Humanity as we know it is defined by eras. Eras characterised by distinctive and groundbreaking trains of thought. The Renaissance, the political rebirth of modern society. The Enlightenment, the betterment of humans through deepened logic and reason. And, perhaps my favourite, Postmodernism, a big sceptical middle finger to all existing political and social structures. Growing up as a young person in society today, I am told that I am the ‘future’. That my legacy, what will be left of me after I die, lies in my role as an independent thinker. As someone who will play a small part in shaping the “next” era.  

But I look at myself, and the young people around me, and I do not see the birth of an era. My era. In fact, I have a front-row seat to the death of independent thought. Perhaps a eulogy is long overdue.  

Through social media, the shackles of misinformation and restriction which radical individuals have broken throughout history are being rechained. Social platforms have led to the rise of extremist “political influencers”, people who spread ideologies based in hate rather than a desire for change. And now they have been given infinite and free reign to indoctrinate an impressionable group of upcoming leaders, young people.  

Look no further than the hero of Gen-Z youth: Andrew Tate. Young boys are being brought into a world which labels them as toxic from the moment they are born. With their masculinity constantly being villainised, it makes sense that they would search for role models who sprouts political ideologies which frame them in a positive light. Enter Tate, a highly controversial social media figure who lures in young men with ‘self-help’ advice on how to be successful. But as boys become bombarded with information that only supports aligning ideologies, his extreme claims to “reject weakness in any form” and comments such as “most women I know can’t even park a car, why is a woman flying my plane?”, seem suddenly less extreme. Suddenly, this group of upcoming leaders, who will be our next politicians and CEOs, are advocating for outdated and misogynistic ideas with no logical basis.  

This death of independent thought is being called “echo-chambering”, in which “social media sites contribute to political polarization by creating “echo chambers” that insulate people from opposing views about current events”- (Bail, 2018).  

Social media is a world catered to you. Due to this, I have found myself caught in an echo-chamber. Sucked deep into the YouTube vortex of blue-haired fanatic feminism, I found myself so propagated to the ideas I had absorbed, that I was arguing for things I didn’t even believe. And that’s where the danger lies. If you are a Liberal voter and don’t like hearing about the Greens, then poof, welcome to Climate Change Conspiracy TikTok. If you are an anti-vaxxer, then join a COVID denier Facebook group. If you are a white person who doesn’t like hearing about race problems, well then here’s white supremacy Twitter. It is so easy for beliefs to turn radical. 

I don’t want to have to attend the funeral of my era. In fact, I think my generation has been gifted with a platform that can be utilised to intensify debate and cultivate new ideas, rather than divide and repress. A platform which everyone has equal opportunity to utilise. A platform which can preserve the ideologies that we shape.  

When I have kids, I want to be able to tell them that THEY are the future, and sincerely mean it. I want to know that I have used my own voice to build the foundations for them to flourish and think outside the box. 

I do not want to write a eulogy for independent thought, but instead, a tribute.