And to all these questions, General Z from Chennai had answers that did not necessarily match each other. But of all the Gen Zers this reporter spoke to, one thing was undeniable: They get their news from social media and absorb the gist before swiping on. However, some tend towards long pieces via newspapers and digital subscriptions.
Ciby Sankavi, a 25-year-old educational psychologist from Guduvanchery, says she follows certain news channels on social media to stay abreast of political developments. She believes that Gen Zers often find it safer to advocate on social media, but notes that advocacy can’t end with a story or a reel.
“We do care; we resonate very deeply with the socio-political environment. But online advocacy can become performative; there is an illusion that you are doing something, but it can also stop you from doing more. Only when we take action can we feel rooted in our belief systems and our politics; otherwise it will continue to exist in silos,” says Ms Sankavi, who believes Gen Z needs to think about how to bring youth mobilization to their constituencies.
“Everything is political. The climate is not fair to all of us, from the air we breathe to the water that inundates only certain parts of Chennai,” she adds.
Voting in the digital age
Voting is the most productive way to express your political views, says a 24-year-old data scientist from Chennai who did not wish to be named. “There is simply no reason to miss it. We are all part of a social fabric,” he says, adding that he actively reads newspapers to stay objectively politically aware, and that he traveled back to Chennai from the city where he studied to cast his vote in the 2021 Tamil Nadu elections.
“I’ve seen a few people my age who were politically aggressive with their opinions, but still couldn’t vote. Many in Gen Z also form their ideologies and opinions through social media – tweets, posts and Reddit skirmishes – but don’t acquire real political literacy. Only through extensive reading can one cultivate a well-rounded political consciousness,” he adds.
Sanjith Singh, a Gen Zer from Chennai who works in event management, says he relies on social media for updates on current events and only returns to read more when something happens close to home.
Political priorities
Among the younger cohort of Generation Z, a few 18-year-olds browsing books at the Anna Centenary Library confessed that politics is simply ‘not their thing’. They said women’s safety and freedom are absolute priorities, but noted that the country’s political parties have not given these concerns the priority they deserve, which in turn reduces their propensity to vote. For context, according to data from the Election Commission of India (ECI), only about 38% of 18-year-olds in India were registered to vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Another group of 18-year-olds – friends who say they may vote in the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections – take a markedly different position. Poorna, a first year MBBS student, and Shyam, a CA aspirant, say they are politically conscious. “Now even political parties are posting memes about each other and sparring with each other. And Gen Z unfortunately gets their updates specifically through this meme culture,” the duo added. However, Ms. Sankavi points out that resistance through memes is not trivial as Generation Z deals with humor and enjoys political satire.
Concerns about SIR
GenZ also had thoughts on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. Dharmarajaguru K., a resident of Kodambakkam and in his mid-twenties, shares his observation that Booth Level Officers themselves do not receive adequate training on the SIR process. “With elections just a few months away in Tamil Nadu, why is there suddenly such a rush to carry out such a huge exercise within a month? How are daily wage workers supposed to run around and somehow protect their right to vote? The first thought that comes to every worker’s mind is: nothing is going to change for me in particular, so why should I have to scramble like this?” he adds.
Mr. Shyam and Ms. Poorna had another concern: a significant portion of the Gen Z population doesn’t actually know what the SIR process entails. “Yes, ideally this should clean up the electoral roll and make the electoral roll more accurate, but we don’t know how effectively this will be done or how far-reaching the intended impact will be,” they add.
As they spoke, there was a perceptible restlessness between the words, even though their opinions went in different directions. Yet the younger crowd returned almost in unison to their list of non-negotiables: not only to build stable careers, but also to have less exploitative working conditions, to breathe clean air and to live in a system that treats mental health, autonomy and social justice not as afterthoughts but as absolute basic needs.
Published – Nov 24, 2025 06:00 IST
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