As a zoomie myself I can confirm that our social life is less mentally ill and dystopic as you oldbags make it sound.
This has been my observation of dozens of zoomers I know (through the parental lens, yep, but I do observe, and listen). Most are going through the usual struggles - and growth - of early adulthood (that's the specific age pool I know). Most will sort out OK.
What is different lately, though, and highly destructive, is the semi-mainstreaming of doom-pilling in its various forms, and extreme polarization and inability to be around people of different flavors and styles, or inability just to be your (imperfect) self.
And what once were just conceited assholes are now "machiavellian dark triad" types; what once were just high-strung jiltees are now "BPD nightmares"; what once were awkward kids or late bloomers are now "alienated tomboys who must poon out" or "incels4lifehaveyoureadmygayopmanifestobros." All of these types have always existed, but never has dysfunction been so "claimed," nor considered the bellwether of the norm. Most people just grew up, got more comfortable with themselves (without requiring surgery or maxxxxxing any dumb thing in an effort to slice, dice, quantify and measure normal humanness), and moved past it. Billions of nerds and gangly goofs in headgear became successful, functional,
happy human beings. Billions more will, but the doom warp is fucking up too many heads.
There used to be a joke about the horror of participation trophies/ every kid is a winner, but at some point instead of the goal being positive self-esteem, it inverted into a race to be the most put-upon, the most
aggrieved, and about who actually has it the worst which actually makes them the best at being the worst and that is worth a million dollars or at least a get out of jail free card, all for experiencing a normal thing that is called
fear. Fear used to be a challenge - and for many, even zoomers, it still is, but it's become a very dumb fad to insist that the entire world revolve around the individual (who happens to feel either no responsibility to try hard, or owed something for trying and struggling), or to feel 150% justified for screeching about it.
The big news? There are still a lot of young people who are not malding, not maxxxxxing, not (too-)cruelly rating, not bitter, not nihilistic nor trying to become some sort of idealized malevolent Byronic hero.
Depression is real; hopelessness and frustration are real; economic vagaries are real; and cultural shifts are real. Insecurity, dysfunctional families, and injustice are real. Disappointment and failures are also real. But so are mettle, the ability to re-create, and self-determination. Fetishizing loss of hope is the stuff of
Werther, and Werther was a dip. It's something to grow out of, regardless of personal or societal blackpill ideas. Making doom a "defensible" position just increases the likelihood of doom becoming reality, just as cynically striving for cheap (faked and lied-about) "success" increases the likelihood of a cheap, fake, and wasted life.
