Gen Z in Crisis Mode: Is It Humor or a Coping Mechanism?
No generation has made global panic look as casual or as entertaining as Gen Z. While the world is turning upside down, they're busy making TikToks, tweeting through existential dread, and turning every crisis into a perfectly timed punchline. It's oddly impressive. Emotional collapse? A meme. Recession? A viral sound. War headlines? A slideshow with a blurry photo and a darkly funny caption. It's like they've turned coping into content.
On the surface, it reads as unbothered. Unshakable. Maybe even emotionally detached. But scratch beneath the jokes, and something much more complicated starts to show. The question isn't whether Gen Z is funny, they undeniably are. The real question is why that humor shows up most during moments of fear, tension, and global uncertainty.
The truth is, this is a generation that's been through it. They were raised in turbulence. Political uprisings weren't textbook history lessons; they were breaking news during lunch. Economic uncertainty isn't theoretical; it's the reason many of them started budgeting before they could drive. Add a global pandemic, climate collapse, nonstop wars, and a never-ending stream of bad news, and you begin to understand how emotional detachment became a survival skill.
But Gen Z didn't choose silence, they chose satire. They grew up watching Bassem Youssef and Abou Hafiza; they learned from the best and chose to turn fear into format. Their response to chaos isn't outrage or collapse, it's comedy. And while some might dismiss that as apathy, maybe it's actually strategy. Maybe humor is how they keep it together, maybe it's easier to laugh than admit just how much they've had to absorb and how early.
Still, there's a fine line between resilience and repression. Between being witty and being emotionally tapped out. At some point, the constant humor starts to feel like a collective avoidance response, a way of making pain small enough to post.
So is it coping? Is it cultural fluency? Is it just content creation under pressure? Whatever it is, one thing's clear: Gen Z isn't breaking down, they're building punchlines. And in this timeline, maybe that's what survival looks like. Do you agree?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Identity
2 days ago
- Identity
Gen Z in Crisis Mode: Is It Humor or a Coping Mechanism?
No generation has made global panic look as casual or as entertaining as Gen Z. While the world is turning upside down, they're busy making TikToks, tweeting through existential dread, and turning every crisis into a perfectly timed punchline. It's oddly impressive. Emotional collapse? A meme. Recession? A viral sound. War headlines? A slideshow with a blurry photo and a darkly funny caption. It's like they've turned coping into content. On the surface, it reads as unbothered. Unshakable. Maybe even emotionally detached. But scratch beneath the jokes, and something much more complicated starts to show. The question isn't whether Gen Z is funny, they undeniably are. The real question is why that humor shows up most during moments of fear, tension, and global uncertainty. The truth is, this is a generation that's been through it. They were raised in turbulence. Political uprisings weren't textbook history lessons; they were breaking news during lunch. Economic uncertainty isn't theoretical; it's the reason many of them started budgeting before they could drive. Add a global pandemic, climate collapse, nonstop wars, and a never-ending stream of bad news, and you begin to understand how emotional detachment became a survival skill. But Gen Z didn't choose silence, they chose satire. They grew up watching Bassem Youssef and Abou Hafiza; they learned from the best and chose to turn fear into format. Their response to chaos isn't outrage or collapse, it's comedy. And while some might dismiss that as apathy, maybe it's actually strategy. Maybe humor is how they keep it together, maybe it's easier to laugh than admit just how much they've had to absorb and how early. Still, there's a fine line between resilience and repression. Between being witty and being emotionally tapped out. At some point, the constant humor starts to feel like a collective avoidance response, a way of making pain small enough to post. So is it coping? Is it cultural fluency? Is it just content creation under pressure? Whatever it is, one thing's clear: Gen Z isn't breaking down, they're building punchlines. And in this timeline, maybe that's what survival looks like. Do you agree?
CairoScene
3 days ago
- CairoScene
The Duo Behind Your Favorite TikTok Dance: Meet Sasa & Cheetos
The Duo Behind Your Favorite TikTok Dance: Meet Sasa & Cheetos From viral moves to celebrity shoutouts, Alexandria's funniest duo is dancing their way into Egypt's heart. Two TikTok dancers from Alexandria, Sasa and Cheetos, have quietly taken over the internet. From Haifa Wehbe hits to Akon's 'Lonely', they've charmed thousands of followers with their dubbed "Alexandrian style" dance, reinterpreting viral tracks, with humour and an irresistible local flair. Naturally, I had to meet them. We planned the interview in Alexandria, their hometown. My trip to Alexandria was smooth, until I found myself wandering the streets with a tripod like a lost vlogger. I was sure I'd made it to the right spot, excited and ready, but a few 'Where are you?' calls later, it turned out I was standing outside the wrong branch of the PlayStation café. Classic. Thankfully, the actual place was just ten minutes away, and luckily, the guys were still mid-FIFA, decked out in what they confidently described as 'Alexandrian style,' all bright colours and mismatched patterns. It was a vibe. We tried to start the interview, but it took us a solid 10 takes just to record a simple intro. Every time we started, someone would burst out laughing, usually them, sometimes me. 'We're not serious people,' Sasa shrugged. 'We can't even fake being serious.' Eventually, we pulled it together. 'I'm Mostafa Islam Mohamed Ali Hassanein Mohamed,' Sasa announced dramatically, 'but you can call me Sasa.' 'I'm Youssef Ramadan Ali,' added his partner-in-dance-crimes, 'aka Cheetos.' The two are close friends, finishing their final year of school. Sasa wants to be a dentist. Cheetos? 'I'm saving up for a tuk-tuk,' he said. They've been making goofy TikToks together for a while, but things really took off when Cheetos suggested dancing 'Alexandrian style' to an English sound clip. 'We found this one audio that I liked,' he explained. 'So I was like, let's just dance to it. Anything. Just go.' When I asked them what exactly 'Alexandrian style' dancing was, Sasa broke it down like a science: 'You just follow every single word in the lyrics. Literally. Even small ones like 'in' or 'out.' You act it all out.' They even stood up to demonstrate, and yes, it was both impressive and absolutely hilarious. The dance went viral. Views skyrocketed. 'We thought it was a glitch,' Cheetos said. 'I refreshed the app like 10 times.' Most of their videos now pass a million views, many of them far beyond that. 'It's crazy,' Sasa said. 'The engagement is wild. People don't just watch; they duet, comment, remix it. Then we saw the followers, Wegz followed us. Ziad Zaza reposted us.' 'We love Zaza,' they both chimed in. 'We'd love to collaborate with him someday.' They lit up even more talking about celebrities doing their dances. 'Hassan Malek, Mayan El Sayed, Hamza Diab… that one really got us,' Sasa said, still in disbelief. 'Hamza Diab is like… our unofficial third member now.' To cap off the day, we decided to film a TikTok together, exclusively for SceneNoise. The song? What else but 'El Bakht' by Wegz. 'It's the national anthem,' Cheetos declared. The shoot was, predictably, a mess of laughter, chaotic choreography, and vibes. But it worked - just the kind of vibe the duo have always operated on.
