welcome to apocalypse, but make it gen-z!
the world may be chaotic, but at least it's entertaining
[from @textsfromyourexistentialist]
WELCOME!
“Remember when the Internet used to be fun?” began Helen Lewis in her Atlantic article “The Joke’s On Us,” where she discussed the evolution of Internet culture’s “simpler times” of the early 2010s to, well, the widespread upheaval that saturates my feed each and every day. I may be a long-time Internet culture stan (and my personality may be a bit too interwoven with the senseless online content I digest on a daily basis), but Lewis’ sentence economically captures the essence this newsletter will try to achieve better than I ever could. I like to think I’m less of a pessimist than Lewis, though, so I will attempt to dig into the endless Internet void to mine out its remaining gold bits. And for those resilient, glistening nuggets, we have Gen-Z to thank.
With that… hello! Welcome to the first edition of my newsletter “apocalypse, but make it gen-z” (all in lowercase to fit the effortless Internet aesthetic, of course). Here, I will write a semi-weekly newsletter to highlight major news events — politics, social justice, climate change, cultural happenings, and really everything the tumultuous 2020 has to offer — in relation to how they affect the digitally savvy younger generations, like me! Think hard news, but more fun and fresh.
So, make sure to subscribe at the bottom of this newsletter for your weekly dose of Gen-Z Internet chaos. For now, let’s dive into this week’s distinct digital disaster.
TRUMP HAS COVID?! WHEN VIRALITY MESHED PERSONAL AND POLITICAL
This week’s special is devoted to the infamous name that fell ill to the equally infamous disease. Of course, I’m talking about President Trump and COVID-19 — as if either needs more attention, but here we are anyway.
I’ve loved retelling the story of exactly when and where I was the moment I found out Trump had contracted COVID-19 — an ominous fate many of us saw coming in what was only a matter of time — because the instance just sticks out in my memory that much.
To set the scene: My best friend had flown into Los Angeles that Thursday to stay with me while she was visiting town for the weekend. The first thing we had planned was to attend an outdoor dinner party at our friend’s house that evening after the five attendees had just tested COVID-negative. Late into the evening once the air had cooled and all of the wine and pasta was finished, my best friend was mid-story when our host let out a sudden audible gasp upon looking at her phone. When I received a New York Times push notification in that same instance, I instinctively knew that was no coincidence. Once I read the headline, I gasped even louder and interrupted my friend to deliver the breaking news to the entire table, which erupted in shock and laughter and horror and every emotion in between. From there, we immediately turned to every social media platform to dissect the resulting chaotic commentary, and below I’ve included some of my favorite related memes sent my way via our dinner party’s Twitter DM group that was conceived that night.
I would say the rest is history, but now three days post-diagnosis (as of Sunday, October 4), Trump’s health concerns may be more severe than the White House wants to let on. Just as only time would tell for when Trump caught coronavirus, now we wait to see how he’ll fare overall, but the Internet and its young inhabitants do not rest for the wicked.
Trump’s new-found illness has reverberated through the media and into the immune systems of others in his inner circle. One of those who has tested positive is Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President and mother of Claudia Conway, the TikTok star (@claudiamconway) with over 1 million followers who worship her progressive opinions that directly rebel against her family’s notoriously conservative stances.
On Friday, Claudia posted a TikTok suspecting her mom was sick with COVID-19 shortly after Trump tested positive. The same day, she posted another video confirming that her suspicion rang true. Claudia was the first to disclose her family’s diagnosis.
On Saturday, Claudia herself tested positive for COVID-19.
The idiosyncratic nature of Claudia Conway has fascinated me since I first discovered her content in the earlier months of quarantine. In many ways, Claudia, aside from being the very antithesis of her conservative powerhouse family, is emblematic of the Gen-Z voice when pitted up against those of older generations: intentional, passionate, somewhat self-deprecating, and, ultimately, unforgiving. Whereas the public perception of political families’ younger members has generally been kept behind lock and key (think: the protected nature of Sasha and Malia Obama), Claudia completely breaks that trend by putting it all out there. Between blatantly encouraging her followers to “vote blue,” opening up about mental health, and balancing it all with normal teenage girl shenanigans, she welcomes public criticism because being an active member of Gen-Z is, by default, being in the public eye. No longer are politicians these larger, out-of-reach figures; instead, their well-being is reported to you directly from their homes on your FYP.
Social media is the great connector between the public and private spheres of life, as a division between the two is almost completely foreign to Gen-Z. Objectively, Claudia’s could (and has) put her family’s position in jeopardy by broadcasting their affairs, so her continued online presence speaks to how that lack of division has become normalized. I hope Claudia has a speedy recovery, but I don’t doubt we’ll see plenty of updates along the way.
ON MY MIND
I plan to selfishly devote the last section of each newsletter to a personally eclectic list of super fun stuff, including: things that have struck me on the Internet, what I’m engaging with offline, and my otherwise random musings that have been dying for a home. Needless to say, there are always a lot of things on my mind.
Saturday Night Live, my favorite late-night comedy show, recently returned for its 46th season, now back in person after. It’s premiere “Cold Open” recapped the atrocity that was last week’s first presidential debate, though the spot-on performances by Alec Baldwin (Donald Trump) and Jim Carrey (Joe Biden) were arguably more civil than the real debate itself.
The debate reminded me of this eye-opening article I read in The Atlantic a while back about Biden’s struggle with stuttering.
I read Joseph O’Niell’s short story “Rainbows” in the New Yorker while getting my hair done last week, which told the thoughtful tale of mentorship, family, and how relationships evolve over time.
Like I included at the open of this newsletter, Helen Lewis wrote a think piece for The Atlantic about the dark roots of Internet culture and how the space has grown more inclusive over time.
My all-time favorite band LANY released their third studio album Mama’s Boyon October 2, and it has really pulled at my nostalgia heartstrings. My favorite track is “i still talk to jesus” — a major trip down memory lane for me to my southern Bible belt roots.
I’ve also been replaying The Neighbourhood’s new album Chip Chrome & The Mono-tones, which has been a cozy throwback to my ~hipster~ high school years (yes, I wore beanies) while bringing the much-needed vibes for me to get through college midterms.
That’s all! Until next time, see you online.
xoxo, Rowan <3
Have insight into the world of Gen-Z? Connect with me!
twitter: @rowan_born // instagram: @rowanborn
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