Into the maze of Gen Z minds in Bangladesh

Dhrubo Ahmed, a second-year student of a private university in Dhaka, recently told us that he was "completely broke". He had his reasons for that. Just a couple of days ago, he had attended a two-day concert which had cost him a fortune. Tk7,000, to be more specific. 

For a 21-year-old who has no income source other than a sole tuition gig worth Tk5,000, and the meagre pocket money he receives from his middle-class father, Tk7,000 for a concert is indeed too much. 

"But bro, this was none other than Atif Aslam," Dhrubo exclaimed. "How could I possibly miss that?" So, he loaned Tk2,500 from one of his friends, ignoring the fact that he had already been in debt to another friend for Tk3,000. 

Incidentally, Atif Aslam is not among Dhrubo's most favourite singers. He is not even an avid music lover. Still, he felt like his whole life depended on attending the Pakistani artiste's concert. 

"For the last few days, my Facebook and Instagram feeds have been flooded with reels and pictures from the concert. Had I not gone there, I would have experienced a FOMO like never before," Dhrubo explained. 

This Gen Z term, FOMO (fear of missing out), is exactly what defines Gen Z in the best possible way. 

Thanks to social media, the life of most Gen Z members, who were born between 1997 and 2012, is like an open book, and it is as though everyone is in a rat race to avoid falling behind and experiencing isolation from their peers. 

Dr Md Kamal Uddin, Professor and Chairperson of Psychology at Dhaka University, suggests that the life decisions of young adults, much akin to their spending habits - including an urge to possess all the luxury items, eat at highly expensive eateries, and own a lavish lifestyle - primarily revolve around an ego that requires frequent boosting.

"Today's younger generation lacks self regulation, and they are often driven by their ego. Their ego gets hurt when they see they are not getting what other people of their same age or class are getting," Dr Kamal told The Business Standard.

"This peer pressure leads them to spend their, or their parents', money, on something they don't even need. Thus they seek appreciation from their peers," he added.

This appreciation functions more as validation for them. Consequently, they often seek validation and approval from their social circles through their online presence, shaping their self-identity based on external validation rather than intrinsic values.

However, this self-identity issue among Gen Z members in Bangladesh, much like anywhere else in the world, is merely the tip of a larger, more complex reality.

As we delved further into their realm, a comprehensive picture of Gen Z lives unfolded before us, encompassing various aspects, such as their personal and family lives, romantic struggles, academic pursuits, career aspirations, socio-political perspectives, and many other characteristics.

The fall of family bonding and mental health

Hasib, a 17-year-old HSC first year student, said his mother, a housewife, accompanied him to school and coaching classes until the fifth grade. At the time, she was fully aware of everything going on in his life and mind. 

But once he entered the adolescent period and received his much-desired freedom, the inevitable happened: a subtle distance grew between the mother and the son. 

"My mother was my best friend. We still are on good terms, but I find it difficult to share my personal feelings with her, because she doesn't seem to understand," Hasib claimed.

And most other friends of Hasib are drowned with their own sets of problems. As a result, Hasib can't consider anyone trustworthy enough to confide in, and keeps his issues to himself. 

Sometimes he "shitposts" his emotions on social media, but he receives no genuinely sincere response other than occasional comments like "us bro, us!" from random people. 

At times, bonding with other humans becomes so difficult that pets like cats, dogs, rabbits etc come as the sole reliable companion for many. Zainab Samara Quader, a first-year student at a private university who owns two cats, shared her belief that "pets can be our emotional support in a world of fake friends." 

Nowadays, there is also a growing trend among Gen Z of owning house plants as another means of finding solace and companionship. 

Hur-a Jannat Shikha, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Student Counselor at Bangladesh Navy College, shared that the biggest problem that arises between today's teenagers and their parents is an "understanding gap". 

"Due to the prevalence of social media, today's children have developed a distinct language of their own, which differs significantly from that of previous generations. This disparity in language creates a disconnect between the two generations," said Shikha, also a prominent author specialising on psychological issues. 

According to her, any problem could be easily solved if there was a dialogue. But currently most attempts at initiating a conversation between teenagers and their parents turn out "meaningless," and the conflicts remain unsolved. 

"Adolescence is a very important period in someone's life. But as today's kids can't communicate with their parents on whom they once relied, they can't share their problems with them either. And their unuttered pains go on to haunt them as trauma in later phases of their lives," Shikha added.

Additionally, the differences in the ways of expression means Gen Z individuals aren't enjoying the same level of family bonding as their previous generations did. 

