Gen Z will never work a day in their lives.

AckwelFoley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118037136#Comment_118037136

..and not to mention Internet

O can still remember Internet circa 1995

That dialup noise still rings in my ears

As a civilisation our advancement has been in digital technologies. And it has been massive in 20 years

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118037136#Comment_118037136

If all you got is one thing you got very little. I was actually going to say “except smartphones” by the way. But smartphones really depend on technology that’s been around for decades and the first blackberry is from 1999.

funny story. I had the earliest iPhone and people were dismissing it as a toy for about 5 years. Now the smart phone era is dated from 2007 which is equally mistaken.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118037247#Comment_118037247

Not all things are of equal size or importance. We got 9/11, the rise of global terrorism, streaming, the gig economy, an ever widening chasm of inequality, multiple wars, growing awareness of climate change, the rise of China and social media amongst others.

I would say smart phones too - and only having "one thing" does not automatically mean you have "very little" - it would entirely depend on what that "one thing" actually is.

But I think more than "smart phones" I would sooner say "Social media". Smart Phones and the rise of readily available access to smart phones is a big change in recent society but really it is just a facilitator of Social Media. And I think it is Social Media much more than Smart Phones per se that affects the younger generation(s).

But to be honest I find myself not really looking at the younger Generations that much - but my own. And even when I do see issues in the younger generation(s) it is once again my own generation I find myself tracing it back to. So while I am in the prime age bracket for the aforementioned "Juvenoia" to kick in - I find I worry about my own more than subsequent ones.

It is easy to sit back and moan about kids being on phones and playstations and social media all day every day. But seeing and talking with a lot of parents I find it is them becoming more and more reliant on those digital baby sitters that feeds some way into that problem. It is too easy after a stressful day or week to just hand the kids the controller or let them away off on their phones installing whatever apps they want. Snapchat and Tiktok seemingly the ones most wanted among the pre-teens in my circles - none interested in twitter just yet.

And the parents I talk with genuinely know this is an issue. But they are overwhelmed and exhausted. Often promising themselves that "from next monday" or with the next "new years resolutions" it will all be different. But never quite getting around to it. I have sat with parents crying their eyes out knowing full well they are losing the best years of the kids lives to phone screens - deeply wanting to do better - but somehow never quite getting to it.

Breaks my heart to see and absolutely helpless to do anything about it or for them other than offer advice if and when asked for it for how I deal with such things in my own life.

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118037121#Comment_118037121

True though Aristiotle said: The young are over confident because they have not yet been humbled by life, nor have they experienced by life's circumstances. They think they know everything and are very sure about it. The general consensus was that youth was a golden blessing, but the receivers didn't value it until it was too late.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118037263#Comment_118037263

I was talking technological progress. Obviously in terms of wars and so on there was more going on between 2000 and 2021 than the 1980s and 1990s in particular, but not as much as between 1900-1920, or 1925-1945. Thankfully.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118037215#Comment_118037215

You literally admitted that it was there in the 90s. I watched 9/11 on a streamed platform in my office, I read the newspapers online in the late 90s, I remember reading the Irish times online in the late 90s. my first Amazon purchase is from 2001.

it’s got more common, and faster, but the technology is largely the same.

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118037136#Comment_118037136

Not to mention Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok all have been invited entirely since 2001.

Their change has been revolutionary.

AckwelFoley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118037395#Comment_118037395

You've just comparing a path down by the canal with the autoban that has cars that can drive themselves

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118037758#Comment_118037758

The technology was there.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118037132#Comment_118037132

There hasn't been much change in the aesthetic. Design seems to have become quite homogenised. For example car design and architecture is pretty samey. Music and film and literature - no distinctive movements (not that there isn't anything good).

Communications technology - that's where all the advancement has taken place. Obtuse to say it's always been there and nothing changed between 2001 and 2021 in this regard.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118036050#Comment_118036050

Exactly. Some middle aged/old people are arseholes, some young people are arseholes. I mean, "boomer" got thrown out there for a while for absolutely anything, by people who clearly didn't know what it meant.

