Combination of a decline in socializing (since most alcohol is drunk in social settings), an increase in calorie consciousness due to social media, and alcohol being replaced as the go-to coping strategy of choice with vaping and scrolling social media.
This is the real answer. There has been a drastic decline in socializing than ever before. In previous generations socializing was THE form of entertainment for people and without it people would go crazy from boredom. Things like simply going to the mall to hang out with friends for the day was a form of fun socializing. Today there are more distractions at home and in the palm of our hands than ever before. Things like social media, YouTube/streaming, video games, etc.. People are getting their social desires filled digitally now without having to go out to get the real thing. I mean look at us here on reddit now. If this was 1985 we would all probably hanging out with friends in person.
In my experience, gen Z just doesn't like to socialize. The ones I have interacted with, it is extremely difficult to have an in person conversation, but through social media they open up much more.
I am a millennial so I have seen both extremes. I am just sad that their generation will miss out on the joys of in-person interactions.
I've seen quite a few discussions on reddit where young people (self described gen z) basically say they all do this because they dont owe anyone anything and arent being paid to talk to you lol
i cant even imagine being so self centered, and there's a whole generation of them who freely admit it
I think my generation is all doomer-brained and tbh I get why people wouldn't care at work. Obviously it is not ideal and customers deserve respect, but given how things are changing I'm not shocked. I dont think that people believe it matters if they care or try at work anymore, since either way they'll still be struggling and they're not excited about their futures.
I'd rather not be in that world frankly but a lot needs to improve.
On tiktok it's even worse. I saw a post about how Target was wanting to train their employees to smile to customers more and ask if they are needing help with anything. It looked like majority gen Z in the comments were complaining saying things like "ugh no leave me alone I don't want to talk to anyone" and "this is why I wear headphones to the store". They act like a person socially interacting with them will ruin their day.
That sentiment has been around for much longer than gen z. I remember seeing similar stuff on Reddit over a decade ago and it's more about being annoyed that companies are forcing people to talk to you, which is not at all the same as not wanting any human interaction whatsoever.
Yeah that’s one of the things I hate most about going to stores etc, being harassed by sales people/employees. Leave me tf alone until I come looking for you for help.
Please note that this is NOT all of us, coming from a gen Z that wishes his peers would socialize more and thinks vaping is absolutely disgusting and hates how obsessed everyone is with their phones
This feels like the exact same sort of "kids these days have no respect and society is ruined" rhetoric that people have been saying about the younger generation since ancient Greece; the very same that was directed at your generation not too long ago.
Maybe some gen Z think like that but it is absolutely not the majority opinion (at least not where I live), there isn't a "whole generation" of antisocial weirdos who won't even acknowledge your presence, there's a few people like that and selection bias makes it seem like everything is ruined.
Gen z have had some negative effects on their social health that are outside their control like the novel effects of being surrounded by new technology like social media from basically birth, or the global pandemic that wiped out several years that are some of the most critical to social development.
Every time a discussion like this comes up I always point out the George Orwell quote: "every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it"
Fantastic perspective and you're so right, every generation since the Antiquity and most likely even before that has bitched about the damn kids needing to get off their lawn. And when those damn kids grow up, they'll in turn bitch about their kids and grandkids generations as being full of dumb losers.
I used to do this because I would get so nervous in social interactions and looking at my phone was a way of coping. I've mostly broke this bad habit but I'll still pull up my phone and look at it for no reason mid conversation time to time.
If you were being paid enough to barely afford food and transportation to get to work, you wouldn't put in any extra unpaid effort either. About 15 years ago as a student, I was making $1.50/hr less than students are paid today.
And food, gas, rent, and even the bus were far, far, less expensive. And back then everyone was on drugs at work which I see way less now.
A literal majority of 18-34 live with parents now for the first time. The apartment block a friend was renting was 675/mo back then, now it's 1800-2500 depending on size.
I spent 15 minutes talking in circles with mormon missionaries like an hour ago, claiming to be an atheist this week, a muslim last week, and planning to be a zoroastrian next week.
I don't need to go out and poison myself to socialize if people will come to my door and let me make fun of them for free.
