*The views and opinions expressed in the following piece are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Nest or Albany High School.*

Gen Z: the generation of social media, selfies, Netflix obsession, and pictures of food.

Some people may define this generation simply like that, but it is so much more. This is the generation that can easily connect to others all around the world with a quick post or message. That’s right; at the click of a button someone across the ocean can communicate with you! There is a ton of information on Google on just about anything you can think of. Even if there’s not an exact answer to something you’re looking for, there are plenty of ideas to consider and build off of. Rather than spending hours riffling through books, you can save that time and do whatever else you please.

Our generation in general is held to higher expectations and experiences way more pressure and stress than past generations, so this extra time is very valuable. We can either use it to do more work and continue contributing to the world in a sense or relax so we can later do higher quality work.  Therefore, the convenience our generation experiences due to our advanced technology overall helps society develop in general if you really think about it.

Furthermore, every generation has its own weird trends and criticisms; neon colors, disco, Hammer pants, giant hair, etc. We shouldn’t be shamed for our generation’s quirks – the criticisms by those who are older are hypocritical because when they were young they embraced the trends of their generations, and we are in turn just embracing ours.

I’m not saying our generation doesn’t have its issues, but no generation has been perfect and all have led to change! People should not be shaming this generation and we should not be ashamed to be a part of it. So take that selfie, binge watch that show, Snapchat as much of your day as your heart desires, and even though this may sound cheesy, just live how you like!