It's Raining Dabloons
Have you ever wanted to have your own TV show?
I wholeheartedly believed I had a reality show when I was younger, complete with confessionals and fourth wall breaks. Frankly, I still partially believe that now; especially when events in my life overlap with those in history or current global events. For instance, during the 2021 Suez Canal obstruction last year, I found it quite ironic that the event coincided with our 1956 Suez Canal crisis lesson. Or like how the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic happened 100 after the 1918 Flu pandemic, or more relevently, how the pandemic happened just as I was about to experience the best year of middle school. Once again, the imaginary producers in my mind are creating an additional plot for the imaginary viewers.
More Irony
For the past three weeks, I have been working on a team called Out-Radical, on a project for a $20.02 billion financial services company in Canada. Oddly enough, this once-in-a-lifetime experience transpires simultaneously as a 24-hour virtual economy is created by Gen Z.
Here's a recollection for those who do not know what I am talking about.
On Tuesday, November 22, an Instagram post created by “cat.jpeg” began circling social media pages. Once it landed on TikTok, however, with the text “4 dabloons,” the app went berserk.
This intentionally misspelled gift influenced people to note the “dabloons” they had collected from scrolling on TikTok and connect with others via general commerce of fake houses, pets, and private jets.
Although this may seem like an innocent creation, dabloons have quickly become a fully functioning economy, complete with an IRS, inflation, banks, theft, and multiple parties with differing views on capitalism. What started as a cute trend has become an intense game of life, mimicking many of the same difficulties that come with life’s actual economy.
So What Now?
How does this relate to my team project? People deal with money and finance daily, so this may be a stretch for my “the world revolves around me” theory.
But, as I am working with this company and scrolling through TikTok, it opened my eyes to the reality that Gen Z are the future leaders of the Earth. Consider Maxwell Alejandro, who became the first Gen Z person in the United States Congress. I cannot imagine that Gen Z, a generation known for its provocative, limitless, and inclusive ideologies, will finally be responsible for making the world better or worse.
Along with helping me realize how my peers and I are next in charge, I also acknowledged how much older I’m getting. Simply three years ago, I was in middle school, and now I am taking the SAT in a matter of hours. Despite the pandemic taking vital time from my peers and me, hindering our development, based on dabloons on TikTok, the project I am blessed to work on, TKS, and more, I have strong hope that regardless of the ups and downs, Gen Z is ready to zoom the world to success.