UPSC Syllabus: Gs Paper 1- Society

Introduction

Democratic systems across many societies are facing decline, weak accountability, and growing public frustration. In this setting, Generation Z (1997–2012) has emerged as a visible political force. Youth-led protests in Bangladesh (2024) and Nepal (2025) show new patterns of mobilisation. Their engagement reflects changing values, new social experiences, and different ways of practising democracy shaped by digital life, economic uncertainty, and evolving social expectations.

Understanding Gen Z

1. Generational change in values: Each generation reshapes ethics, social practices, and political expectations. New ideas carry traces of older traditions but appear unfamiliar to previous generations.
2. Response to democratic decline: Their rise occurs when many societies face authoritarian tendencies and unresponsive governance. Youth mobilisation reflects renewed democratic energy.
3. Correcting the image of disengagement: They were often seen as distracted and absorbed in virtual life. Organised protests showed structured and purposeful political expression.
4. Democracy beyond formal institutions: Democratic life depends not only on laws and structures but also on everyday moral practices and shared emotions. These deeper layers shape their responses.
5. Emergent political subjectivity: Their mobilisation reflects new forms of selfhood and social awareness. Their politics cannot be fully understood through conventional frameworks.

History of Gen Z Mobilisation

1. Early participation before leadership: Youth presence appeared in protests from 2010 onward, including UK student protests and riots. They participated even when not leading movements.
2. Gradual global involvement in the 2010s: Gen Z members appeared in events like the Arab Spring and Gezi Park protests. Their presence spread across regions over time.
3. Rise of youth-led global campaigns:

• From the late 2010s, Gen Z began leading organised mobilisation. March for Our Lives (2018) and Fridays for Future (2018) marked early visible leadership.
• Youth-led protests influenced major political events such as the Thai protests (2020–21) and the Sri Lankan uprising (2022).

4. Global reach after 2024: Bangladesh (2024) and Nepal (2025) saw regime-challenging protests led by Gen Z. Similar mobilisations spread across Asia, Africa, and South America.

1. Recognition of a protest generation: By 2025, widespread youth participation across countries led observers to describe a global protest wave shaped by Gen Z.

Characteristics of Gen Z

1. Radical individualism with low prejudice: They value personal autonomy but show less social prejudice and discrimination.
2. Personal experience as political meaning: Political understanding comes from lived experience and everyday treatment rather than abstract theory.
3. Practice rather than ideology: They prefer living their values instead of promoting rigid doctrines. They resist moral preaching and avoid preaching to others.
4. Response to lived inequality: They react strongly to direct experiences of hierarchy. However, they do not always frame these experiences in structural or systemic terms.
5. Preference for virtual interaction: They prefer expressing views on virtual platforms rather than physical interaction.
6. Confidence combined with anxiety: They are socially confident due to democratisation but deeply anxious due to shrinking economic opportunities.
7. Mental health awareness: Openness to counselling and therapy is common. Feelings of insecurity, workplace stress, and emotional strain influence political attitudes.
8. Precarity shaping participation: Economic uncertainty leads to fragmented and temporary involvement in political events.
9. Consumption and identity formation: Market access, technology, and education shape self-identity. Consumption patterns challenge inherited social hierarchies.
10. Information as social dignity: Access to information becomes a key source of dignity.

Comparison Between Gen Z Movements and Traditional Mass Movements

1. Organisation versus spontaneity: Traditional movements like the farmers’ protest (2020–24) had leadership, structure, and sustained planning. Gen Z protests are spontaneous and decentralised.
2. Duration and continuity: Earlier movements continued for years with stable demands. Gen Z protests are episodic and short-lived.
3. Ideological clarity versus fluid demands: Traditional movements had clear ideological frameworks. Gen Z protests often lack defined ideological structures.
4. Collective mobilisation versus individual participation: Earlier protests relied on organised groups. Gen Z mobilisation reflects individual motivation and personal engagement.
5. Sustained presence versus symbolic impact: Traditional protests maintained physical continuity. Gen Z protests fade quickly but still produce significant psychological and political influence.

Why Gen Z Mobilisation Matters

1. Challenge to democratic decline: Their mobilisation offers renewed pressure against authoritarian tendencies and unresponsive governance.
2. Transformation of protest culture: Leaderless and episodic mobilisation changes how political participation operates.
3. Shift from ideology to lived experience: Political engagement increasingly reflects everyday emotions and personal realities.
4. Social democratisation and self-awareness: Expanded education and openness encourage reflection on identity and social position.
5. Economic insecurity shaping political behaviour: Limited opportunities create anxiety, influencing how and when they participate.
6. Market and technology reshaping social equality: Consumption and information weaken traditional caste and religious hierarchies.
7. Unpredictable yet influential outcomes: Even brief protests can reshape public discourse and political attention.

Conclusion

Gen Z represents a new form of democratic engagement shaped by individualism, digital interaction, and economic insecurity. Their protests are brief but influential, practical rather than ideological. They express politics through lived experience and personal assertion. Their impact is uncertain but transformative, making them central to understanding the evolving nature of democratic participation.

Question for practice:

Examine how Generation Z is reshaping the nature of democratic engagement through its distinct worldview, protest patterns, and forms of political participation.

Source: The Hindu