"Generation Zero" - a film review

On August 15, 2010, St. Petersburg TV program “Oil Painting” discussed a Russian documentary directed by Peter Solovyov, Поколение нулевых (“Generation Zero”).

This film is a critical portrayal of young men and women, born between the years 1983 and 2000, for whom the Internet has become home. The film explores a theory proposition that the external influence of the Internet plays a damaging role on young people’s personality, turning them into infantile zombies.

This film raised many comments between different generations. Researchers proclaimed that representatives of the “computer” generation are different from their parents in the way their brain works. Young people defended their position and gave examples of various motivated young Russian industry leaders. The elders in the community criticized the youngsters for being listlessness and blamed the Internet as the source of laziness and idleness of the new generation, predicting that it will impede future progress of Russia.

In my opinion, this film does not shed light on any of the problems of the eternal conflict between parents and children.  Many young Russians are existentialists with a humorous outlook on life, who use a healthy dose of skepticism in order to self preserve. This, however, is not atypical of other generations that came before them.

Each previous generation has always criticized the one that came before it. There always were lazy people with poor work ethic and there were people who were more motivated and harder working. The difference between this generation and their parents is that now we are able to openly discuss these issues on the Internet. This is something that was impossible twenty years ago.

In Russia, where truth was suppressed for many years, the phenomenon of widespread information is especially visible. In modern Russia everything is permeated with corruption and lies, leaving few options to the young people. Many ambitious youngsters move ahead regardless of the cost, while majority spend hours in virtual reality of the Internet.

The real difference between generations of today lies in the modern technology, which enables young people to live, work and play in a dimension that was not available to their parents. With the rise of the Internet and its availability to virtually everyone, the possibility of doing everything from home has revolutionized the way young Russians act.

Problems may occur with the introduction of any new technology, but progress and change are impossible without innovative approaches to living and doing business.