Almost everyone knows movies like “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” or “The Breakfast Club.” These films were able to stand the test of time because they were true representations of the generation they were portraying, but recently, fewer movies have been able to have that effect. Because of the lack of compelling Gen Z representation in the media since the 2010s, movies and media in general have become more lifeless and uninspired.
One reason attributed to this is the disconnect between the quick pace of social media and the slow production process that comes with making long-form media. Including social media trends and lingo that might be popular at the time of writing could severely date a movie or show before it’s even released.
Netflix’s “Ginny and Georgia” is one of the most popular examples of this. Although the show tried to keep up with trends, by the time it had been released, those trends had come and gone, making it difficult for the audience to relate. So how are shows supposed to reflect Gen Z trends if they’re so quickly gone?
“Sex Education,” another show created by Netflix, answers this question. They simply don’t. “Sex education” is commonly seen as an amazing representation of Gen Z because it doesn’t date itself in ways that other shows like “Ginny and Georgia” do.
“Sex Education” doesn’t bother adding useless social media trends because the producers know it wouldn’t make sense at the time of release. Although social media can be a projection of Gen Z culture, it’s never a replica, and this show knows that, whereas “Ginny and Georgia” is seemingly unable to make this connection.
Another issue causing the lifelessness of Gen Z in media is the media’s treatment of the Gen Z characters themselves. Shows with this problem often treat the teenage characters as children and don’t allow them to act their age. They often dumb down their characters to the point that it’s almost hard to watch.
To be able to accurately portray today’s teenagers, shows need to take their age into account. Media from the older decades understood this. “The Breakfast Club,” for instance, shows its characters doing things you’d think a group of bored teenagers would do. It’s able to relate to its audience.
Because of the quick-paced nature of social media trends and writers’ lack of knowledge of teen culture, TV shows and movies that can accurately portray Gen Z are hard to come across. Media is supposed to create time capsules of their audience. By filling it with references to trends that have quickly come and gone and being unable to show an accurate depiction of that audience, they aren’t creating a time capsule, but instead are creating a tainted version of this period of time.