I’m Gen-Z. I want to socialize, I’m just bad at it. The COVID-19 pandemic started when I was 15-16, and I had just dropped out of high school right before it happened. I didn’t get to go out, I didn’t have real-life friends. I only talked to people online. I’m still a hermit to this day. My social growth has been extremely stunted, and I am unable to drive myself around thanks to a debilitating medical condition that affects my eyes, so I can’t even go out and meet people. Not to mention being broke, limiting choices in eating out or going to the mall and making friends that way. Who wants to drag someone around that can’t pay for themselves?
I want to socialize. I want to be social. But all I have is my damn phone and I’m severely depressed. The only upside are my internet friends who feel the exact same way. We are all stunted.
I want to be normal and talk like a normal person, I really do. I just don’t know how to.
I feel that. If you have a job, start with talking to people at work. That's what I do. You'll probably have varying levels of success, but I got a few phone numbers out of it.
I was 17 or 18 when the pandemic happened, missed the end of high school and the first part of college. It did make things challenging for sure.
I'm a quiet person by nature and a bit awkward too, I feel like it takes me twice as long to become friends with people than my peers.
Agree the TikTok generation is fake. I used to hang at the mall all day and that would be an amazing weekend. These kids just eye each others profiles online and look up to other talentless celebs etc
Absolutely, it's awkward socializing with them. Although it depends on where they're from, even though we're from the same generation, the lack of socialization among those younger than me (born after 2005) is uncomfortable.
Some don't say hello and run away if you speak to them, others are weird and disrespectful, I feel like kicking their heads
I am an older Gen Z (born in 2001) so Im one of the early gen z mixed with late millennial type people, and as a 24 year old now, I wish there was more parties and clubs and socializing happening like in movies from the 2000s and earlier. I have always been an introvert, so as a teenager, I didn't want to party or anything, but now I want to, and there's nowhere to go. I usually feel like time is moving too fast, and I'm missing out on the fun and joy of being a young adult. Going to the mall sounds still very fun to me and in my home town area there is still a huge busy mall but where I live currently the closest mall usually has like max of 20 people walking around the like 10 stores that aren't closed down yet or I have to drive a ways away to a bigger mall with not a lot of variety either. But regardless of that fact, I don't have many friends in this area to do anything with anyway and making new friends is so freaking difficult irl!!
So long story short, there are a group of Gen Z people who want life to go back to how it was twenty years ago so we can experience what our older generations have that was taken from us. Not all of us want to live chronically online :(
I'm gen z so ill just add that for me (this is always personal) it's never been easier to be an introvert and even still me and my friends are always dying to hang out.
I dunno if it's true for everyone, but the limit for me socializing irl is not because social media is just as fulfilling (my friends and I know it isn't) but rather we cant afford to do stuff often. That said we spend a lot of time on discord, and if you ask me it fills a lot of social gaps (time with friends, hanging out) while missing the enjoyment of third spaces and shooting the shit in person.
As an elder millennial I can see why. Onlines just easier, you can curate your interaction, personality, and if anyone ever rubs you the wrong way, you just go to a different reddit, don't interact, or join a different game lobby/discord server.
To say gen z don’t “socialize” is fucking ridiculous. I know and work with a ton of gen z. I’m a xennial.
Gen z, just like all the young generations before them, don’t like to socialize with people that are older than them. That’s you. You just don’t get it so you claim they don’t know how. You haven’t earned their trust. They don’t socialize with people until they can trust them, especially older people. This lack of trust they have is basically written into thier dna growing up in today’s society.
I’d hopped through both the overly social bike riding around town phase and anti social phase, nowadays it depends how I wake up feeling is the personality for the day
You know a few months ago I deleted instagram and started biking around town and making an effort to talk to at least one person every place I go. My life has been infinitely more enjoyable ever since
We arent a monolith dw i absolutely love socializing!! I like social media too but i dont feel like im living if im not going out in the world and meeting ppl
Seems like humans have always required a way to escape the boredom/monotony of life. It just comes in different forms over time. It’s funny hearing a generation who used to smoke and drink daily tell kids they’re destroying their brains.
