Community
We handed Gen Z a broken map: social systems in ruins, community infrastructure gutted, and a culture that swapped connection for convenience. We gave them solitude dressed up as freedom, hyper-connectivity without real contact, and then we acted surprised when everything started to unravel.
The Solitude Generation
The Solitude Gen // Zoe Scaman
PUBLIC The Solitude Generation
canva.comSolitude Gen Presentation // There’s a real danger in brands trying to position themselves as the fix for a problem they helped create, especially when it's done with a glossy veneer of “community” that lacks any real substance or accountability. Dating apps throwing singles mixers doesn’t undo the years of gamified detachment they engineered.
That said, I’m less interested in brands redeeming themselves and more interested in whether they’re willing to use their platforms (and budgets) to rebuild actual connective infrastructure, not just perform community, but enable it. That takes humility, long-term thinking, and often, less credit
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