Olivia Stevermer - Girlboss, Gatekeep, Gaslight: A 2020 Memoir

I looked down to see one missed call from Mother. I paced back and forth on the crowded streets of a pseudo-suburb right outside New York City. Mothers eighteen-year-old daughter who had never gone so far as to drink a singular sip of alcohol had just driven over one thousand miles for a frat bro. When we last spoke two days prior, I was in St. Louis, which is where I was until 11:00 p.m. that night when I decided that Chad from Sigma Apple Pie was the love of my life.

I called my mother back, and as she listened to my plea from her end of the phone, she was not upset. My mother was actually quite intrigued by my convoluted and adventurous narrative. An older group of writers whom I had been working with at the time had a very similar reaction.

This feels very current and unlike anything Ive ever read, one of the writers said, after reading the account of my pilgrimage to discover the feelings of the poster child for apathy.

I read it and instantly told my husband that I had just read the coolest thing ever, and it was written by an eighteen-year-old! said another.

After hearing those comments and receiving their feedback, I learned people are really interested in learning about Gen Z from Gen Z, and there is a huge lack of generational understanding. The average age of a published book author is thirty-six years old (Keren 2016). For personal narrative and memoir, that average age is much higher, with any memoirist under forty being considered young (Miller 2017). A lot of people my age tend not to write books or memoirs, but I think it should happen more so we can have a greater understanding of youth.

Additionally, since we are currently living through a major historical period, its important that we have records of it from a plethora of perspectives. Particularly in the realm of academia, older adults have a lot of questions about how students are being affected. There are quite a few statistics but not many narratives that provide insights on those softer, less overt effects. As a Gen Z college student, I believe I can give a snapshot of Gen Z at large, and I hope this stirs much-needed discussion about the shifts happening amongst all generations.

Aside from just the current times and academia, there are many other unique characteristics of Gen Z. We struggle with mental health as we are the most depressed and anxious generation (Annie E. Casey 2021) yet are somehow bold enough to take down Wall Street and hack presidential rallies. We derive anxiousness from something as simple as placing a coffee order yet have enough animosity to overthrow societal elites. So while older generations tend to think we are a bunch of self-absorbed iced latte addicts with social media obsessions and no motivation to do anything, I couldnt disagree more. Especially after working on a political campaign, its clear to me Gen Z is incredibly hardworking when it comes to things they are passionate about. Gen Z is the inevitable future, and its important to understand how we are unique and what this means for that future.

I think there is a huge misunderstanding of how Gen Z uses social media and a stigma that social media is inherently evil. I have been forced to watch numerous videos about how using social media is consuming my personality and turning me into a dehydrated cardboard box. It sort of started out that way, back when I was posting duck face selfies in sixth grade and obsessing over my twenty-three likes, constantly refreshing the app in hopes of a new notification.

Yet as time has gone on and Gen Z has evolved, social media has become a great creative outlet. A lot of my friends with passions such as fitness, fashion, and food have accounts dedicated to their creations. They do somewhat care about their following and activity, but they are more so excited to share their passions with the world and inspire others rather than being obsessed over numbers. There are certainly enough influencers who have achieved feasible success to show social media has made pursuing creative interests much more practical.

Another great innovation of social media is it is great for meeting new people. Social media may have started off as a way to share things strictly with friends, acquaintances, and family, yet it has evolved into so much more. With large platforms wanting users to be able to grow their following, they have managed to modify their programs so platforms are now reaching broader geographical audiences. Like many other Gen Zers, I have met people from other statesboth in person and virtuallythrough the fate of the algorithm. Theres something incredibly fun and exhilarating about meeting the people behind the screen, and I dont think older generations understand that. Because I have used social media to meet people, this book will illustrate this uncharted euphoria.

There are a lot of Gen Z characteristics that go beyond statistics and can be difficult to understand. From my experience being from Gen Z and consistently interacting with other Gen Zers, I think we are spontaneous, and our train of thought can seem quite illogical. This snapshot of my life, along with a look into my thought process, can give the reader an understanding of those less concrete and scientific qualities to provide a better understanding of Gen Z.

Since this book does specifically capture 2020, people my age will enjoy reading a story that is in some ways like theirs and in other ways not. Often, I feel the portrayal of younger characters by older writers doesnt truly capture the present youth, so I hope my fellow Gen Zers can find some solace in this work by an author who truly understands them. I also think the parents of my fellow Gen Z folk will enjoy learning about the minds of their edgy, alt offspring and garner a greater understanding of how they operate.

If you are interested in learning more about Gen Z, online learning, 2020, or Gen Z in 2020, this book is for you. Beyond the generational divide, there are a lot of parts to this book that everyone can relate to, especially if you love humor, adventure, and the journey that is coming of age. And at the heart of this book is love, a universal emotioneven if its unrequited and for a frat bro.