Emotional outbreak Z

↗ A study carried out by dot. through its analysis platform The Future Game and in collaboration with BBK Fundazioa on the emotional health of young people.

At The Future Game we wanted to approach the subject of emotional health in a constructive way, focusing on the day-to-day elements that can contribute to well-being on a day-to-day basis. To do this, it has been essential to carry out an in-depth diagnosis of the current situation and to understand what are the individual and structural levers that define the well-being or discomfort of young people. The project aims to delve into the experiences and practices that young people define as decisive for their state of mind and to understand the effect that their worldview has on it with the intention of finding areas of opportunity on which to act in order to build habits and lifestyles that lead us as a territory to emotional well-being.

This work aims to serve as a basis for the definition of innovative formulas that provide clues about the new social orography, which new spaces have come to stay and which places have been buried forever.

After more than four years of global pandemic, coupled with accelerating inflation, climate disasters and now a war on Europe's doorstep with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Generation Z faces a complex and uncertain world as they transition into adulthood.

When people speak of infantilization associated with this generation, it often refers to immature behaviour and a lack of responsibility in line with their stage of development. It is a debated issue, but there are social and economic changes that may provide some clues to explain this phenomenon:

‘Glass generation' is the expression often used by more mature generations to disparagingly refer to Generation Z, identifying them with an often, in their view, unjustified fragility. This judgement of them directly affects their self-esteem, even making them doubt the legitimacy of their emotions and experiences, and can create a barrier between their generation and others.

La división y enfrentamiento con las generaciones más adultas ha hecho que sea muy endogámica en términos generacionales. El poder de las redes sociales y el mundo digital ha hecho que las barreras se difuminen y puedan encontrar fácilmente comunidades digitales de iguales. En esta lógica de homogeneidad han creado sus nuevos parámetros del bien y del mal, nuevos lenguajes en los que han construido una nueva cosmovisión que colinda frontalmente con la estructura y normas con las que funciona el mundo tradicional.

From the concept of work, the importance of leisure, the definition of identity or emotional health are just some of the pillars that challenge the more traditional pillars.

It is common to observe how this generation is talked about and to hear speeches that challenge them, but they lack shared spaces with other generations where they feel welcomed and listened to. Unlike Millennials, this generation does not tend to immediately ‘cancel out’ people or elements from previous generations. Generation Z young people have references in previous generations and trust figures from the X or Boomers, for example. However, they feel that they have few opportunities to engage in dialogue or make decisions together.

The sense of the frenetic pace at which contemporary societies function is not new. Authors such as Bauman have already theorised about the liquid society, characterised by uncertainty and instability. The speed at which everyday activities are carried out, driven mainly by technological advances, globalisation and the growing demand for efficiency, affects multiple areas such as work, social expectations, information consumption, health and relationships.

In 2009, the New York Times shared a study that found that the average American consumes around 34 GB of data and information every day. That equates to about 100,000 words per day (roughly two books per day or two words per second). At the time, it was predicted that information would grow by 6% per year. However, this was before the emergence of devices and platforms such as iPads, Kindles, Chromebooks, iMessage, Minecraft, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitch, Slack, Alexa and TikTok, among other technological developments of the 2010s. Since the publication of that report, scientists estimate that today we consume an average of 74 GB per day, the equivalent of 16 films. Just 500 years ago, 74 GB of information was what a highly educated person consumed in a lifetime through books and stories.

This is why the need to find moments and spaces for rest is an increasingly recurrent demand. Disconnection appears as the only possible exercise of rest, as a refuge to reconnect with that which has the power to make us conscious.

The market itself has turned this need that more and more young people feel to disconnect into a trend; from multi-million dollar meditation apps to rural coworking or online therapy services. We are talking about the sector known as the ‘Wellness Economy’, with a current global market of 156.8 billion dollars.

