## 30 Conscientiousness and Gen Z

A social study on US population was recently analysed by the Financial Times (1) showing a decline of conscientiousness, especially for what is called Gen Z (16 to 25 years) and Millenials. The study attributes this decline to the use of smartphones and social networks. Perhaps, but it's also a global behavior because older people have experienced a similar decline. Conscientiousness is one of the five major dimensions in the Big Five model of personality, also called the Five Factor Model or OCEAN. Within this concept, we can find "competence, order, dutifulness, achievement striving, self-discipline, and deliberation," depending on which model is applied. I also see the importance of being serious, concentrating on work, and analyzing what we have done. I'm okay saying that using smartphones with notifications is bad for concentration. How many times have I seen people with their smartphones open right next to their computers or workstations while they're working? How many times have I been interrupted in 
a conversation by a notification from someone I was talking to? I chose to turn off all my notifications except for text messages, but sometimes I don't hear them. I focus on my work or what I'm doing at the moment.

For me, there's another factor: Are you interested in your job? How do you see your future? If you're not interested in your job, you won't be conscientious. But I'm not sure everyone loved their job 40 or 20 years ago. When I was sorting mail and packages in my youth, it could be boring, but I did it to earn money. I have always tried to do my best, no matter what the job was. I understand that being a cashier or waiter at a fast food restaurant isn't the best job in the world, nor is being a delivery driver or working for Amazon. You have to do your job in less time. However, I also observe that things are worse than before for the same jobs. Fast food restaurants often take a long time to prepare meals because the managers are incompetent and the workers are not conscientious. Sometimes they don't know how to use their computerized tools, not even a smartphone to follow a delivery route. They cheat on the indicators, but ultimately, it's a loss for the customers. In my own job, I have to do precise, metic
ulous work, but I always try to be customer-centric and respect deadlines. Often, it's a matter of a day, whereas for the same service, you'll find it takes three days to a week. Sometimes, we have to do the same work ten times in a day. In my team, I know who can do this and who will have difficulty due to concentration or motivation issues.

It's different if it's a problem for your future or the future of the planet. Regarding your own future, I understand that sometimes you're not in the right place at the right time. I've always managed to create my own job, even when it wasn't the right fit. I've also had the chance to change jobs when I could see no future for myself, whether due to a diploma, a manager, the closure of a site or service, etc. Now, I'm fighting to keep the service alive, but that's another story. I could only let it go, do poor work, or miss the deadline. But that's not me. personality. Even if there's a matter of the global context and climate change, and the fact that the future will be harsh and difficult, I won't give up. There's an atmosphere of abandonment and despair regarding many issues. In France, we saw that during the protests against pension reform, when the unions refused to fight with the weapon of a general strike. The media repeats the lesson of right-wing liberal politics: that there is no alternative and t
hat everything is ruined. Of course, Macron fired the experts who said the contrary, ...like Trump for unemployment rate this month. People are desperate about many issues, especially in the US. If I return to the initial study, I see that people are desperate. Some people don't want to live anymore, either with Trump or with this dark future full of big fires, tornadoes, and extreme heat. We are human, and sometimes when the mind is not well, the body is not either, which can make you behave differently.

To me, the problem isn't just the smartphone. We use this tool and social networks because we're looking for different things. For some people, it's a way to create an alternate identity. You can also dream and travel without leaving your seat. Since the SARS-CoV-2 crisis, we've seen an increase in mental illness, especially among young people. I'm not sure smartphones are the only cause of all that. What can we offer as a future now? In our time, we could dream of a brighter and wealthier future in the year 2000. That's no longer the case, except in Southeast Asia or countries with strong economies and low inequality. I would like to see a study on those countries, or even China. China won't publish anything like that, but I know they have mental health issues with the younger generation. China is changing very fast and sometimes copying our behavior and bad ideas. People living in China can attest to this, especially in big cities. There's also social pressure and a tradition of surveillance, and in that r
espect, we are beginning to resemble China. 

See you next week ? 

links : 
=> https://www.ft.com/content/5cd77ef0-b546-4105-8946-36db3f84dc43 (1)

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