Shikha holds the belief that this is one of the major reasons why the mental health of Gen Z is so vulnerable. 

"Most children who come to me for counselling say that they had a traumatic childhood, as they had an abusive history because of ill-parenting," Shikha said.

"Some also have romantic issues. These Gen Z kids fall in love easily, but they don't know how to control their emotions. Essentially, they have learnt to lead a life in the Western way, but haven't quite mastered the art of moving on yet," she said.

Most Gen Z members also experience significant stress regarding their career paths. While in school, they aim to gain admission to a reputable college. Once in college, their focus shifts to securing admission to a prestigious public university, studying a desirable subject. Even while attending university, they must consider options such as taking job exams like BCS or preparing to study abroad.

"It seems like they never have peace of mind in their lives," Shikha lamented. 

Interestingly, the situation is relatively better for those Gen Z kids who have kept their parents in their friend list. It's worth noting that most of the Gen Z members we spoke to blocked their parents from their social media accounts. Some even created a "family account" solely to deceive their parents.

Ruby Rahman, mother of a 25-year-old son, shared that being in her son's friend list helps her keep track of his mental state through the posts or memes he shares.

"In the beginning, I was a complete novice. But over time, I have also somewhat developed an understanding of the language today's younger generation uses to communicate among themselves," she said.

Lack of attention and arduousness 

Raisha Islam, a third-year student of a public university in Khulna, fondly remembers the time when she was under the age of 10, and she would read story books hiding them beneath her textbooks. But those days are long gone. Nowadays, she can't even sit through an hour to concentrate on a short story. 

"My mind remains occupied with so many other things that I cannot focus on the small letters on the book pages, and quickly lose my attention," she shared. 

But of course, she doesn't encounter the same issue when mindlessly scrolling through her social media feeds for hours, or when binge-watching an eight-hour season of a Netflix series in a single night.

Tahmina Nazneen, a former fellow at Teach for Bangladesh and currently a Lecturer of Psychology at the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT), shared from her experience of working closely with both teenagers and young adults that today's younger generation lacks attention span "on a very serious level."

"It's truly fascinating how inattentive they remain constantly, immersing themselves in their smartphones and always seeking shortcuts," said Nazneen.

She emphasised that even a decade ago, some students had the practice of taking notes during class and then going to the library to study afterward. However, such habits are no longer visible among them. 

"They have become careless beyond imagination. Most of them procrastinate on finishing their assigned tasks and wait until the very last moment of their deadline," she shared.

Meheri Tamanna, currently pursuing her PhD in Gender and Development Studies at Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand, added that most students don't even want to finish their assignment within the deadline, and always nag about extending it further. 

"It's as if they aren't taking their studies seriously," said Tamanna, who is also a Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at BRAC University. "Some of them have plans to go abroad for higher studies, while others are preparing for job exams. So they don't feel the need to put in much effort in their regular studies."

Overall, the average level of seriousness among university students has reached an all-time low, with many now turning to AI for assistance in completing their tasks.

"When I review assignment scripts, I find at least 30-35% of the text to be AI-generated. However, the students don't even want to admit it. They lie directly to my face. So, you can just imagine how much they resort to lies outside the classroom!" exclaimed Tamanna.

On the lookout for better pay, better opportunity

Asif Ahmed, a young professional at a leading PR organisation in the capital, is personally of the opinion that negotiating salary at the entry level is not a good idea. 

He argues that it's more important to gather experience in a challenging environment first. After two or three years of hard work, one may feel ready to ask for compensation that reflects their service.

However, not everyone thinks along the same line. Several HR personnel shared with us that they often come across applicants who ask for a "very high salary" even without any noteworthy work experience before. On top of that, most young employees also tend to leave the job after a short span of time. 

Sabbir (not his real name), who has had three different jobs since graduating two years ago, shared his reason with us. 

"Because why not? I didn't feel like I was getting the salary I deserved in my previous jobs," he said. 

"Even now, some of my batchmates with worse results than mine are getting higher pay. So, I might change my job again whenever a better opportunity comes along."

Mamun Rashid, former Professor and Director at BRAC Business School, also acknowledged that the current Gen Z professionals in Bangladesh have a significant propensity for job-hopping, contrary to earlier generations' tendency towards career longevity within one organisation. 

However, he doesn't believe that "better opportunities" solely revolve around financial aspects. 