Tahya Masr
22-05-2025
- Tahya Masr
Over 250,000 cyberattacks disguised as anime: Kaspersky explores the dangers behind Gen Z's favorite shows and platforms
From Naruto to Attack on Titan , cybercriminals are increasingly using anime and other Gen Z favorites as bait. In a covering Q2 2024 – Q1 2025, Kaspersky has found over 250,000 cyberattacks disguised as popular anime among other shows and streaming platforms favored by younger audience. To help Gen Z recognize these and other cyber risks, Kaspersky is launching — an interactive cybersecurity game, teaching how to protect their digital lives. For many members of Generation Z, streaming is more than a pastime, it's a way of life that provides connection to the characters, worlds and fandoms that define their identity. From anime to nostalgia-fueled movie marathons, Gen Z's connection to on-screen worlds runs deep. This unique attachment creates a security paradox: the more emotionally invested the viewer, the easier it is to trick them, and Gen Z's enthusiasm is proving dangerously exploitable. This is extremely evident in anime culture. Over Naruto, One Piece, Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen . Kaspersky found 251,931 attempts to deliver malware or unwanted files disguised under the names of these anime titles. Cybercriminals are tapping into the trust and affection Gen Z has for these series, often using bait like 'exclusive episodes', 'leaked scenes', or 'premium access'. Among anime titles, Naruto took the top spot, despite first airing more than two decades ago. Over the reported period, it was used as bait in 114,216 attempted attacks. Demon Slayer followed with 44,200 attack attempts. Its meteoric rise in recent years, amplified by viral moments and a growing global fanbase, made it a natural target for cybercriminals looking to ride the wave of hype. Meanwhile, Attack on Titan — a long-standing favorite — ranked third with 39,433 detected attempts to distribute malicious content. Apart from anime, Kaspersky also analyzed five iconic films and series that continue to resonate with Gen Z: Shrek, Stranger Things, Twilight, Inside Out 2, and Deadpool & Wolverine . These shows alone accounted for 43,302 attack attempts with a pronounced spike in attention to these titles from cybercriminals at the beginning of 2025. This is primarily connected to the rise of attacks on Shrek, with over 36,000 attempts in total and a sharp spike in March 2025, double the monthly average for 2024. Attempts to attack users through malicious or unwanted files disguised as Gen Z's favorite films and series throughout the reported period Platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV Plus and HBO Max have reshaped movies, series, and anime watching into an immersive, on-demand experience that caters to Gen Z's love of personalized content and global storytelling. However, this has also created fertile ground for cybercriminals. Kaspersky detected 96,288 attempts to distribute malicious or unwanted files disguised as the names of these major streaming platforms. Unlike seasonal trends, streaming platforms offer a continuous flow of content, from highly anticipated premieres to hidden gems that viewers discover months or even years after release. When examining which streaming services were most frequently used by cybercriminals, Netflix stood out by far, involved in 85,679 attack attempts and associated with over 2.8 million phishing pages imitating its branding. Cybercriminals take advantage of the constant traffic, broad global reach, and frequent subscription-based activity. They mimic login pages, share 'free trial' links, or spoof password reset emails with full knowledge of how central Netflix is to Gen Z's digital routine. As Gen Z's daily life becomes inseparable from streaming platforms, fandom spaces, and social media communities, cyberthreats evolve to mirror their interests. To meet this challenge, Kaspersky has launched an interactive online game, 'As the world of entertainment continues to evolve, so do the tactics used by cybercriminals to exploit popular content, whether through fake downloads or fraudulent merchandise offers. From beloved anime like Naruto and Demon Slayer to the latest blockbusters like Inside Out 2, scammers have found new ways to take advantage of Gen Z's affinity for digital culture and streaming platforms. With the rise of these cyberthreats, it's more important than ever for young users to stay vigilant and understand how to protect themselves online,' comments Vasily Kolesnikov, security expert at Kaspersky. To watch favorite shows safely, Kaspersky recommends: Check out the interactive online game, Always use a legitimate, paid subscription when accessing streaming services and ensure you're using apps from official marketplaces or the official websites. Always verify the authenticity of websites before entering any personal information. Stick to trusted, official pages when watching or downloading content and double-check URLs and company name spellings to avoid phishing sites. Be cautious about the file extensions you're downloading. Video files should not have .exe or .msi extensions — these are typically associated with harmful programs. Use a reliable security solution, like Ensure secure browsing and safe messaging with
