Gen-Z Doesn’t Party Anymore — And It’s Giving Millennials An Existential Crisis
Peopleimages.com - YuriArcurs | Canva As a Millennial who (up until recently) ate, slept, and breathed nightlife, most of my youth was spent partying. I have stories about underground raves breaking out into wild bangers, stories about police raiding parties, and also stories about stupid stuff DJs do.
Above all, as a low-key icon of the underground nightlife scene in New York, I have stories about drugs and drinking. I’m a bit of a notorious trainwreck — at least, I was up until my sobriety. I’m far from alone in this, too. Most older Millennials and Gen-X people I know have their own party “war stories.” Even most Millennial college grads have their era of drinking, thanks to fraternity parties and bar culture, for better or worse.
Yet, when I talk to Gen-Z people who are younger than me, I find something strange is going on: they don’t have war stories of their own. As a nightlife fiend, it’s hard for me to imagine a young life without partying and EDM. Admittedly, I took it way further than most people ever do. However, even when I’m with “civilians” of my own age, I usually can exchange stories about dumb things we’ve done while drunk.
With people under 30, there’s a growing percentage of people who have never really gotten blitzed at a party. In fact, alcohol manufacturers are starting to break a sweat because Gen Z drinks so much less than previous generations. Drug usage, too, has started to slump with younger generations, to a point. While legal drugs like marijuana and Adderall have been seeing the biggest rises since they are legal and often even prescribed. Studies seem to be mixed on illegal drugs.
Club culture is also ailing, with most clubgoers being over the age of 30. In the 2000s, this was unthinkable. Heck, even intimacy is off the table for many Gen-Z folks. I’ve heard younger women boasting about celibacy, which honestly makes sense these days. But I’m shocked to see how fast the decline has happened in our society, too. What the heck is going on with Gen-Z? Simply put, there are a lot of factors at play here. Some are avoidable, others aren’t.
Let’s get into why Gen-Z doesn't party anymore:
1. Lack of money
Clubs cost money. Meeting people costs money. Dates cost money. Drinks are more expensive than ever before. If you are short on cash (and most of us are), then you are going to be unable to afford a lot of the little things that partying requires.
There are a lot of people who want to party, but can’t because they’re literally priced out of it. I mean, really, who wants to pay $40 cover charges when rent’s around the corner?
2. Lack of time
Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels
Does it feel like everyone is always busy, busy, busy? It’s not just you. Due to the pressure of the economy everyone’s feeling, everyone is digging deep into work. Free time is at a low.
Much of the free time we do have is wasted on screentime. So, we end up just not doing much of anything. This, in turn, makes us feel oddly lonely and sober.
3. Social anxiety
Blame 2020, blame the internet, or blame the school systems. Whatever you want to blame, the writing is on the wall. Younger generations are increasingly anxious in social situations.
Many young adults are not socialized. They spent the majority of their youth online, in gaming rooms and chat rooms. Face-to-face discussions scare them. Being judged scares them. Being rejected scares them.
60 percent of Gen Z experiences mental health issues, with social anxiety being one of the most prevalent problems they deal with. Drinking, drugs, and clubbing are all social things. Is it that surprising that people with social anxiety would avoid these things?
And dating? Dating is already hard because of the constant ghosting, rejection, manipulation, and abuse that happen as a regular part of it. It’s not surprising people don’t trust one another enough for a quick fling.
4. Smartphones
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Back in the 2000s, you could go to a party, make a fool of yourself, and there would be no evidence. No one was recording stuff on those potato Nokia phones.
Today, that’s not the case. If you act like a fool, it’s more likely than not that it will be recorded. Those recordings can have serious implications for your career, your social life, and even your love life.
A lot of people are afraid of being the next guy who goes viral for a bad drug bender, uncoordinated moves, or an unhinged post-breakup rant. Who can blame them? Social suicide has never been easier.
One Gen Z guy said that cellphones were what really killed club culture. I actually agree with him. Who wants to dance when it could turn you into a laughingstock? Moreover, dating got harder because you can take illicit videos without your partner knowing. That, too, can ruin lives. All in all, the social anxiety makes sense.
5. Drinking stigma
Not for nothing, but drinking has gained a pretty big stigma these days. Drunk driving deaths caught on camera have made rounds online. Drunk antics aren’t that cute all the time, especially when it involves projectile vomiting on people. (Sorry, bro!)
Thanks to programs like DARE, drug and alcohol abuse awareness is at an all-time high. Drinking was once seen as a way to get social. In some circles, heavy drinking used to be a major flex simply because it suggested that you partied a lot.
Drinking is not “cool” anymore. No one wants to deal with a blackout drunk human being who might throw up or wake up at a random place. As a result, partying in that sense went out the window. Gen Z tends to believe that drinking isn’t cool. Most of them find it unhealthy and kind of a burden.
6. Stress
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I’m going to keep this one pretty obvious and short: Our world is not doing well. Our political sphere is a disaster. Most of us have nightmares about daily life and our futures.
Is it any surprise, really, that we aren’t in the mood to party? Millennials and Gen X both still had some optimism in their youth collective. Gen Z gets to deal with the mess we have now without ever having the feeling that things were going to get better.
When you’re stressed, chances are high that you don’t want to party or socialize. Needless to say, a lot of people are just opting out of socializing in any sense, including the self-destructive things that once acted as an outlet for people.
Is Gen-Z going to remain sober forever?
Right now, Gen Z is one of the most sober, chaste, and serious generations to ever hit America. The only really different thing is that certain types of drugs are seeing a spike in usage and overdoses.
It seems bleak. It’s also a sign of a larger cultural shift where people are increasingly unwilling to meet face-to-face. Our culture is becoming more social-phobic, more judgmental, yet more escapist. Life is easier when you sink into gaming and anime than it is chatting up girls at a bar. However, I don’t think that this is going to remain the status quo.
It’s human nature to want to party. It’s human nature to meet up with people, and it’s also healthy to do so, even if drugs, drinking, and getting it on aren’t always the smartest choices. I mean, really, have you seen what happens to people’s mental health when they’re alone for too long?!
There is a certain breaking point where being unable to cut loose will break a person. Partying might not always involve alcohol here, but eventually, people will find new ways to get wild. Trends go in and out of style. That means that, eventually, partying will be a thing again.
Besides, much of what has made Gen Z hate clubbing is starting to go away. Clubs are starting to realize that high cover charges aren’t going to pay the bills. There’s also a growing movement to keep cellphones locked away at events. So, maybe we’ll even see clubbing take flight once more. You know, once greed stops being the end-all and be-all of socializing.
Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer whose work has been featured in Yahoo, BRIDES, Your Daily Dish, Newtheory Magazine, and others.
