Title: The Life of Z
Author: Debashish Sengupta
Publisher: Sage Publications
Genre: Sociology, Social Development
First Publication: 2020
Language: English
Book Summary: The Life of Z by Debashish Sengupta
A Swedish teenager, Greta Thunderberg, has become the poster girl for the Climate Change and Sustainability movement across the world. All of 16 years, she has been nominated for the Nobel prize and has been on the cover of Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Greta personifies and symbolizes zeners, who are nothing like any previous generation the world has ever seen. These pre-teens & teens are unique, world changers and perhaps the only hope for this planet. Yet, if not nurtured, they are at the risk of being lost due to the ignorance of institutions and individuals.
The Life of Z packs extensive real-life narratives and thought provoking analysis to help us understand this generation born 2000 and after to engage with them for a better future for them and for all of us.
Book Review: The Life of Z by Debashish Sengupta
There is no question that today’s young people are in a world that is very different than of those from previous generations. They don’t remember a world without cell phones, computers, and the Internet. This ability to be constantly connected has changed the way they view the world and the way they operate in it. It also provides them with so many different opportunities and dangers that they need to be prepared for if they are going to be successful.
In The Life of Z by Debashish Sengupta, author takes a look at the various aspects of living in a digital world and what it means for our kids and teens as well as what it might mean for their (and our) future. Each chapter in The Life of Z by Debashish Sengupta is designed to focus on a certain aspect of the digital world, how it relates to young people, and what we as adults (parents, teachers, businesses, and the law) should be doing to help optimize the experience. Each opportunity and issue is explored with related research, examples from the field, and discussions about the current popular sites, platforms, and interfaces.
Author Debashish Sengupta starts with an introduction that presents the idea of the Generation Z natives or Zeners and the characteristics related to them because of their totally interconnected lives. Once that is defined, he progresses into a full definition of what that means not only for them, but for the rest of us in society. The world around us is changing every day, but instead of fighting the changes, we should embrace the digital world that is growing. But embracing it is just the first step; we must prepare ourselves to handle the dangers that follow.
I would agree with almost all of the ideas addressed within book The Life of Z by Debashish Sengupta, as I could relate to many of them from both sides of the spectrum. The author provides a very good overview of the perspectives the Generation Z (digital generation) have and the kinds of issues that their world is going to resolve or create, as it intersects with and supercedes the pre-digital world.