"Unless we can create an intellectually stimulating environment at the workplace and ensure more transparency among leaders, we can't retain younger colleagues for a reasonably longer time. It's no longer just about pay or the appearance of the office," he said.

Asif also shared his experience that he has seen "people switch to lower-paying roles to get a better-cultured or reputed office. And sometimes people switch just to get out of their comfort zone and test their own potential." 

Shikha noted that the initial years in a job serve as an "experimental phase" for Gen Z professionals. 

"If they possess the skills and capabilities and there is an opportunity for growth elsewhere, why wouldn't they seize it?" she questioned.

Additionally, she also acknowledged that the competitive mindset among peers is now prevalent more than ever before. When her generation entered their professional lives two or three decades ago, they couldn't really keep tabs on who was doing what, and concentrated solely on their own endeavours. 

"But now, thanks to social media, Gen Z members don't lose touch with their school, college and varsity friends. They know who is doing what, and this makes them feel envious to some extent, especially if they find out some of their friends are doing better than them. So, the job hopping tendency is on the rise," she explained. 

Indifferent, apolitical, intolerant 

Rafij Khan, a Master's student at a public university, wears multiple hats. He is the co-founder of a non-profit voluntary organisation, serves as the president of a specific bus route at his university, works as a part-time sub-editor in a newspaper, and is also a dedicated follower of contemporary politics.

From his experience, Rafij observed that most members of today's younger generation lack socio-political consciousness. They have become highly apolitical, do not engage themselves with any organisation, and only prioritise things that serve their own purpose.

"There may be some exceptions, but overall the scenario is very disappointing," he rued.  

He attributes this to the absence of suitable role models whom Gen Z members can look up to. "Our society and the current education system emphasise selfishness and individual achievements as the key to a successful career," he argued.

Niemur Rahman Emon, another third-year student at a public university, also shared that although his younger siblings are big fans of Korean, Turkish, and Indian movies of action, romantic and horror genres, they are unaware of any political films.

"Funnily, they are also not aware of the current prices of essential goods. They simply don't care about what is happening in the society around them," he added. 

Nazneen acknowledged this situation, noting that "nothing seems to bother the majority of today's younger generation." However, she also noted that there are exceptions, particularly among those who start earning from an early age. 

Whether through tutoring, part-time work, or pursuing entrepreneurship, they demonstrate a different level of engagement and ambition driven by socio-economic consciousness.

So, there's evidently a correlation between consciousness and economic empowerment. As Gen Z members learn how to make money, they also develop a certain perspective on the societal reality of the country.

But still, this tendency remains comparatively low because "the country doesn't have an ideal democracy. So, young people also don't give much thought about the policy-making aspects of the state," said Tamanna.

According to a study she herself co-authored, 90% participants aged 18-25 don't think political leaders have enough education or any knowledge of politics. More than 69% of youth have patriotic sentiments towards their country, yet a vast majority (95%) stands by the notion that politics is risky and unhealthy.

Furthermore, above 89% of the inquired youth reported that most political leaders and people's representatives work towards the fulfilment of personal goals. Majority also  deemed Bangladeshi politics as "a game for uneducated ghastly people."

"So, the country's youth, instead of engaging in intellectual conversations, remain busy backbiting and gossiping instead," said Tamanna.

And thus has developed a generation of "I hate politics" attitude. 

Moreover, there's a growing perception that Gen Z individuals are increasingly adopting misogynistic and anti-feminist attitudes, resulting in men and women increasingly drifting apart.

This was exemplified by young national cricketer Tanzim Hasan Sakib's misogynistic remarks last year, which advocated against women's empowerment.

The social media and mainstream entertainment scene in Bangladesh are also swamped with content that demeans women, often portraying them solely as sexual objects.

Additionally, according to recent research findings presented by Dr Sayed Saikh Imtiaz, a professor of Women and Gender Studies at the University of Dhaka, 56.65% of boys under the age of 18 believe in men having the final say in family decisions.

57.45% have contemplated using force to fulfil their sexual desires, and a significant 66.2% concur that women should not frequently leave their homes.

When asked about this, Nazneen expressed her opinion that while those statistics might be accurate, it's also a fact that a portion of today's younger generation is much more aware of gender-based discrimination than in the past.

On the other hand, Tamanna shared her personal experience that whenever she, being a woman, raises her voice inside the classroom, she receives negative reactions from all corners. 

"Nowadays, both young men and women have become very judgmental and intolerant. They don't know how to respect someone else's opinion, ideology, or belief," she concluded.

(Both authors of this piece belong to Gen Z)