A disease has spread among the younger generations with frightening speed, drawing comparisons to the COVID-19 and Spanish Flu pandemics. More than any other disaster in recent memory, this virus has devastated Generations Z and Alpha, who were previously less impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. Yet, despite its prevalence among children, parents can’t seem to agree on the symptoms of antisocialitis.
“My daughter is always at home,” said one concerned mother about her 15-year-old daughter. “Last week, I offered to take her shopping for clothes. You know, just to get her out of the house for once. But she told me that she could just go on Depop. I’m not sure what that is; it’s all gibberish to me.” On the other hand, some parents are faced with much more extreme behavior from their children. “Yeah, my son is pretty much playing video games all day,” commented a dad. “I don’t think I’ve really seen him talk to anyone outside of his room.” However, he later clarified that this was a hyperbolic statement. His son wasn’t literally inside all day. Nevertheless, the effects of what parents have called an “overreliance on technology” seem to vary greatly from case to case.
Like many of my peers, I have been struck down with this disease, and it has plagued my day-to-day life. I don’t know when it infected me, but its effects have been clear. In fact, I must warn the reader beforehand as I recount my experiences with antisocialitis.
I remember one such day vividly: walking into California Fish Grill, a sensation gnawed at me, taking over my better judgment. My mind demanded that I sprint out of the establishment, despite my own reason. All the faces around me distorted into sneering grins. My knees trembled, and I began to sweat. Out of nowhere, it was as if I had developed an uncontrollable aversion to social interaction. In fact, I found myself frantically ordering online in my car just to avoid the possibility of having to interact with another person. Afterwards, I walked in with my hoodie up, feeling as if I had lost agency over my life as I snatched my bag of food. My parents had warned of this before. They’d told me that being on my phone too much would ruin my social abilities, and now that nightmare had become a reality!
“Truthfully, it’s one of the worst cases we’ve seen so far,” one doctor at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases revealed to me when my lab results were completed. “I’ll be frank, you’ve developed an overreliance on technology from the infection, and as a result, you’re practically a recluse. You can’t do basic tasks like ordering fast food; you’re like a baby.”
While that last comment may be a bit offensive to some, there seems to be an infantilization of younger generations that many older adults share. When interviewing a random man on the street, he had this to say: “No, truly, Gen Z is a bunch of babies. I remember back when I was in my college days, I was wayyy more social.”
When he was asked to elaborate on how he was more social, he responded, “I’d go out three times a week to a bar and drink until it felt like my head was going to explode. That’s the life! A lot of kids these days have never been hammered before, and I think that’s kind of alarming.”
Yet, Gen Zers offered a different perspective.
“I think that socialization is changing,” argues one college student. “Honestly, I think I’m making friends online these days. Even the people that I become friends with in person tend to opt for online communication. I don’t find it alarming that I’m staying home instead of going out to bars. It’s just a different form of hanging out. I think it’s ignorant to simply dismiss it and call it anti-social behavior.”
Honestly, whether or not they can find a way to cure my disease, I’m not as alarmed as before. Maybe I am missing out on some social interaction. However, the important question is, how detrimental is it to miss out on talking to a cashier in comparison to resisting the changing social habits of our generation? I don’t entirely know the answer, but until I do, I won’t lose sleep on ordering through the Taco Bell app.
