"You won't get it": Why is GenZ Humor so exclusive to their Gen?

Born in the wake of a raging crisis, the generation born between 1997 and 2012, colloquially known as Generation Z or Gen Z, is driving a revolution for a better society. Politically active with a critical view of the world, a byproduct of growing up in a world where everything they have ever known was ‘hell, While the millennials were the generation that introduced the world to the internet and technology, Gen Z was the one that was born into a world surrounded by it, making it an indispensable part of their lives. The kind of environment and socio-cultural climate they were brought up in greatly shapes their broader perspectives and preconceived biases, inherently shaping the kind of content and humor they consume off the internet. It’s not uncommon for the older generations to be bewildered by the nature of the memes and humor that this generation consumes. Parents, grandparents, and millennials fail to understand the joy that the absurdity of Gen Z humor brings.

It has become incredibly hard to distinguish between reality and simulations or representations of it, thanks to postmodern hyperreality. It makes it difficult for us to tell whether or not the experiences we frequently have are real since it blurs the distinction between reality and simulation or representation. Gen Z, born into this world proliferated by technology and social media, carries over their online personas into the real world. The widespread use of social media made it easy for anyone to have a curated online persona, hopefully, an idealistic version of themselves. The content we consume and the way we perceive it are largely influenced by the capitalist power structures to which we are subject. This generation is incapable of distinguishing between authentic human experiences and commodified representations of what capitalist institutions want them to have. They found it easy to become enmeshed in the never-ending stream of news headlines, which frequently reported on the hellish reality we already knew. The conflict of emotions created by these elements is itself up for question: are they a product of this hyperreality too? Curated personas and manufactured experiences are considered more valuable and authentic, reigning supreme in our world and creating a sense of emptiness and unfulfillment among the youth.

This empty void created by the contemporary world has resulted in a nihilist perspective, asserting that life has no inherent meaning or purpose. The consideration of traditional values and beliefs as mere arbitrary choices, leading to their rejection and embracing a more dark and absurd form of comedy, has shaped what Gen Z humor is today. This enables individuals to make sense of a frequently confusing and overwhelming reality. The nihilistic rejection of conventional values and beliefs may be the source or the outcome of lazy cynicism. This passive and superficial distrust, skepticism, or pessimism toward institutions, authority figures, and societal norms without any serious efforts to understand or constructively engage with them often manifests in apathy, detachment, or a sense of ironic detachment, reflected in their humor. Their nihilist humor still contains a tinge of lightheartedness, representing the glimmer of hope for a better world that they continue to see.

Regrettably, Generation Z learned prejudices about race, gender, nationality, and other categories from memes created by previous generations. GenZ wants to make sure that humor doesn’t disparage a certain group of people for the amusement of others, but rather is inclusive and doesn’t make anyone the punchline of jokes. Their humor is a result of their shared anxiety about the unpredictable world that lies ahead of them. With issues beyond their control, such as the effects of climate change, the economic downturn, a shrinking job market, soaring student loan debt, and policies enacted by privileged old men, Generation Z uses humor as a unifying method for these issues. A sense of dark comedy develops as a result of their shared fear of the unfathomable world that lies ahead.

A rhetorical device that has significantly influenced humor is irony, and as generations change, so do the layers of irony or the quantity used. Older generations enjoyed ‘situational irony’ in the form of slapstick comedy or physical humor, where the opposite of what was expected happened. ‘Verbal irony’ was popularized by Gen X and Millenials, utilizing elements such as sarcasm and satire, though Millenials chose a darker take on it (you have to credit Millenials for inventing dark humor or at least bringing it to mainstream media). What Gen Z excels at is using multiple layers of irony to create a complex and nuanced comedic effect.

Meta-irony gained its rightful popularity among this generation. It is a form of self-referential irony in which the speaker or writer employs irony to comment on the irony itself. It is irony in which the irony itself becomes the object of irony. A couple of minutes of scrolling through TikTok would broaden the understanding of meta-irony after seeing multiple memes using irony to comment on the meme or the culture surrounding the meme itself.

Let’s use quantum physics to help us understand humor. Schrodinger’s Cat is a thought experiment where a cat is placed in a sealed box with a device that has a 50% chance of killing it. According to quantum physics, the instant before the box is opened, that cat is considered to be in a state of superposition, both alive and dead at the same time. Schrondinger’s meme concept applies this idea to memes. It suggests that a meme can simultaneously be both funny and unfunny, depending on who is observing it and in what context. Technically, the meme exists in a state of superposition of either being funny or unfunny until it is observed or interpreted by an individual. This emphasizes the subjective nature of humor and the fact that memes are a product of individual interpretation and context.

Gen Z’s distinct sense of humor is rooted in the complexity of the socio-cultural environment in which they live. They cross these lines while making observations about the status of the world in the capitalist rat race, where broad generalizations and superficial thinking are common. They are not at all bothered by the complaints of the older generations; instead, they would rather record a TikTok about some “Karen” moaning and them laughing it off. They stand for a fresh form of hope that, while we can’t yet decide what it is, we can wait for it to emerge soon.