By Adjour Abdel Latif
The Sri Lankan government, and then the Nepalese government, did not imagine that a simple decision – seemingly harmless, but violating freedom at its core – such as a partial ban on some social media platforms in the country, could end up overthrowing them. The decision came after a wide campaign on social media, circulating pictures of politicians and their families and their luxury, versus the living conditions of vulnerable groups and their misery.
The decision later became the spark that transferred thousands of Generation Z from the sites to reality, not only to demand lifting the ban on TikTok and Instagram, but to lift the ban on basic rights for the existence of every human being. This was the first time that a digital revolution led by a digitized and globalized generation had succeeded, most of whom were minors. And because the prominent feature of the digital world is the speed of data transfer and spread, the fever of Generation Z spread to other countries, including Morocco, taking advantage of the contexts of protests in Agadir, Beni Mellal, Beni Arous and Ait Bougmaz, which reflected public anger from the absence of cadres and equipment in hospitals, and the lack of quality in schools, and the suffering of villages and areas from isolation, due to the absence of road connections in the unproductive Morocco, at a time when heavy corruption files exploded in the benefiting Morocco. The nature of these protests and their organization differs radically from all the movements that preceded them, in terms of the group that leads them and their age, social and intellectual characteristics; Generation Z, who grew up in the lap of technology and the virtual world, nursed from it the way of thinking, their style of dress, their daily language, and their artistic and ideological preferences, in complete connection with what is at the forefront of the world. And because the virtual world is a fast-paced world that witnesses a huge flow of data and events, Generation Z is characterized by the traits of moodiness, haste, boredom and impatience. This explains their resort to drugs, suicide, or symbolic and material violence at every bump. And we have in the tragedies of football hooliganism lessons and multiple messages, we have not deciphered its code correctly at the right time. Generation Z, an informed and aspiring generation, is open to the cultures of the world, proficient in artificial intelligence, montage and digital commerce, and that is due to its mastery of several languages, and the foundations of software; And according to these considerations and characteristics, today the state, society, political organizations, schools and the media should reconsider their stereotypical perceptions of this group, and deal with them with a more comprehensive approach. Away from being content with criticizing haircuts, trousers and the vulgar language; in the end, these represent a highly influential social, economic and political force, whose impact will undoubtedly become decisive in the next few years. It should also be listened to carefully, away from the traditional security approach, as this is a generation with which a tweet or hashtag can become a torrential flood that overwhelms everything. Violence and counter-violence can only be rejected and do not express the civilizational level that we have taken steps to achieve. Digital revolutions portend a less stable future for the rest of the world, due to the current and future generations' close association with the internet, as well as the traits of these generations, which are sometimes inclined to boredom and haste. It seems that the decline of the religious conscience, which for years had been a safety valve for broad segments of young people, and the labor that is tormenting public schools and the exacerbated school waste, have led to painful setbacks in the value system, and to the predominance of the instinct of violence and bullying. And there is no doubt that the recent scenes of violence, chaos and sabotage will remain for a long time on our chests, questioning all our roles. The French novelist Victor Hugo summed up the story, saying: He who opens the door of a school closes the door of a prison; and shortened time and effort for governments that believe that awareness and good education are the only guarantee and the only safety valve against crises of all kinds, in a crazy world open to all possibilities. It is true that whoever said: If you think the cost of education is high, try ignorance; And the hope is great in the wise men of this nation to draw lessons, so that the saying of Frederick Hegel does not apply to us: History teaches us that we do not learn from history. HIBAPRESS
