Pakistan’s Gen Z and the Art of Expression

Gen Z: Every generation has had its medium of expression. Each era leaves behind a distinct pattern, embellished with the trends and technologies of that time. From Renaissance brushstrokes to revolutionary pamphlets, human beings have committed to expressing themselves. Every expression, no matter the medium, portrays the impulse of time. 

In Pakistan, expression has journeyed over a broad spectrum: a nook gilded with the verses of Faiz and a corner beautifully embroidered with the voice and sarees of Iqbal Bano. These expressions, rather than mediocrity, focus on the maligned, depicting what the mainstream media refuses to. While the mainstream media primarily concentrates on cosmetic trends, a subset of the population embraces unconventional trends and challenges established norms. 

Where Gen Z is often called the ‘Screen Generation’ and criticised for their over-reliance on digital media and cyber-trends, this generation has used the same platform as their biggest megaphone to call on identity, cultural awareness and change. In Pakistan, where mainstream media acutely fails to highlight even the pressing issues, the creator-led media finds its way.

Pakistan’s Gen Z and the Art of Expression

The topics which were once considered ‘too off-limits’ are now openly discussed on digital platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, mainly in the form of short-content reels. These videos, often in a storytelling manner, recorded in a cinematic background, take on the societal norms. Gen Z creators frequently discuss the challenges they face in family circles, interpersonal relationships, career orientation, and the sentimental mystery of identity. Such topics were considered private before the active wave of social media emerged. 

Human beings, especially youth, were expected to endure silently, fearing the label of ‘over-sensitive’ or ‘ungrateful’. Short filmmaking is gaining remarkable recognition. Animators like ‘Sharum ki humour’ use short filmmaking as a tool to reveal the underlying issues of Pakistani society through character-driven narratives. Graphic designers, such as Shehzil Malik, Anoosha Syed, and Shehzar Abro, use graphics, murals, and storytelling visuals to express their turmoil.

But these are just a few artists of a great whole; whether you open Instagram or TikTok, you will always find a Gen Z creator with a microphone attached to a collar or a smartphone using books as a tripod, but determined to share their part of the story. Nowadays, Pakistani media is loaded with digital shorts, where creators, either behind the camera or in front of it, use their voice, arts, and animations to belittle the facade of our society. In Pakistan’s shifting landscape, this generation, through memes, reels, and storytelling, stands at the crossroads of culture and code. 

From the walls of Lahore to the reels of TikTok, Pakistan’s art has never stopped speaking — it has only changed its language. The youth no longer wait to be heard; they create their own echo. And in doing so, they remind us that expression — whether through paint, poetry, or pixels — will always find a way to breathe, even when the air is heavy.