Generation Z Between Theoretical Foundations and Western-Centrism: Toward a Critical Approach to a Generational Phenomenon in the Age of Technology

Abstract

This paper presents a critical theoretical review of the concept of Generation Z (Gen Z) and examines the extent to which dominant academic frameworks succeed in decoding this generational phenomenon. The study proceeds along four interconnected analytical axes. First, it interrogates the epistemic centrality of technology in defining Gen Z, arguing that while digital immersion constitutes a necessary condition for understanding the generation, it remains an insufficient one: the "Digital Native" paradigm produces a homogenizing narrative that obscures profound structural inequalities in technological access and social experience. Second, the paper maps the key theoretical tensions that structure scholarly disagreement about Gen Z: the conflict between essentialist approaches and constructivist critiques; the debate between technological determinism and socio-historical frameworks; and the tension between universalist claims and contextual specificity. Third, the study deconstructs the Western-centrism of the concept through three structural failures: the geographic bias in knowledge production, the myth of equal digital access, and the erosion of traditional mediation institutions. Fourth, the paper proposes a three-level composite framework — universal-conditional, regional-contextual, and individual-structural — arguing that Gen Z is not a phenomenon but a conceptual space that demands new analytical tools capable of reading "beneath the screen," where local historical experiences interact with global digital aspirations. The study concludes by calling for a transition from Western descriptive sociology toward an epistemology of the crisis-ridden context that treats institutional fragility as a central variable in generational identity formation.