Fighting for tolerance, but a champion of cyberbullying. The Great Paradox of Generation Z

“I think some of you need to understand that there is an invisible social contract that governs our interactions in the world, and that it exists for a good reason. . . . Sometimes we have to do things out of politeness.” This call to order comes from a video by TikToker Michelle Skidelsky, who has 178,200 subscribers. The 21-year-old Canadian woman felt obliged to remember the basic rules of decency, tired of the hateful comments she received on the social network.

He is part of the age group of teenagers and young adults born through the Internet after 1995, which stands out with a great paradox. Gen Z has taught us its fight for equality, tolerance, equality and inclusion, but it’s the same. a generation that champions cyberbullying. According to a recent study, 60% of 18-25 year olds have already been harassed online by their peers (1). Humiliating comments on social networks are legion. There we encounter insults, remarks about physicality, origin, fatphobia… In short, everything that is fundamentally condemned by the younger generation. Empathy, or identifying with what others are feeling, seems to have disappeared from online exchanges.

Extreme emotions and Manichaeism

Catherine Lejal, a sociologist and researcher at the ISC in Paris, explains this observation. “This is a generation that has been bottle-fed a smaller range of emotions than previous ones. They are always extreme. There are no half measures in expressing feelings. Congratulating our friends in photos, saying that what they are doing is “extraordinary” or “fantastic”. However, we no longer use politeness or nuance. This is a new social code.” For a specialist: digital slots had tools at hand that lead to a form of Manichaeism. “For a long time, in the early days of Facebook, you could only comment with ‘like’ or ‘dislike’. Tools that also generate conflicting attitudes. “Gen Z says we need to change the planet, makes big speeches, but some of them don’t sort their waste and continue to buy fast fashion. At the macro level, when you look at behavior, it doesn’t follow. This is what we call it green behavior change (environmental awareness that does not necessarily translate into eco-responsible consumption behavior Editor’s Note)”

The lack of empathy was reinforced by an unprecedented context: Covid. The isolation of prisons has particularly affected young people in the process of building their identity. As they developed into a relationship with each other, they severely lacked physical contact to the point where they sometimes suffered from social phobias. “However, the most important of all sensory attributes is touch,” recalls psychologist Michael Stora, a specialist in digital worlds. Result? “With only a virtual connection, some young people, in serious cases, have become immune to empathy by having a rigid, mathematical mindset. It’s a way to calm yourself down,” continues the psychologist.

Binary thinking and anonymity

Like a Walt Disney movie, there’s good, bad, and not-so-much in the middle. Furthermore, most of the apps used by young people were designed in Silicon Valley, United States, and are therefore imbued with a form of puritanism and a very North American accent. “Young Europeans, who have built themselves through studying novels, traveling, discovering others, are finally entering a very protective universe through networks,” affirms Catherine Lejal. The screen embodies this protection, allowing you to throw wild things without risk.” Michael Stora adds: “The emotional design of some social networks promotes division, online hatred and fear of difference. In my opinion, Instagram is the worst. Researchers have already proven that Facebook causes stages of self-depreciation, but in the case of Instagram, it goes even further.”

The emotional design of some social networks promotes division, online hate and fear of difference. In my opinion, Instagram is the worst of all.

Michael Stora, psychologist

This binary thinking is more easily expressed online with anonymity. Many perpetrators of cyberbullying do not realize that the threats they make have real consequences for their victims. We saw this in the context of the singer Hoshi’s trial, which has been going on since 2020, and the kiss she gave to one of her dancers on stage at the Victoires de la Musique. The only stalker sentenced to prison, a 22-year-old man, had not even hired a lawyer to defend himself, not understanding the rates of his actions. “Letting off steam in anonymity is a very liberating, cathartic effect,” explains researcher Catherine Lejal. Social networks have profoundly changed human interactions. Few people can take responsibility on their own behalf and face to face for the horrors they write in the comments of the video.

There is a very liberating, cathartic effect to letting off steam in anonymity.

Catherine Legel, sociologist

Is this phenomenon creating a generation of callous narcissists? “No,” says Michael Stora. Some of my colleagues may say this, but I think this avoids the fact that the child or teenager does not live alone in front of his screen. Of course, it should be acknowledged that there is an excessive investment in visuals through screens. However, the visual puts you at a distance. The relationship with the other seems to be refined. If we go further, the visual impulse is aggressive because it tends to cliché the other.

But this does not necessarily mean a sacrificed generation. Elodie Gentina, Doctor of Management Sciences, Professor at the IESEG School of Management, even supports the idea that social networks can sometimes play a social and cultural role that can evoke emotions. “The study shows that 80% of young people feel lonely all the time, and to compensate for this isolation, they turn to TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram… to connect with their peers. They talk a lot in digital chats, they share their feelings instantly. They expect response, reciprocity. These networks do not hinder social skills, they help maintain the fluidity of interaction. We’re talking about digital empathy when we use screens wisely.” All said, it is the reasonable and justified use of social networks, respecting the rules of good coexistence, that makes the difference.

(1) A study conducted by the Audirep Institute from May 18 to June 3, 2022, with 1,209 young people between the ages of 18 and 25.