Potential-Monke

I do love those who think that anyone who doesn't do hard work is a waster. And hard work meaning demanding physical labour jobs. Because being a strong physical person who does hard physical demanding jobs is the epitome of manliness. People are rightly steering away from that outdated belief, because all that automation will take those jobs, and soon. The smart men are getting into future tech areas, engineering, automation, etc. You don't need to be physically strong to watch the robot you control build the thing.

My father worked "hard" all his life, but even at his peak he was earning less than I'm currently earning (adjusting for inflation), and I sit on me hole all night occasionally typing or calling someone for a living. Work smarter, not harder. Farming may always require strong physical people to do it, but I reckon that can be completely automated too. Most things can with progress, so a lot of future employment is in designing these imo.

riclad

Gen z will be doing work in retail cafes offices etc every artist, musician is on social media patreon etcto promote their work that's modern life for you . If more people can work from home and stay safe that's a good thing

Gen z will have to work even harder to afford to pay rent as they will probably never buy a house unless they have wealthy parents if people can make money on tik Tok YouTube insta etc i have no problem with that tech changes the world every few years when cars were invented there was probably horse carriage drivers complaining about losing customers to horseless carriages

Kids were playing on Sony ps2, s and super Nintendo consoles before smartphones existed or on cdrom pc games

The J Stands for Jay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118037758#Comment_118037758

I'm not too sure about that. There's not much difference between the experience of my first eBay and Amazon purchases in 2001 and now. Actually, the Amazon experience was better because they didn't have any 3rd parties using their platform, so there wasn't the issues of searching through loads of (possibly counterfeit) crap to find what you want.

The J Stands for Jay

Gen z will have to work even harder to afford to pay rent as they will probably never buy a house unless they have wealthy parents

I wonder about this. What happens when the older home owners start dying off? Either their offspring will finally get the house (both family home and their rental portfolio), or they'll go on the market.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118040094#Comment_118040094

Or they'll get bought up by banks, hedge funds, vulture funds and the like.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118040094#Comment_118040094

Depends whether they can afford the inheritance costs. I've known a few people who were crippled by the costs when their parents died, and had no choice but to sell... even though the market wasn't favorable at the time. As for going on the market, that doesn't mean that they'll automatically become available for the average joe to purchase. The government, or companies can easily snatch them up.

As for being unable to pay rent, it's more likely people will need to commute, and not live in the expensive city areas... but that's pretty standard with any modern and expensive nation (although most other nations recognise the need for apartments to provide for those wanting to stay in the cities). It's only in Ireland that people expect to stay living (in a house no less) in Dublin, when they're not earning enough to do so.

The J Stands for Jay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118040596#Comment_118040596

Vulture funds don't buy houses, banks already have more than enough exposure to the property market. Would hedge funds be interested in a large series of small transactions like this? Probably not. (Note to self: set up a residential property investment vehicle, with an exit strategy of selling to a hedge fund once it's achieved scale).

On the other hand, the way the rental market is behaving, the yield may be attractive.

The J Stands for Jay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118040663#Comment_118040663

Anyone being crippled by inheritance costs is clearly inheriting a valuable house. You mentioned companies buying them. I feel it's more likely that companies will buy apartments close to their offices as a benefit for top staff, especially those recruited from abroad.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118040786#Comment_118040786

Over here, Lloyds are planning to become landlords and have announced plans to buy 50,000 homes:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/aug/19/lloyds-plans-big-move-into-uk-rental-market-with-50000-homes

It makes a lot of sense for funds to get involved as property is only allowed to increase in value over time, barring the odd economic blip.

The J Stands for Jay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118040923#Comment_118040923

It looks like they're buyig up new builds, I'm not convinced any bank or fund would involve themselves in a series of small transactions in this space. It will have an effect on the market overall, but they won't directly affect the sale of a second hand house.

Funds have been in commercial property here for decades, but the size of these gives them scale.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118035689#Comment_118035689

I honestly had to look up which was which.

Wikipedia has a nice illustrated graph which I found helpful.

I would love to know who came up with each name and why it stuck.

JupiterKid

They say that having children of your own makes a person more socially and economically conservative far more than any centre-right or right wing political party manifesto.

