Home | Articles | Poetry | About The Author | Contact Us |
Have you not known, have you not heard the term — Zoomers? We may know about Zoom and many of us have used this feature in order to connect with others online for the purpose of meetings and face-to-face communication, although it happens through a screen rather than in person. This is what Wikipedia says about the title of Zoomers: “Generation Z (or simply Gen Z), colloquially known as Zoomers, is the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 2010s as ending birth years”.
According to UrbanDictionary.com “Generation Z is a play on the term "Boomer," which refers to members of the Baby Boomer generation. The term Zoomer is also in reference to the fast-paced upbringings members of Generation Z are characterized to have due to the fast advances in technology and culture that has been happening around them as a result of the interconnectivity of the American and Global populations because of the ubiquity of internet-connected smart phones and social media”.
My youngest children are Zoomers while my other children are from Generation X or Xennials, and Generation Y or Millennials, whilst I am considered a Baby Boomer. We are spread out from 1959 to 2001. Here is a link which provides dates so that one can determine for themselves which generational group they belong to beginning with 1890 to 2025. https://www.careerplanner.com/Career-Articles/Generations.cfm
The Zoomers I know are quite different to my Xennials and Millennials despite being equally proficient with technology and moreso than myself, even though I do have a good grasp on many software programmes for which I give credit to my career. My sister, who is also a Baby Boomer and is one year younger than me does not have a computer, nor does she want to, and finds it hard to even send an email despite my spending time with her going through it step by step. She finds it all very stressful and develops anxiety when she knows she needs to submit her annual assessments online. Once she is set up then she is able to get on with it but needs the security of me being close by in case she gets stuck on something. Unless we embraced the new technology of computers in the 90s or made an effort to take classes then it seems as though some were left behind believing it all to be too hard, and yet it really isn’t.
I would say my Millennials are super confident online and with all forms of technology and have taken to it all like a “duck to water”. The Zoomers are indeed super fast and “zoom” along as if it all made perfect sense to them and seem to have lightning reflexes when online while they go about their interests extremely confidently, thinking nothing of placing themselves before the camera to total strangers while sharing personal information. They adapt and pick up anything new like it was meant to be while I need to practice unfamiliar information at least a couple of times in order to develop confidence and familiarity. Unlike myself they have more than one online social network and prefer ebooks on Kindle. My first preference is for reading a hard copy, a real book to hold in my hands rather than rely on a machine that needs battery life. There is just something comforting about a real book rather than a screen, although I do believe in the benefit of “both worlds” by being flexible enough when I need to be, and so I move in and out of online communication but regard myself as “old school” with traditional methods of pen and ink, paper and notepads, cards and letter writing with envelopes and stamps for certain occasions. When taking typing classes during high school students used Olivetti Underwood, Olympia, and Royal typewriters, eventually progressing to my beloved IBM Selectric golfball typewriter at work, then the Raytheon word processor, the desktop, the laptop, now the iPad and Tablet which are portable and come in very handy.
Zoomers think so differently to Baby Boomers and sometimes I wonder if we have much of anything in common except that we all appreciate more time for the things we like to do. Technology has made a lot of things easier such as online banking — rather than physically attending the bank to deposit or withdraw money to pay bills — now it takes a mere tap or two on the keyboard in the comfort of our homes to shift funds by transferring from one account into another as well as using the BPAY facility to pay bills which saves so much time and energy. Zoomers like to cut corners too so that they have more time, however I notice that their additional time is spent using more of the technology available to them such as various social media sites, online games, listening to music from YouTube and watching videos posted by anyone around the world who wants to make one. Some of the content is in my opinion a great time waster but my Zoomer cannot recognise this at all. They are spoilt for choice and want what they want when they want it around the clock whether day or night 24/7.
Sometimes I think to myself that technology has a great propensity for keeping young people separated artificially while indoors behind screens, while interacting distantly instead of having a healthy lifestyle outdoors like we did in the 60s and 70s. Those children today who do not get outside to play, ride bikes, run, engage in ball games, swim, or walk to the park have been shown to have Vitamin D deficiencies as well as weak or brittle bones, which was almost unheard of in times past when we were of the same age, since we as youth back then were mostly outside with our friends or helping parents with gardening. It is rather sad for young people to affect their health negatively in this way as it will lead to further health problems and it is completely preventable. My Zoomer already suffers from Vitamin D deficiency and insomnia for nearly half her life which is linked and definitely attributable to being online indoors so much and late at night before sleep.
There is nothing wrong with computers, mobile phones, and TV, provided individuals can limit usage in order to lead balanced lives, but who has the discipline out there and can say “this is enough” rather than spending many hours on devices plugged in day and night keeping them from restful sleep, from exercise, from sunlight, from being with family members to engage in conversation around the table while having a meal? It can be quite a serious addiction brought about by human weakness and lack of self control. Most Zoomers I know prefer not to engage physically as this gets awkward or uncomfortable due to anxiety and heightened stress levels, and yet I have witnessed my Zoomer online surprisingly saying and doing things that are considered bold but behind the security of a screen. Seems like a huge contradiction and I wonder how socially adept or inept they will be when they are in careers. Time will tell as they say.
For now, I love all my children whatever category the world puts them in, however I see a big difference between the eldest and youngest daughters almost like they are from unrelated genetic origins with vastly opposing views on certain topics but then they have agreement with other issues. While this is all quite interesting it gives me much to think about and ponder upon while meditating about certain scriptures to do with children living in these end times. Romans 1:18-32 reports many dire character flaws while 2 Timothy 3:1-5 reiterates that children will be disobedient to parents. God warns His people ahead of time to watch their spiritual state and also to be aware of situations that could very well threaten our lives, with children betraying parents if they do not agree with their views especially on spiritual matters. How can they agree when they are poles apart wanting nothing to do with God, as they do not know who He really is but have a warped idea of a cruel deity pulling strings like a deranged puppet master. This is what the world tells them, and that the Bible is full of made-up stories — fantasy — which are not to be believed.
The wickedness out there we know is from the deceiver, the devil, who grabs and holds their attention with music in particular, with popular online games involving killing and violence, with competitive games, with TikTok, with many types of games that one can construct or create a “new person” to replace themselves with a different appearance even going so far as to be like an animal or a witch/warlock/devil, with verbal and mental abuse known as cyber bullying on various social media platforms, as well as teaching them nonsense at school related to evolution, sex education, and in many other subtle ways within their relationships for which they have no idea he is behind all of this darkness. To inject our children with poisonous venom filling their precious minds and hearts in order to influence them greatly to think they are no good, worthless, causing debilitating depression, eating disorders, drug addictions, wanting to self harm and having thoughts of suicide to the point that so many end their lives is so mind-blowingly, heart-wrenchingly sick and utterly twisted.
This is the devil and how he works relentlessly, tirelessly, using the airwaves — his speciality — to destroy the youth, and he zeros in first on those who are more vulnerable like scattered lambs in the pasture with divorced or separated parents, single parents, and those who live together but are unequally yoked even though God warns us not to be in 2 Corinthians 6:14-15, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?” For now, Godly parents continue to set the best example, the Christ-like example for our children being mindfully consistent in good works, never growing weary doing good, and fearlessly avoiding compromise which would look like hypocrisy to others. Never, ever give up, as our children are worth investing in whether they be from Generation X, Y, or Z.