Together with Siberkreasi, Do Something Indonesia talked about how to strive as a strawberry generation.In today’s digital era, the strawberry generation, or gen Z, greatly benefits from the great technology that emerged in the past decades. Strawberry generation terminology first emerged in Taiwan in the ’80s. This term is intended for the generations that are soft like strawberries; they look good on the outside but are bruised easily – meaning these generations give up due to societal pressure. However, just like how botanists call the strawberry a “false fruit,” likewise the strawberry mentality is a pseudo mentality that is not owned by our generation (generation Z / younger generation). A resilient generation is a generation that runs on the axis of optimism for a better future.
However, the things that we learned from traditional classrooms are not necessarily needed in the future, including what we understand today may not necessarily be relevant to future problems. There are more skills that we need to acquire to thrive better. Advances in technology and information are creating a new world of limitless possibilities for younger generations. Digital platforms and social media are the ‘it’ nowadays, however, this needs to be re-optimized with good digital literacy skills, so that everything we receive online will be translated into great benefits.
Aiming to become the answer to this problem, Do Something Indonesia with Meta in Indonesia launched Asah Digital which carries 3 core values in digital literacy: knowing your digital identity, how to think critically with empathy, and digital safety. Discussed in a talk show with Siberkreasi in Obral-obrol liTerasi Digital (OOTD), September 8, with the theme “The Strawberry Generation: The Artsy and Tough.”
Lanny Wijaya, Senior Enterprise Account Executive of LinkedIn Singapore, shared ‘Your network is your net worth’, how building connections with people and learning from their expertise and experience can expand our skills and possibly build a better professional circle. Other than that, she also expressed that we need to grow our skill sets due to their shorter ‘shelf life’ by upgrading and assertively looking for new skills to learn.
Taufan Teguh Akbari, Vice Chancellor 3 and Head of LSPR Leadership Center, with Neneng Julia, Do Something Indonesia Specialist, agreed that there is never a wrong time to start doing something with our lives and it is okay to not follow all the trends in the internet, we do not need to feel bad for missing out on something, “Above all, doing what’s good ( to yourself) is what matters the most. Filter what goes in our system, what we see, what we do every day. It is not too late to do something now.”, quote Neneng.
Given the fast-paced social media world nowadays, gen Z is expected to be able to filter what they want to see and to think before sharing anything on social media. Other than that, gen Z must be able to think critically, and put effort and time into creatively utilizing the power of social media.