Byung-Chul Han’s Important Lesson for Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha Americans
Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha have grown up in a world of smartphones, endless apps, and the constant pressure to ‘do more.’ But what if all this freedom and “positivity” is actually making us less free? The Korean-German philosopher Byung-Chul Han has written powerfully on this topic, but his writings remain outside the consciousness of young Americans growing up in the digital age. I was introduced to Han’s ideas through Stephen West’s “Philosophize This!” podcast, and have enjoyed reading his works (or trying to). One of his most striking ideas is his criticism of societies with no “negative controls”. This is why I previously used the word “positivity” in quotes. To clarify, positivity in this context refers to the absence of historical “negative controls” on a person’s individual agency. Different cultural and historical contexts have placed different “negative controls” on people and perhaps some of these boundaries were beneficial?
In his book The Burnout Society (2010), Han argues that modern culture is dominated by positivity (ie “anyone can do anything at any time so long as it isn’t harmful to others”). He writes, “Excess of positivity leads to overproduction, overachievement and overcommunication”, and people can fall into a negative cycle of endless self-optimization. Unlike older forms of power, which were based on strict rules and prohibitions, today’s society pressures us to be constantly active, productive, and available (“cell phones always on”). This turns us into what Han calls “achievement-subjects,” people who paradoxically “exploit themselves” rather than being forced by others. Bringing this back to Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha, this means that the constant push to do more—schoolwork, sports, side hustles, and social media—can ironically become a new form of control. Instead of freedom, this “positivity” and the desire “to do everything” produces exhaustion and anxiety. Reading this reminded me of influencer Ashton Hall’s “locked in” optimization that begins with a morning routine at 4 AM featuring working out, running, a face care ritual among other things. https://www.tiktok.com/@ashtonhallofficial/video/7491783187870371102
Another of Han’s insights is his criticism of the disappearance of rituals in modern life. In his book The Disappearance of Rituals (2019), he observes that older societies had shared ceremonies—religious services, communal meals, festivals, or hanging out at the Lions Club or Veterans Lodge. These shared activities gave people a sense of belonging and meaning. Today, these rituals are fading. “Rituals stabilize life,” Han explains, “by structuring time and anchoring the community”. Without them, people often feel disconnected, isolated, and restless. For young Americans, this lack of rituals shows up in how relationships are maintained—more through Snapchat streaks, online gaming meet-ups, or TikTok trends rather than through stable, repeated practices that bind people together. Han suggests that to recover a sense of meaning, we may need to re-invent rituals that create genuine community instead of chasing viral moments that vanish overnight.
By Jeremy Bentham - The works of Jeremy Bentham vol. IV, 172-3, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3130497
Finally, Han builds on Michel Foucault’s idea of the panopticon, the prison design where inmates could be watched at all times, to argue that digital technology has created something even more invasive. This is a terrifying idea, to be sure. In The Transparency Society (2012), Han writes, “The society of transparency is a panopticon in which we play the role of inmate and guard at once” (ouch). On platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, people willingly expose themselves to constant surveillance, curating their identities and watching others do the same. What looks like freedom—sharing and connecting—is actually a form of control, because everyone feels pressure to be seen, liked, and validated. For Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha, this lesson is crucial: social media’s culture of transparency may seem empowering, but it can also trap us in cycles of self-surveillance and conformity.
In the end, Byung-Chul Han warns that the challenges of the digital age are not just about technology, but about how we live, work, and relate to one another. His lessons about over-positivity, the loss of rituals, and the dangers of digital surveillance can help young Americans step back, reflect, and ask what kind of freedom and community we really want.
