Degeneracy of History Among Generation Z

There is something different about the current socio-cultural context of current generations. Generation Z, who were born from the digital age, comes into this world with no understanding of its history. Like “non-human being”, they are an entity that can be bitterly labeled as a “generation without history”.

Unlike the generation from three or four decades earlier, they no longer live in the conventional-traditional-formal tradition.

As we have seen, this generation was born in the middle of the rushing tide of violent modernization. This age has uprooted their roots from the narrative of the past. Then carelessly, they are left to live in a new realm called “digital reality”.

For this generation, history is no longer a kind of inherited legacy, but rather foreign fragments that are often insignificant.

They consume knowledge in just couple slides of picture frames. In a variety of short thirty-second videos with hilarious narration. They said that this generation will not be able to keep their eyes open to a very long yet boring narratives, especially books.

This generation, who is standing on the ruins of the past, are left with the great "post"s- a world of post: postmodernism, post truth, post factum.

They exist in an era where digitalization is no longer a gradual process, but a silent revolution that permeates the very essence of life.

Since they were born, their world is surrounded 24/7 by screens that transmit information endlessly.

Historical amnesia does not happen by accident. Like revolutions that often arise without design, this generation has nothing to choose but to being directly thrown into the vastness of digital revolution.

They are in a time where they are forced to forget their origins, ignore their heritage, and create their own history from fragments that were never really whole from the start. The slogan: “we are pioneers; not inheritors”.

Digitalization, despite its grandeur and luxury, has undermined traditional ethics.

Old values are replaced by new “truths” that they weave from threads of virtual fragments.

Human relationships starting to lose its depth, making social interactions become transactional. They no longer live in a layered world, but in a flat vessel that is fleeting - imbalanced .

Optimism, which was once fuels changes, is now replaced by pessimism mindset that fades behind memes and irony.

Burnout, once considered as common enemy, has now become the habit of life. “Lazy” is not just an attitude;, rather a productive act.

In the peak of absurdlity, there is an unspoken silence-the silence of a generation that has lost its meaning, even in its own motions.

They build a new world on the rubble that the previous generation no longer understands, and doesn't even necessarily feel it should be understood.

Parents can only shake their heads in confusion, watching bitterly as their children create patterns of living that are disconnected from their historical origins.

Generation Z, on the other hand, doesn't even care about this. For them, question like “Why we must follow the traces of the past?”, such an unnecessary empty statement.

Reading behavior, once a sacred act of transferring knowledge to our brain, is now being eroded by instant culture. Books are no longer a window to knowledge, but merely a reminder of a time that they consider obsolete.

Information jumps around, but never settles. Their minds are drifting recklessly. Have they given any deeper thought about what it actually means?.

This generation has indeed chosen their way- instant, fast, yet shallow. What they consume does not come from deep reflection, but a product that can be accessed effortlessly.

A cup of instant coffee is more than enough to accompany a momentary discussion. And they no longer seek the authenticity in many ways. All they seek is a way to survive.

As a result, within their own sphere there is a crawling emptiness. Instant culture may give the illusion of solutions, but there is no profoundness in it.

They don't feel the need to learn more. For them, history makes this world more overloaded that is already occupied with tons of information.

So, is this generation a result of tragedy? Or are they just another manifestation of the inevitable changing of times? We have no idea. It is certain that historical continuity is no longer the foundation of their civilization. And perhaps, the idea itself has long been dead.

Generation Z doesn't need testimony. They don't care whether the old world approves it or not.

They are writing their own history, although with faded ink and sheets that may soon combust. Whether it will be a tragedy or a triumph, only time will tell.

However, there seems to be something hanging in the air- a vague realization that perhaps. In the future, there will be nothing left to tell. Dead men tell no tales

Only traces are left behind which is being swallowed by the time. And when all this happens, perhaps we can only bow our heads, realizing that history is like the time that will never returns.

This article is written by:
Dr. Tantan Hermansah, S.Ag., M.Si.
Lecturer at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta

Released at www.kompas.com
On January 22, 2025
(Photo by: rmjabar.com)