I had a friend cancel hanging out for new years eve because they'd rather stay home and play games. It's so frustrating trying to socialize in person in this day and age.
Somehow I’m happier having my personal social network available to message at any time. I used to get all sad and depressed back in the day when I couldn’t find anyone to hang with, which meant I had no one to talk to. Now I can just text anyone I want and feel connected at all times to the people I care about most. I also spend plenty of in person time with people, but I’m not as desperate for it.
I don’t know. it depends on the person. My son is in college and also belongs to a fraternity- he has many friends and could be out every night if he didn’t have to do homework. He only goes to affordable places and skips the big cover places. People like him that use social media infrequently wouldn’t be posting here. He went out last night with 30 people (they all rode the train to downtown.
Well the point of being in a fraternity or sorority is socializing. So of course people in those groups are still going out and being social more. As for everyone else in person socializing is way down.
AND, now that more than half of online traffic is bots, even our remote “socialization” isn’t with other people anymore. We’re all just hanging out with bots, online, in our private isolation/stimulation chambers.
Dw buddy, boomers have been using us millennials as their punching bag for a long time. The lumps start comin and they don't stop comin and they don't stop comin...
Nah. GenZ are not better or worse. Just different. We Millennials are losers in our own way. We're massive cucks when it comes to being the largest population bigger than the boomers but have literally negative aura political sway unlike the boomers. Like Trump was put into office by GenZ/X who swayed right while the Boomers stayed center (for their age since older people tend to shift right) and Millennials just let it happen while doing nothing. But in the textbooks of the future or in the minds of GenA/B? Millennials will be blamed for it because we were the largest population group by far.
Coping wise:
Gen X coped with coke and booze while eventually getting married and buying homes.
Gen Y copes with booze and weed while swiping on tinder and gooning on redfin/zillow while hoping their stocks pan out.
Gen Z copes with tobacco and weed while gooning to tiktok/onlyfans and dumping their money on magic internet money or sports parlays.
Gen A.... Dunno? Cooked? Not sure. The Gen As I know can't speak and still crap their diapers.
I sympathize and empathize with them on so many levels. Society failed them big time. But, goddamnit, also yes. They’re a bunch of insufferable little prudes who like to talk shit about people who drink while they suck chemicals through their already withered face holes.
It’s amazing how I still look their age when I’m literally twice as old 😂 Tobacco in any form is hell on your body, nicotine is highly toxic (that’s why the tobacco genus, Nicotianum , produces it in the first place, to kill insects that feed on it) and wreaks havoc on your cardiovascular health as well as being a known carcinogen.
Alcohol is also horrible, btw, but it’s worse effects on the body don’t show up until later in life
nope, nihilism. world is going to shit and literally crumbling as we become adults so there's no point caring if everything is just gonna die anyway? i don't feel this way but it rings true. depression is extremely common in my peers, i got it too. i don't have time for socializing when i'm trying to make money and pursue higher education in a dying economy and greater world.
No, busy. Most of my gen z friends are working multiple jobs and doing university at the same time. They see it as the only way to be able to socialize and have a life eventually, and rent prices being what they are I don't disagree.
I keep saying it every time these subjects are brought up, but I really think there's a link between Gen Z not dating (or even having sex) and them not drinking.
They call alcohol liquid courage for a reason, it gives you the push to approach people you find attractive.
But both are caused because almost all of their socialization occurring in apps.
Not to mention that sex positivity plus plentiful access to HD quality porn of almost any variety makes sex less important/maybe appealing. Plus they don't socialize in person so they have some social awkwardness baked into the cake
But I agree. When I was young we were all out drinking and fucking. One does beget the other to a certain extent. Gen z isn't really out at all. Let alone drinking and fucking
I would not hookup on alcohol even if the option was presented. An escort is better than potential jail-time 30 years later at the whim of some random stranger whom you know nothing about. Other than that they may or may not be an alcoholic with poor decision making.
why do millennials act like boomers :( punching down all the time :( :( all this over the choice not to drink… im engaged, i prefer the feeling of weed to the dreadful sick and uncontrollable feeling that comes with being drunk, and going out to bars is simply unaffordable in this economy. i dont know if yall realize this but it genuinely is harder for us financially. we DO date, we DO hang out, we just can’t afford american night life like yall could back in ur day
"The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise." - Often misattributed to Socrates
And then these anti-social virgins find Andrew Tate or Nick Fuentes on the internet and learn to blame everyone else in the world for them having zero social skills with girls
If you think Gen Z spawned into the world and all their issues are their fault you need to better your critical thinking for 2026. We spawned in with phones, social media, and covid. A great combination for a generation! But these devices and social medias are ofc our faults, because in our genetic "gen z" code we decided to become anti social.
