Suffer, snap, post. Repeat.
BTS of a chaotic generation
What’s up guyyy?
So I have been thinking🤔
Not deep thinking like “What is my purpose?”
More like “Why did I just take a picture of my food before eating it when I am not even a food blogger?”
And it hit me.
Everything must become content.
Even your stress.
Even your suffering.
Even your tiny wins.
Even your heartbreak.
If Gen Z goes through something and does not post it, did it even happen?
If you never got a proper welcome…Welcome to the generation where we turn our existence into a permanent highlight reel.
Let me paint you a few familiar pictures:
1. The world just might collapse if we don’t document everything
Back then, people lived life.
Now we live life and prepare a caption.
You cannot even cry in peace again.
Immediately one small tear drops, someone near you is already saying:
“Hold on, let me record it. The lighting is perfect.”
“you look so cute when you cry😭”
You write an exam that shows you shege, and somehow you will still post:
“POV: When you finish writing nonsense but God is still on the throne.”
Like why are we like this.
2. Creativity has possessed us in real time😪
Let something dramatic happen.
A lecturer embarrasses you.
Your crush airs your message.
You fall down in public.
Fuel price goes up.
NEPA takes light in the middle of your presentation.
Your brain automatically whispers:
“This would be a good reel. abi make i turn am to meme?”
We don’t even feel emotions first.
We storyboard them.
3. Aesthetic suffering. Soft life is expensive please😞
Hair messy.
Life scattered.
Room upside down.
Bank account disrespectful.
But somehow you still post a picture with the caption:
“Soft chaos.”
We curate even our breakdowns.
We filter our frustration.
We turn depression into a Pinterest mood board.
If it is not pretty, it will be funny.
If it is not funny, it will be motivational.
If it is none, it’s still content.
4. Every friend group now has at least one unofficial videographer
That one person that never enjoys the moment.
They are always catching angles.
Always doing “Wait let me take a picture” during emergencies.
If you faint, they will kneel beside you and say:
“Please wait. I want to do a before and after.”
These are the people keeping the Gen Z archive alive.
5. Stress? Also content. In fact, premium content.
There is a special way Nigerian students do stress.
You will be tired, hungry, and overwhelmed.
But somehow you will still set up your ring light and say:
“Hey guys, quick update. I am suffering.”
People will comment:
“Lmao same.”
“Girlll, me too o.”
“guyy na so e be for here too o”
Just imagine a whole generation bonding over burnout with laughter.
This life is truly something.
But honestly,
maybe content is how we cope
We are overwhelmed, uncertain, trying, tired and even broke in three different currencies.
But posting it makes it feel lighter.
It turns pressure into play.
It turns pain into punchlines.
It turns life into something we can control, even for a small moment.
Content is our way of saying:
“I may not have it all together, but at least the lighting is good.”
We are the generation that can turn absolutely anything into content.
Our joy, fear, chaos, peace, healing, madness. Everything.
And even though it is funny, exhausting, and sometimes concerning, it is also very human.
Because deep down, we just want to share life with people who understand.
So if all else fails, at least we will have a nice reel to show for it! 😌
Till next gist,
Gbemi from 10.8.8 Africa✨