From a GenZ-er, I’m genuinely worried about our social skills.

As I’ve entered adulthood and seen how people my age have started to mature, it’s clear young adults are now having trouble talking to new people. Of course this observation is nothing new, but it’s really shocking to see first hand in person. For me, it’s extremely disappointing and disheartening.

I first made this realization after I made the choice to no longer use social media (got rid of it for my mental health). From this I wanted to actually make friends purely IRL instead of somehow being connected to someone on the internet first. I live in a college town with plenty of GenZ people. I’m pretty outgoing and don’t feel awkward talking to a random person. It seems making friends IRL isn’t really… acceptable anymore? it’s sort of hard to explain. It’s almost like it’s not acceptable to just speak to someone you don’t know IRL, you’ll be seen as weird for just talking to a stranger. It’s like you have to have a good reason to talk to someone. Striking up conversation just for the sake of human connection isn’t really a thing. I could go on about more examples of the disconnect between us, but this is just more general.

I now feel like more of an outcast for not being so online. I don’t think just being on the internet is an indicator of poor social skills. However it’s concerning how many of our lives revolve around what we’re trying to present online. I guess I want to ask you all to please truly consider a life not based on the internet. It’s so much better and rewarding to meet people IRL.