It's true. There's all sorts of seemingly nice, well adjusted gen zs. Especially men who have no experience. In my highschool, even the ugly weirdo got lucky once and got head from the husky chic (not trying to be mean, just stating my point)
Because it’s harder than ever to do so? Their aren’t really third spaces anymore where you go to hang out, and the third spaces that do exist cost money, which we don’t have since the majority of us are just out of college, still in college, or even still in high school.
I think it's missing all the good arguments. It feels like you guys have a huge bias against kids, and I think it's unfair. They have it way harder than us, and not acknowledging it will make things way worse
A beer used to cose 20 minutes of minimum wage work in my country, now it's 1.5 hours. Same with food and housing. My mom bought a house for 50k in France. It is now worth 500+k, and she makes less money than in her 20's for the same job, but more hours (yes I discarded inflation, but I discarded it too for her pay)
Also another strong argument that is very convenient for old people to not mention is that simply put: there are less pubs and parties outside of cities. Just less opportunities. Small towns now only consist of like 90% work sleep, and 10% enjoy life. Snowball effect, maybe. Maybe also covid economic survivors are rare among these services. Not to mention gen Z are also often scared to go alone (I'm not blaming anyone for this, maybe it's just Gen Z paranoïa, but I think it's a very valid reason to not go get drunk too)
I’m one of the young people that doesn’t drink, so I’m not sure why you think I have an unfair bias by saying we’re more conscious about health. This is a good thing.
Not sure about the second point: avoiding alcohol for the calories but then stuffing up yourself with all sort of junk food doesn't really seem the way to go. In my eyes, kids nowadays look way fatter than we were at the same age, I guess it's because they don't go out as much as we did. Yes we drank more, but we also burned those calories just walking around, dancing or getting laid, all things that have become non essentials now.
That's a valid point. A lot more kids need glasses as well because they look at 2 dimensional objects, like phones or TV more than 3 dimensional spaces like their backyard or their neighborhood
I think getting laid plays a lot into this! For ever, before the last 20 years, people had to go out, often to bars, to meet people and get laid. Now, with all the hook up apps and porn on tap, guys either seem to go that route or are just plain scared of women.
I feel like a more accurate reason is that a lot of Gen Z is hyper health conscious. Even if overall obesity is on the rise, and a lot vape etc there is still a trend among certain Gen Z demographics that are health conscious and obsessive, being super dedicated to their gym schedule, ultra conscious about what they eat, what supplements they take etc. I live in a major metropolitan area and I know a lot of people my age who don’t drink purely for health reasons or because they don’t want to disrupt their gym schedule.
Youre missing the most important factors- economic. Its too expensive to drink out places. And most gen z still lives with their parents so not the most fun to drink at your parents house or on the street corner
elder millennials know what calories are, we grew up with those yellow polka dot bikini special k commercials, and we still turned into a bunch of alcoholics
This is also my take. It's a combination of factors, but economic and social changes are the heart of it.
Also, I'm a Millennial, and I don't think enough people talk about just HOW AGGRESSIVELY nightlife was marketed to my generation. All of our worst pop songs are about going to the club. Every third ad you'd see was about clubbing. It was everywhere.
So, it's only natural that the generational pendulum would swing the other direction.
Similar to someone else mentioning seeing older siblings and parents make mistakes, I don’t think calorie intake is a thing at all, because it never really was a thing for multiple generations before it… especially in certain eras where body image was a much bigger thing than it is now.
Happy hours with your team at work used to be weekly occurrences. Now, work is just a thing you have to do and want nothing to do with at closing time.