Social networks undoubtedly play an essential role in this reality, as they represent one of the spaces in which this generation spends the most time. Many participants share the difficulty of finding peace during their leisure time, derived from this need to be productive and the inability to disconnect from the consumption of content. FOMO is an acronym for ‘Fear of Missing Out’, which translates as ‘fear of missing out’. It is a psychological phenomenon that refers to the anxiety or concern that others are enjoying rewarding experiences that one is not participating in. This fear has intensified with the rise of social media, where people are constantly sharing their activities, events and achievements.

Emotions are at the mercy of the vertiginousness of everyday life with a strong feeling of loss of control. The selected group of young people share the difficulty in connecting with their emotions and deciphering their state. They describe their emotions as a roller coaster, with constant ups and downs that they are not able to control before they overtake them. They find it difficult to find emotional balance as they lack the capacity to do so.

Around 21.9% of young Spaniards aged between 16 and 24 feel lonely, representing the age group that feels the loneliest. It is contradictory that this generation, the same one that leads frenetic lives and has hundreds of contacts on their social network accounts, is the age group that feels the loneliest. Perceived loneliness is the subjective feeling of being isolated or disconnected from others, regardless of whether a person is physically alone or accompanied. The network of friends is gaining increasing weight in narratives as a social structure that is seen as an essential source of support. Young people come to question traditional models of care and give equal weight on the social ladder to their friendship, family or romantic networks.

Inbreeding fosters the isolation of the community from the rest of society. This can lead to the creation of closed groups that are distrustful of outsiders, limiting innovation, cultural exchange and the development of new ideas or practices. By not being open to outside influences, endogamous communities tend to perpetuate traditions, norms and beliefs, which in some cases can be restrictive or unfavourable to their development and evolution. The consumption of ideals of the future linked to life in a small community of equals at a time when far-right movements are on the rise is doubly dangerous.

At a time in history when the challenge of managing diversity is essential, it is essential to learn and in part to wish to meet the different other, to go beyond the binary and to move towards a new counterpoint.

Dystopian cultural content has deeply resonated with Generation Z, not only as entertainment, but also as a tool to reflect on the challenges they face today. This type of narrative has allowed them to connect with issues such as climate change, government control, invasive technology and social injustices, shaping their critical view of the world and their expectations for the future.

The economic and political reality around them is unstable; something that also directly affects their perspectives on the future. The feeling of not having a firm ground on which to base their lives and build tomorrow is a source of distrust and uncertainty that carries a lot of weight. The disconnection from their individual dreams also manifests itself in the lack of a collective dream for the future as a generation, often being buried in day-to-day disenchantment and apathy.

The main feeling from which eco-anxiety derives is helplessness, they feel dwarfed in a system that does not listen to the needs of the planet and does not respect its limits. They are beginning to experience the consequences of the climate crisis and feel anger at having to seek solutions to problems that are the result of the management of previous generations. They feel the burden of individual responsibility for the solution is heavy.

The generation's environmentalist and feminist values become latent: more than 60% believe that if Millenials and Gen Z govern, environmental care and gender inequality will improve.

It has been a few years since Generation Z entered the labour market, bringing with them their own ambitions and codes. The instability that surrounds them has made them seek ground in the workplace. While the previous generation, the millennials, dreamed of travelling forever and not working, these young people see employment as a source of security to face a world full of uncertainties.

The work environment represents, in many cases, their first contact with adult life; a new facet of their identity. This is why work thus becomes a key space for their well-being, an element that fundamentally affects their mental and emotional health. If this first work experience is positive, their self-esteem and contribution increases significantly, but if it is not, the consequences can be devastating.

This generation seeks to blur the personal-professional barriers that have traditionally marked work environments. They seek to be authentic, not only in their interactions with other people, but also in the way they perform their tasks and contribute to the organisation's objectives. They expect naturalness in their work interactions as a tool for comfort and also for well-being, thus humanising these traditionally more aseptic environments.

It is undeniable that the volcano that has erupted thanks to Generation Z has put the issue of emotional health at the centre of the table. This generation has uncovered a traditionally taboo topic at the centre of conversations, workplaces, media narratives and requests to institutions.

The main findings of the process can be transformed into strategic areas for the development of projects with emotional well-being. These areas are presented in a broad form that allows working in a creative process through which to define concrete interventions.