Androids are better

iPhones are very popular among Gen. Z Courtesy | t rusted r eviews mastered the internet and now reviews engagement reports with the discernment of a seasoned professional. Unfortunately, this hyperfixation on the outside perspective has erased Gen Z’s interior life; the business-like evaluation from the exterior dictates it all. A certain level of awareness in the way one is perceived is important. Yet when you learn to shape your interests, beliefs, identity, and presentation all upon an outside perspective—you have lost yourself. The identity of Gen Z is wrapped up in its presentation; in its brand- ing and marketing and damning lack of spine. We make sure to break up feed posts with pictures that aren’t of ourselves (we mustn’t let on that we’re narcissists) and we post infographics whenever there’s a tragedy (no way we miss the chance to boost brand ethos). Our feeds and now our very selves are defined by the perceptions of others. This is what the misuse of POV shows us.

People use POV to show themselves not from their own “point of view,” but rather from the point of view of the outsider. This seemingly small change in the way we use language reflects a sad fact: Gen Z considers themselves—not as they are—but rather as the sum of market trends that dictate who they must be. The exterior life has officially invaded and defined the interior life. What we do becomes who we are. Social media has turned the youth into marketing managers that cannot stop work for a second. Now all is performance; now we’ve lost our sense of identity; now we are pretty shells, fossils of human beings.

Caleb Holm is a junior studying art.