I am childless BTW... 😁

And yet, as a gay man in a same-sex partnership, I can get into grumpy old man mode at times at the ripe old age of 46. Usually over social media hype and “woke” rubbish. But also at very valid concerns - increasingly severe examples of the consequences of climate change, how customer service has completely gone to the dogs in recent years, new popular music since about 2000 is by and large crap and the increasing intrusion of IT into all of our lives.

But I do remember what it was like to be young and treated with contempt by my elders at times. This was an Ireland of the 1990s that had a generational chasm in outlook and values - IMO far greater than the gap between middle aged adults and their children of today. Being young often means being idealistic, wanting to change the world for the better - the older you get, the more cynical you become and world weary in general.

But a lucky few adults get to stay idealistic throughout their entire lives. I admire these people.

I think Generation Z or whatever that age cohort are called will largely turn out fine, albeit with worse social awkwardness and isolation from over use of devices and social media.

riclad

Millenials are the last generation to grow up without using the internet ,gen z have grown up with social media ,youtube, , i see parents giving 5 year olds a tablet to keep em quiet.most of gen z will stay living at home for years, and maybe have to wait for thier parents to pass on the home to them in the will .gen z will be more like japanese people , eg low birth rate, low rate of home ownership

Think as above - having crossed into the 40s and had children - I find I am not less idealistic so much as I am now more idealistic but about a smaller number of things. So I have the same amount of idealism but it is spread over less things.

I certainly feel cynicism and world weariness creep in one some issues. Or at least a loss of naivety on some issues.

And I certainly do not feel myself fall on a left/right divide that so many people use as a yard stick these days. But depending on the subject in hand I fall all over that spectrum.

But more than world weariness, cynicism, loss of innocence/naivitey - I think what I have notice creep in more than anything is a constant background hum of worry. Just a general worry about the world and it's direction. And unlike the standard old man worrying about the upcoming generation - I find a lot of that worry coming related to my own generation more so.

So yea I do not know what I am - or what I am developing into. I cling to stoicism in the sense of focusing on what I can actively control in my life and general life environment. So rather than worry about all the other parents and children out there too much except for a few - I just focus on being the best damn parent I can be in my own life. Constantly evaluating and reevaluating my choices and actions as a parent - or seeking out other people to evaluate them for me - and constantly questioning if I am doing the right things in the right ways for healthy well adjusted well adapted children.

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118044596#Comment_118044596

You’ve gotten a bit “red pilly” of late T. I don’t know if that’s what you mean by “feeling cynicism” or “world weariness”.

I would be someone who would have enjoyed seeing your posts up. Whether I agreed or disagreed I’d appreciate your balance and take on things. Of late, you seem to be referencing Joe Rogan and giving out about “woke” a fair bit.

Just something I’ve noticed recently. Maybe it’s nothing.

No idea. I can not say I have noticed a huge change in my own posting style myself. But I probably wouldn't anyway. We rarely notice these things about ourselves. I think I have noticed a change in the topics there are threads on though - and a lot of threads I would have posted on in the past are topics that do not come up as much any more.

So I am wandering into threads now on subjects I know less about or would have written less about in the past. So perhaps that is having an effect on the tone or content that you are noticing. To be honest I did not think there was anyone who followed anything I wrote closely enough to even notice any level of change. So in that sense I am quite moved that anyone would have noticed anything of the sort about me.

Now that you have suggested it I will probably start watching for it. So if I notice anything of the sort myself I will probably explore it and the reason for it. It's interesting to mention Rogan for example - as I probably only listen to 1 out of every 6/7 podcasts he releases. In general I listen in the background - while I work - to any "long form conversation" podcasts. Rogan is only one of many.

Looking at myself I think having moved from 2 to 4 children in a relatively shorter space of time than I moved from 0 to 2 - I find a certain obsessive second guessing of my parenting and the quality of the world my kids are growing up in - to be the biggest consumer of my attention and emotions. And it is not at all unlikely that is having an effect on how I think and communicate that I had not been noticing myself. As you say maybe it is nothing at all - but having had it said to me will certainly make me watch for it.

Potential-Monke

I wouldn't be too worried, Emmet thinks any adults that play games is a child and needs to grow up, so very closed minded.

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118045140#Comment_118045140

That’s not true, P. I, simply, have “concerns” for men in their mid to late 30s, and older, who spend all of their free time playing computer games and not “engaging” with the real world.