The Eradication of Patience

This is a formal petition to change Gen Z to Gen P: Generation Procrastination.

CREDIT: Reddit

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Generation Z has no issue finding its identity among the vast stereotypes of generations past.

Generation Z, or the “Zoomers,” have been praised for their ability to master the internet/social media, becoming more culturally aware and informed about the world around them. It’s easy to recognize that when injustice occurs, Gen Z is standing on the front lines (or more like catalyzing the latest movement on Twitter) demanding awareness and progression.

But, with every positive comes a negative.

The internet has granted us a gift while also condemning us to a dire new reality: instant gratification. Within arms reach, our digital devices have begun to slowly chip away at our qualities of patience and commitment.

We’re all guilty of it. You’re sitting in the Education Library watching your Macroeconomics Study Edge review. Within minutes, you feel your hands slowly begin to inch towards your backpack. You think to yourself, “I’m just going to check my Snapchat for a few minutes.” Snapping your friends back turns into aimlessly clicking through Instagram stories. You only stop scrolling through Instagram when you get the BeReal notification. “Well, I have to see if my friends are actually ‘being real’ right now,” seems like a harmless thought.

Thirty minutes later, you finally decide to finish your Study Edge video but fully delving back into economics isn’t so easy. Inevitably, you finally decide to give up and begin to aimlessly scroll through your phone in the library.

Social media and the internet have allowed us to become more connected to the world in the shortest time period in history. The duality of social media’s impact on civilization is something that should not be taken lightly.

A prime example can be explored through Tiktok’s algorithm utilizing their short video format. An optimist would say that media condensed to seconds allows for a greater understanding of cultures, ideas and the condition of humanity outside our own experiences. A pessimist, however, would criticize how Tiktok’s design mimics the addictive nature of gambling while 20-second videos drastically reduce our attention spans.

The truth about Gen Z is that we are eager to delve into new knowledge and situations, but we also struggle to complete complex, long-lasting tasks.

The most disastrous side effect of our loss of patience is society’s gradual adoption of harmful “crutches” to make up for our inability to simply commit.

When finals week requires time management and dedication, unprescribed Adderall is there to save the day!

Don’t want to learn how to maintain a proper, balanced diet while establishing a consistent workout schedule? The new FDA-approved weight loss drug Tirzepatidet will produce much quicker results!

These shortcuts are addicting to a generation that is always searching for the fastest route.

Instead of cultivating sustainable habits, Generation Z opts for convenience over quality.

Patience and commitment should be viewed as more than just a label or characteristic. The ability to remain engaged in tasks for extended periods should be regarded as a skill that requires constant practice and maintenance.

Learning to be kind to ourselves as we undergo the journey of education and lifestyle development is the first step in breaking the cycle of our need for instantaneous outcomes. Occupying our free time with longer forms of media, such as reading or painting, can heal our ability to be patient.

Together, Gen Z can learn to love the time and dedication it takes to produce sustainable results without “crutches.”

And together, we can turn our phone on “Do Not Disturb,” toss it to the bottom of our backpack and sit through an entire Macro Study Edge review without taking a single phone break.

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Allie Sinkovich is a Staff Writer for Rowdy Magazine. When she’s not writing, she’s somewhere in the Education Library reading the news and consuming her fourth Opus coffee of the day.