How Gen Zs Cope in Chaos

By STEPHEN OMONDI OCHIENG 

Second Year BA Journalism and Mass Communication Student,  Chuka University 

The every day lives of Kenyans today has its fair share of stress, problems and tragedy yet in all this chaos, absurdly enough humour doesn't just provide entertainment, it comes as a survival tool; an anchor to reality if I may call it.

 Faced with so many stressful uncertainties such as the rising cost of living, unemployment, political tension and the pressure and responsibilities that adulthood presents in this digital age how does the average Kenyan cope? From the commonly known memes posted on statuses either on WhatsApp, Instagram or X to TikTok skits, reels and even sarcastic voice overs, a majority of the nation finds solace in this kind of humour. Despair and frustrations have been replaced by this unique type of humour. A simple doomscrolling on your TikTok or Instagram reels and suddenly someone seems less tense even able to crack a joke. 

The meme culture

Spontaneous, edgy and controversial yet the fastest form of humour embodied by witty images ,reaction images, funny captions ,edits and stickers flood social media. Joke take less time to spread than actual news in today's world .Controversial political decisions, or like the much recently witnessed floods in the Nairobi CBD later christened the SeaBD , Sink-apo instead of Singapore by citizens are turned from something negative to a strangely communal topic. Nationwide jokes and laughs are shared regardless of the situation one is in momentarily releasing the tension as an aftermath of the situation. 

Healing side of TikTok

 Kenyan creators work on perfecting the art of comedic commentary in platform such as TikTok where it's not new to come across short skits about campus lifestyles, being broke, toxic friendships and even campus expectations and reality. These videos gain traction and tend to have ten of thousands of likes sometimes even in the hundreds of thousands. Realism or satire when creating content about meals to survive on as a university student and other content bring out humour that despite it's painful appearance brings about relatability to it's intended audience. TikTokers such as Mluo, Mogambi and Crazy Kennar are the most widely known examples today, turning everyday frustrations into relatable and comedic content that shouts " that's literally my everyday life. . . " The comment section makes it feel less lonely knowing it's not just you out there.

 Tragedy's humour

Satire has become a trigger response for controversies, scandals and national tragedies. This doesn't necessarily mean we don't care but it turns deep frustrations and emotional exhaustion into humour because self pity sometimes makes coping harder. To avoid being overwhelmed by difficult realities we turn to comedy. Instead of long debates or posts, a single meme response, sticker or joke can say all our opinions on heavy or emotional topics indirectly. Collective digital community coping. 

Humour is a shared cultural experience nowadays. A joke takes off, relatability brings in thousands of Kenyans each adding their own twists to the meme or video resulting into something much larger than individual comedy but collective therapy through reposts and anticipated comment section response. This type of humour though isn't just a Gen Z thing but it has been going on for generations now with the most nostalgic one being the XYZ show's run. It isn't uncommon to see media stations apply this humour on it content, The likes of NTV' s The Trend hosted by Amina Abdi is another well known example.

 The balance between reality and humour

 It is a given that humour can't solve problems and others may argue that turning everything into a joke can distract from serious conversations about mental health, unemployment or bad governance. But for many young Kenyans, humour isn't about ignoring problems but rather surviving them. A meme cannot fix the situation but it may make a stressful day feel a little lighter. 

The Oxford dictionary names this type of situation Gallows humour referencing the act of someone joking while standing at the gallows-once used for public hangings the worst possible moment for humour. The dictionary describes this type of dark humour as humour that treats serious, frightening or painful situations in a joking or satirical manner. If anything, this should be seen that resilience isn't always serious, dramatic or straightforward. Sometimes it is masked in sarcastic tweets, TikTok skits or just a perfectly timed meme. 

Behind this laughter is a generation coping with real challenges in their own way while not allowing our joy to be taken away. In a storm of problems, the Gen Z will still find a way to laugh. You don't need to scroll too long through Kenyan social media to see this clearly.