdict given by the top court, followed by a Facebook post about climate. The situation sounds familiar?

For Gen Z, staying updated and informed is not a conscious choice anymore, but it’s like background noise. Everything for Gen Z is just a scroll away, making them hyper-aware of things.

Yet, being more aware about things and more educated on the issues globally than the millennial generation, Gen Z is also feeling tired, exhausted, and burnt out.

Let’s take a look at what is happening here and break down what’s fuelling this paradox.

If you are Gen Z, there are chances that you have grown up with headlines about protests, the economy, politics, school shootings, crimes, and whatnot. And all of them, while scrolling Instagram or watching explainer videos on YouTube or other social media applications.

Gen Z does not only scroll, read, or support causes; they live stream, retweet, and take issues personally.

This generation doesn’t wait for elections to stand up for causes or issues. They start movements like boycotting, organising protests, or more. But, all this comes with a cost.

Saria, a 22-year-old, says, social media has loaded them with a pile of information, and every now and then they get to hear or watch the same boring things all over the internet, making them feel politically tired, a state in which they no more have trust and confidence in the words of politicians, but are trying hard and taking a step forward and contributing to the service of society in different ways.

Imagine you signed another petition, shared another social media post, and participated in some protests. But nothing changed. It feels like a loop, like a trap. Petitions disappear in the inbox, posts and reels go viral, but policies remain unchanged.

Gen Z now feels that not every vote counts, not every voice is heard, and not everyone matters.

The result? A generation that is politically aware and literate, but deeply sceptical and tired

“Of course we’re politically aware—how can we not be when social media constantly feeds us opinions and world events? But that same endless stream makes us politically tired, too. You get comfortable in your echo chamber, overwhelmed by everything, and sometimes you just don’t want to engage anymore,” said Sanchit Gulati, a youth.

On the other hand, some believe that Gen Z may not be the most politically active generation.

“Gen Z isn’t necessarily the most politically aware generation. While they have access to endless information, the fast-paced nature of social media and shorter attention spans mean they often miss the bigger picture. They may know about events but lack context and depth,” said Mukul Sharma.

“Gen Z seems more interested in politics than involved. Being interested makes you an observer, whereas being involved means leading change. One reason could be the lack of leadership that truly represents them. The difference is that a person interested is an audience, and a person involved is a guiding force. There are many reasons for this. One is the choices in leadership, as there are minimal to no representatives of them in politics,” opined Ronit Sawhney, another youngster.

Social media may have made Gen Z more politically aware, but at what cost? So, as we scroll, it is worth questioning whether social media is empowering change, information, and knowledge, or just draining out our energy?