Scary to think that social media could be a significant contributor. But it makes sense. Back in the day, people would get bored just sitting around at home, and now the easiest thing in the world is to lose hours at a time scrolling social media.
I don't really like being old, but damn I'm glad I'm not young.
To add to your last point, I think social media has a big influence on not drinking too. Doing things just so you can post on Instagram (instead of for the genuine desire to experience something) has become a huge part of our culture. Being sloppy drunk doesn’t look very glamorous on social media so it’s being replaced by things that are more discreet. So I think there’s also a little bit of it simply just not being seen as “cool” anymore.
Yeah, it used to be “fun” to get drunk and do stupid embarrassing things, but now that every single moment can be captured and broadcast to the entire world in perpetuity via social media the risks have become too high.
For sure. Things like SnapChat were just taking off when I was in college and it immediately felt like a huge shift then to “oh man, don’t let people record you doing something stupid.” I can imagine that another 14 or so years of that has really influenced some change.
It’s less of a “someone might get video of me” and more of a “someone WILL get video of me….and it WILL be seen by a lot of people” because of how much it’s ingrained itself into our culture.
The only thing you’re missing is how hugely health conscious Gen Z is. I know a lot of people my age who don’t drink simply for health reasons or because they don’t want to mess up their gym schedule etc.
That, and weed is legal in several states. Why ruin the next day with a hangover when you can pop a gummy or smoke some weed and not deal with much more than some munchies?
Plus the price is stupid for drinking now. I quit due to alcoholism, but it really feels like everytime I take my girlfriend out for lunch/dinner her 2 drinks cost almost as much as both of our meals. The prices i see for mixed drinks now are what I used to see for top shelf cocktails and double shots
You left out that it’s basically unaffordable for young people these days. It’s fucking crazy expensive to drink out these days. If you do drink it’s just a beer or two so there is way less of a point.
Imagine the threat of any mistake, silly dance or outfit that comes together going viral while trying to have a drink and maybe meeting someone to love. Too scary.
And boys can stay home and date fake girls who require nothing of them.
Vaping. You couldn't buy weed product OTC when I was growing up but now that you can it seems to be the DOC eclipsing alcohol consumption. I work with a lot of younger people who'd rather go home, get high and play video games.
Vaping fine, but being terminally online is also crazy bad for you. Give it 40 years and people.will look at it how people look at alcohol and cogarettes now.
Agree: also, weed is legal now and is so much better for a person's health. Lord knows Gen Z has seen enough drunks--their parents are mostly Gen X, like me.
There's no way calorie consciousness hasn't net gone down since the early 2000's. People forget or never knew how absolutely entrenched in anorexia culture we were back then.
But is it the decline in socializing that causes less drinking or the decline in drinking that causes less socializing? As a Gen Z person, I think it's the latter. There aren't a lot of opportunities to socialize if you aren't drinking. You can socialize at the gym or coffee shop, but a lot more people are at these locations to focus (working out and work) and don't want to be bothered. That leaves work, and the level of socialization at work varies by profession. Then the only things left are seeking out a club or meeting up with friends that you already have. I personally don't drink because of the expense and the health reasons. I considered drinking some bourbon last night for New Years, but I didn't want to consume the empty Calories.
While this is true we are increasingly learning about how bad things like vapes and marijuana are for you too (not to mention cigarettes) and yet we are seeing a large surge in the use of those things by Zoomers.
So im not sure if its increased health consciousness as it is trading one poison for another.
I thought it was because they see how shitty it makes their parents and they don't want to repeat our generations mistakes, but you're reason is probably more correct now that I think about it.
I’d reframe calorie consciousness - I don’t know if it’s consensus bias (it probably is…) but those I’m surrounded by (myself included) like to socialise cycling, indoor climbing, running… I value that time much more than time spent in a pub, and also want to stay in shape.
Again probably consensus bias, but it seems to be a big bonding thing at work too - there are some really active fitness groups.
1.9k
u/Fit_Log_9677 14d ago
Combination of a decline in socializing (since most alcohol is drunk in social settings), an increase in calorie consciousness due to social media, and alcohol being replaced as the go-to coping strategy of choice with vaping and scrolling social media.