What happens when a tech millionaire spends two decades trying to control how we behave online? For Millennials – it mostly worked. For Gen-X and Gen-Z? Not so much. They see the game. They’re not playing. Here’s why Zuckerberg’s ultimate social experiment fails with the two generations that refuse to be manipulated.
[…] I’ve grown up with this guy plastered everywhere. I’ve watched him spend the better part of two decades trying to pull off the ultimate social experiment: Turning the internet into a giant dopamine casino where everyone willingly feeds their data into the machine.”
Facebook is basically digital cocaine.
[…] I’ve done it, too. Without batting an eye. He’s had plenty of success with Millennials. They devoured Facebook in its prime, branded themselves on Instagram, and tried (painfully) to make the Metaverse happen. But he will never, ever fully capture Gen-X or Gen-Z.
Why? Because despite their differences, both generations have an instinctive distrust of authority. Manipulation hits these two like a fart in a lift. So, it’s inevitable they have a deep resistance to giving Zuckerberg exactly what he wants.
[…] Gen-X was raised to be skeptical of everything: Big business, governments, and any authority figure trying to tell them what to do. They saw greed up close and lived through economic crashes. They learned fast. Trust the system, and you’ll get burned.
Gen-Z, meanwhile, grew up in the rubble of all that. They never saw corporations as benevolent forces. Just exploitative machines designed to extract as much from them as possible.
Gen X has learnt the hard way that if you’re on a salary, sucking up to the boss by working double the hours just means you’ve halved your hourly earnings. Job security? Forget it. Your job is secure only so long as your boss can’t find someone cheaper. And when he does, expect a redundancy notice and your former position being renamed to get around redundancy laws.
AI? AI is proving that I’m right.
Gen Z has learnt this lesson by observing.
Gen-Z won’t be caught dead on Facebook. Unless they want to message their parents. The fake-feels of Instagram? That’s for wannabe influencers clinging to relevance. And Meta? They know a desperate cash grab when they see one.
They know these platforms aren’t here for their well-being. They exist to sell data, keep users addicted, and push whatever content generates the most revenue. Gen-X learned to distrust corporations. Gen-Z never trusted them to begin with.
Zuckerberg’s entire empire is built on a simple premise: keep people engaged long enough to monetize them. Millennials, who grew up in the explosive rise of social media, swallowed the dream whole. They latched onto the “sharing economy” because it dangled promises of connection, community, and self-branding.
Gen-X and Gen-Z? They didn’t take the bait.
Gen-X spent their youth drowning in infomercials and glossy magazine spreads. All trying (and failing) to shove unnecessary junk down their throats. They learned early to side-eye authority. That applied to politicians, corporations, and their own parents.
Gen-Z, meanwhile, was born into the most aggressive marketing war zone in history. From the moment they could hold an iPad, they were ambushed by hyper-personalized ads. Let’s not even talk about algorithm-driven rabbit holes and endless dopamine traps.
But instead of rolling over, they fought back. Ad blockers, burner accounts, and digital detoxes aren’t rebellion for Gen-Z. They’re survival tactics. Gen-X ignores corporate nonsense. Gen-Z sabotages it.
[…] If there’s one thing Gen-X and Gen-Z can’t stand, it’s being forced into something. The moment a social platform feels like a chore, a “new” 9–5, or an obvious attempt at manipulation, they check out.
Instead, they keep moving to whatever new platform feels authentic. Every time Zuckerberg pivots, rebrands, or tries to force engagement, both generations give a collective “meh” and go do something else.
X is about the only social media platform I use as it is one of the few media platforms I trust. BlueSky? BlueSky is like when all the trolls have forced everyone else out and they’ve been left aimlessly wandering around arguing about who has the cutest cat photo.
So you can call us the cynical generations. And whatever you’re trying to sell us, we’re not buying it.
