I want to write about excess rumination caused by memes, hashtags and chanting. In the meantime, here is a related article about the wildly depressing state of youngsters. Hopefully there are further studies to see if discontinued and reduced social media use mitigates these absurd new age problems.

Random note: I have often compared dating in 21st century to going to a restaurant with a menu ten times the length of a Cheesecake Factory menu.

Here is the original article: https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-menu-anxiety-ask-people-order-for-them-restaurants-2023-12

Gen Zers are suffering from 'menu anxiety,' and some are scared to order their own food at restaurants, new survey finds

Sawdah Bhaimiya; Dec 15, 2023, 6:11 PM GMT+2

Gen Z's struggles with anxiety are affecting their dining habits with most admitting to dealing with "menu anxiety" in restaurants, a new survey finds. 

British restaurant chain Prezzo, which serves Italian cuisine, surveyed over 2,000 people in the UK about how at ease they felt when they ate out and it found that 86% of Gen Z had been impacted by "menu anxiety" when dining in restaurants compared to 67% of all respondents.

Menu anxiety was largely trigged by the cost of the meal, not being able to find something they like on the menu, and regretting what they ordered. Over a third of millennials said having too many options on a menu was also a trigger. 

38% of Gen Z and millennials said they wouldn't go to a restaurant if they hadn't looked at the menu beforehand. A third of Gen Zers also said they ask other people to order at restaurants because of this anxiety. 

Another source of anxiety for almost half of 25 to 34 year olds is not being able to pronounce the options on the menu when ordering. 

Young people are also largely influenced by their social media use. A third of 25 to 34 year-olds would choose items on a menu that would look best on social media. 

The younger generation tend to have more hang ups about how they appear in public, and a recent Gallup poll even found that they're more likely to report experiencing negative emotions such as stress, anxiety, and loneliness. 

NYU business professor Jonathon Haidt told the Wall Street Journal that a "performative" social media culture is partly to blame for the high rates of anxiety and depression amongst Gen Z. 

"We have a whole generation that's doing terribly," he said. "You're not creative, you're not future-thinking, you're focused on threats in the present." 

Social media is also playing a major role in Gen Z's dining options. Nearly 40% of Gen Z prefer searching for things on Instagram and TikTok rather than Google or Google Maps, internal Google data found in July. 

Executives at fast food chains in the US previously told Business Insider that Gen Z tend to order a lot of takeaway, and when they do eat out, it's with a big group. They're also very likely to dine at restaurants that influencers have promoted on social media and want their food to look "Instagrammable."