It’s often said that each generation can be defined by one event. For baby boomers, it’s the Vietnam War. For millennials, it’s Y2K or 9/11. For Gen Xers, who my mom has to constantly remind me exist as a generation, it’s the fall of the Berlin Wall. And for Gen Z (ages 13-28), as cliche as it sounds, our defining event is undoubtedly the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID pandemic is one of those events that we’re not really far enough away from yet to fully understand its impact, but we can guess at its significance. It’s sort of like vaping: we know it’s probably really bad for you based on a lot of past research, but the jury’s still out on how messed-up it’ll actually make young people. 

Research has already shown that the pandemic sparked a massive mental health crisis across the world, threw off educational and career plans for millions of people, and stunted the emotional and social development of young people. This impact was felt particularly among Gen Z, nearly all of whom had to go home from high school or college and rely on the internet for contact with their peers during socially formative years. For me, half of the social experiences that I can remember from high school involved FaceTiming with friends and sitting six feet apart in people’s backyards. 

Coupled with the rise of social media, the pandemic was a difficult time to be growing up and trying to connect with people. And coming out of it, it definitely seems like we’re worse off than we were before. My generation is chronically online, severely anxious, and somehow also living through some of the most tumultuous political times that we’ve experienced in years. 

The thing I want to know is, is it somehow all connected? Is it that the pandemic started a series of catastrophic events that our generation is now living through, all getting worse and worse as we go along? I’m an optimist, so I won’t try to answer that question. I will however offer my opinion on how the pandemic, social media, and Gen Z’s political destiny seem to be intertwining. 

In a time where much of the world is shifting to the far right, it should come as no surprise that the U.S. is following in these global footsteps with the reelection of Donald Trump by both the Electoral College and popular vote, the latter of which Trump became only the second Republican since 1988 to win. 

What is surprising, however, is the strong Gen Z coalition that turned out in support of him, a group that is usually thought of as voting consistently Democratic. Regardless of your political affiliation, it’s always a fascinating social phenomenon when a group considered to be solidly in one party’s corner, switches their loyalty. 

A recent Yale Youth Poll found that despite young people aged 22-29 generally supporting Democratic candidates, 18-21 year olds in particular preferred their Republican opponents by a margin of nearly 12 points in the upcoming 2026 Congressional elections. The poll’s author attributes this shift to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing young voters to understand politics through the lens of social media, a field that has become increasingly owned and operated by conservative figures over the years. 

Past research has suggested that pandemics have historically, and ironically, served to lower trust in government and scientific institutions. Could it be that distrust in traditional establishments pushed COVID-era highschoolers to alternative forms of media such as X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and more obscure platforms such as TruthSocial, that have become increasingly dominated by right-wing influencers? Derek Thompson of The Atlantic certainly thinks so, and I agree with him on a lot of other things. 

Though it is doubtful that this change will constitute a political realignment equal to that of the Democrats and Republicans switching camps after the Reconstruction Era, the COVID pandemic and its relationship to social media offer a fascinating framework through which to view the apparent rise in youth conservatism. I find it intriguing that this is happening in light of the radicalizing events that have also happened during Gen Z’s youth, such as Black Lives Matter, the climate change movement, and increasing gun violence. In my own experience, the people around me always seemed to become more liberal through these events.

I suppose the conclusion here is that there is no one event that can make everybody feel the same way, only ones that seem to send people retreating further into their ideological corners.

Evie Lockwood Mullaney is a student at Connecticut College.