Nati Feliciano-Soto, Contributing Writer
Gen Z is the new leading political force for our country’s future. They make up 20.6% of the total US population and are striving young adults born between the years of 1997-2012, according to a USA Today report.
With innate social media expertise and substantial influence among our peers. We utilize digital platforms like TikTok to promote new ideas that can prosper within our society.
Our historical contributions to groundbreaking movements, which have helped to expose the harsh realities and biases within American ideology, have been shunned by older generations who see Gen Z’s political action online as a threat to the status quo.
Where did the idea of this generation being a major political threat to our country’s voting future come from? How do the social platforms we use contribute to this?
There have been various reports of the majority of older congressmen and right-wing politicians, like Vivek Ramaswamy, promoting threats to raise the voting age to 21-25 in an attempt to eliminate as many Gen Zers — and our progressive movements — as possible within the next election year.
Other examples include Republican lawmakers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who have proposed state constitutional amendments to approve a rise in the voting age from 18 to 21, which directly conflicts with the 26th amendment that was put in place since 1971.
This generation has shown resilience in being a political voice for the future. From the 9/11 attacks, the 2008 recession and historic presidential election to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, yearly school shootings and other horrific historical events, Gen Z has seen the world change in unprecedented ways.
Because of our influential online presence, Gen Z has become a positive asset to spread extensive educational resources and information that aren’t otherwise accessible.
This has helped the newer generation to make political change through events like the 2020 presidential election. Sixty five percent of those between the ages of 18 and 24 voted for Biden, CNBC reported. The significant impact of Gen Z’s political power and how they determine the better factors in favor of everyone else’s future cannot be denied.
The overwhelming democratic voting turnout, primarily due to young voters, became such a controversy in the aftermath of the 2020 election that calls for an investigation were made. The final numbers proved to be firm in court and showcased Gen Z’s trailblazing voting power.
The outrage within the national government, the Trump administration and the Republican party didn’t stop with the election. They went on to call TikTok a national threat to security. They used this as an opportunity to shut down the new generation’s political voice.
On March 23, our own congress committee acted against the owner of TikTok, Zhang Yiming, in an attempt to ban the app on American networks. Regardless, the basis of TikTok’s safety features proved accurate and encouraged freedom of expression within the app.
As stated by Yiming, the app itself doesn’t tolerate hate or any content that promotes human abuse, it is a violation of their community guidelines. Which makes this substantial evidence to show how TikTok is proactive in ensuring the safety of young minds on their app from dangerous messages or ideologies.
Congress’ lacklust beef with TikTik comes from a fear of Gen Z’s political power; our advocacy for diversity, political and economic changes that will one day no longer benefit them.
Society should approach Gen Z in a more positive light. We are a reflection of the generation who fought for civil rights and to end separation among all Americans. Gen X and Millennials raised us in times of historical despair while attempting to pass down their generational traditions and beliefs. Instead, they raised empowered young adults who use cancel culture to hold various persons and past social beliefs accountable as a way to correct our future society.
My generation is not a dangerous political threat to any country’s future. We are the opposite. We are a gifted generation that is equipped with technological advances and crucial political stances. With the intentions of becoming the future political leaders of the United States, we are the essential piece to making sure more political awareness and truth are told without media interference or political repercussions for future generations to follow.
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