An overconsumption of low-quality content has caused Gen Z to grow more emotionally reliant on internet subcultures than on the people around them. But it isn’t necessarily their fault. 

Internet subcultures began in the early 2000s with the uprise of websites like Geocities and Tumblr. These small infospheres eventually grew into large forums for faceless self-expression and opportunities for connection. But the relationship between physical and virtual has since flipped. The world is now a reflection of the digital space rather than the inverse. With internet platforms offering access to fellow users with almost identical thoughts, beliefs and interests without ever uttering a single word, it is up to Gen Z to redefine the appeal of in-person socialization. 

In an age where feelings of belonging are more often found at conservative political rallies than on school campuses, younger folks are in desperate search of new approaches to socialization.

 On Nov. 4, 2025, Zohran Mamdani reached global status by becoming New York City’s first South Asian and Muslim mayor-elect. As the city’s youngest mayor in over a century, much of his outreach strategy reflected a form of content his target demographic of voters already consumed: TikTok. All over the city, social media users inspired by his message traveled outward in hopes of finding like-minded individuals ready to support his campaign in person. Emma Goldberg, a writer for The New York Times, pinned the phenomenon, saying, “young New Yorkers needed a reason to get out of the house. They found it in Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral run.”

The nation has seen similar community efforts to support organizations like Turning Point USA, a conservative advocacy group notorious for its media-sparking debates and high turnout across college campuses.  

These events prove Gen Z still has the capacity to assemble. But has the root cause been exploited by large-scale political institutions? In an age where terms like brain rot are added to the official Oxford English dictionary, it is essential to ask questions about what motivates students to leave the house in the first place. 

“I love being occupied. I don’t like just sitting in bed all day,” University student Madeline Hecht said. 

The meaning of socialization changes when venturing out into the world becomes a response to reason, rather than routine.  

“I just catch myself on the phone all the time, just scrolling. Why do I constantly feel the need to have something attached to me all the time?” University student Sophia Barbosa shared.

The pandemic left a natural dependency on social media among Gen Z. The difference between the digital space during COVID-19, and now is the shame surrounding what it means to be “chronically online.” Commenters under Instagram Reels and TikToks preach to each other to “go touch grass” when sharing misinformed or potentially harmful information online. Yet, a comment of that nature proves the very irony of phone addictions as a whole.

Digital language provides a window into how Gen Z perceives the real world. As the paradox of online addiction prevails, students still have a moral opposition to living in a “Matrix”-y reality. To think that their online presence defines who they are rather than their in-person character is unacceptable. 

When asked about the difference between her online versus in-person relationships on campus, Barbosa says, “When you get to college, when you’re roommate searching, when you’re just trying to find friends, I think you profile a lot of people through social media. I haven’t met a lot of people that I follow on social media, even if we attend the same school.”

Every incentive to foster community presented to the digital-native generation, like connection, inspiration or a sense of belonging, has been commercialized by social media platforms in ways that Gen Z can’t refuse. Students agree that seeking these feelings through fast-and-easy content ultimately leaves something to be desired anyway. It is the depth and physicality of culture that will continue to define community as Gen Z evolves into socializing for the sake of socialization.