The older I’ve grown, the harder it’s become to live in the present moment.
Instead of a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other, my hidden anxieties mirror those of Ebenezer Scrooge. The Ghost of Taylor’s Past frequently whispers in my ear, reminding me of decisions I’ve made and regretted, while the Ghost of Taylor Yet to Come taunts and tortures with visions of a future I fear I’ll have. The Ghost of Taylor’s Present occasionally appears as an empty feeling deep in my chest, whenever I remember she deserves my attention the most—yet I give it to her the least.
Recently, though, Past and Present have both been neglected as Yet to Come demands my attention with more uncertainty and unpredictability, in my personal life and on a greater scale.
Zooming out, the current geopolitical environment is enough to make anyone question what the future holds, from tariffs to travel to turmoil overseas. The U.S. inflation rate accelerated 2.7% last month, reaching its highest level since February, and extreme weather across the country has some people questioning the health of the planet (and the National Weather Service). Pew Research Center data from 2021 found that 69% of Gen Z social media users felt anxious about the future when they saw content about climate change.
How much do you think that number has increased in the four years since it was reported?
Zooming in, the Ghost of Taylor Yet to Come reminds me that my 26th birthday is creeping closer on the calendar (bye-bye to my dad’s insurance), the number in my savings account is going in the wrong direction and housing prices in Chicago point to the possibility of another decade of living with my parents. I talk to them about my worries sometimes, and they remind me of my tendency to be a little “doom and gloom.”
My generation tends to be a little “doom and gloom,” too, especially when we think ahead. A Psychology Today article from December 2022 asks the question, “Have We Overburdened Gen Z With Fears of the Future?” citing Gen Z’s high levels of depression as a potential sign the answer may be yes. If we fast forward two and a half years later, I think it’s safe to say that burden has only become heavier to carry, and Gen Z is starting to feel crushed by the weight of it all.
It's called “future anxiety,” and you’ve probably felt it, too.
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What Is Future Anxiety?
“Future anxiety,” or anticipatory anxiety, is described by the American Psychological Association (APA) as “fear or dread in the face of an anticipated event or situation that can be rooted in uncertainty and unknown outcomes.”
For Gen Z, many of these fears stem from a combination of things: economic uncertainty and financial insecurity, climate concerns, student debt, job market instability, social media, rapid change and an overall loss of hope and purpose. (Valid, considering some futurologists tell Gen Z that by 2040, 30%-40% of their jobs will be replaced by robots and AI, according to Psychology Today.)
Fears of the future plague everyone, but future anxiety may be affecting Gen Z a bit more than previous generations. Research by the Walton Family Foundation reveals 42% of Gen Z experience depression and feelings of hopelessness, which is nearly twice the rate of people over the age of 25.
“I think every generation has a sense of future anxiety. Is it more prominent with Gen Z than other generations? I would say, from my experience, all the Gen Zs I’ve talked to, the research I’ve done, that yes, it is,” said Tim Hines, a marketing expert, keynote speaker, author and business coach. “First, our attention goes to understanding why, then understanding if it is any worse than it was for other generations, or is it a perceived anxiety?”
When it comes to Gen Z, Hines said, “it’s kind of a mixed bag.”
[Related: The Z: 3 Ways to Mentally Reset and Shift to a Positive Mindset]
What Causes Future Anxiety in Gen Z?
One of Gen Z’s most defining characteristics is how we’re a generation of “digital natives” who grew up with technology that somehow grew up, too. The oldest of us can tell you about the first iPod we had in the early 2000s and create a timeline of our lives up to now based solely on the Apple products we’ve owned since then. Technology is a part of who we are—and it affects how we feel.
“Gen Z has so much access to information and social media, and this alone creates anxiety,” Hines said. “States, schools, local municipalities, they’re all starting to say, ‘This isn’t healthy for young kids to have access to social media and their phones, sharing everybody’s locations and information all the time.’”
Most of them do, though, which also gives them access to what Hines refers to as a “constant crises of information.”
“Whether it’s climate change, or how Gen Z can’t buy houses, or this or that, are all of those things as big of a deal as the news make them to be? No, they’re not. None of them are. It never actually is,” Hines said. “I could tell you from that base point, the baseline, the quality of life that we have is still good, but the crisis that’s being pushed by the media…it is a lot of doom and gloom, and the reason is because that’s what sells. That’s what gets clicks.
“It was way easier for older generations to say, ‘I’m not gonna read the paper’ or ‘I’m gonna turn off the TV’ than it is for Gen Z to stop the constant stream of notifications and social media posts,” he continued. “It does not stop for them unless they physically detach themselves from their phones, which they will not do.
“It’s all creating this anxiety because of how much the information they’re consuming has an influence on them,” Hines concluded. “It’s almost like their whole notion is, ‘What is my reality versus what is the reality?’
“Fear is so powerful, and it is being leveraged against this generation like none other because of how quickly you can get information in front of them,” he maintained.
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Future Anxiety in the Meetings Industry
Where Gen Z is experiencing future anxiety thanks to a competitive and overcrowded job market, the meetings and events industry is feeling fearful of the future as jobs are becoming harder to fill.
“It’s a great time to actually get involved [in the industry],” Hines said. “But I think again, because of the perception [of the industry], Gen Z isn’t sure if it’s the right fit for them. Being on the meeting side, especially on the production side, being a planner, you have to bust your ass. You’re working all these crazy hours, and I think a lot of Gen Z is like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do that.’
“There is, I think, a gap in the expectation of what they can do within their skillset to, again, the reality of what needs to be done,” he continued. “I don’t want it say it’s laziness. It’s more, ‘Where do I put my energy that’s going to have the least amount of friction?’ And transparently, our industry has a lot of friction. Bringing people together is not an easy gig.”
It’s definitely not your typical 9-5. Sometimes it feels more 24/7, but another defining characteristic of Gen Z is how much they value work-life balance.
“How do we reconcile that?” Hines questioned, and the industry is working hard to figure out the answer.
Meeting professionals are also experiencing future anxiety in relation to the current economic outlook, trade war, hesitancy around international travel and tensions between the U.S. and Canada.
“The economic outlook has been like this for the past four years. It’s just a different version of it now,” Hines said. “Canadians aren’t traveling to America…Some of that might be some worry. There are different perceptions, a little bit of, ‘We’re going to do things somewhere else.’ But again, I think a lot of it is overblown, and if people just take a step back and go, ‘What really matters?’, that may help with future anxiety.”
When Hines considers why the meetings and events industry may be feeling this wave of future anxiety, he boils it down to our current period in time, an overlap of three significant “eras” that have significantly changed how we do things in business events.
“We’re at an interesting intersection of three pivotal things that have affected the industry,” Hines said. “We’re in the post-pandemic era. That was horrible. It impacted the industry like crazy, but now we’re in this resurgence. We’re in a time of renewal.
“Now, five years after that, we’re in this post-digital era, which means that digital and everything related to it—marketing our events, promotion of our events, managing event tech solutions, interacting with our attendees, event apps—that’s the norm,” he continued. “We’re past digital. We’re in the AI era, right? Everything should be digitized.
“And then we’re in the post-Gen Z era, and what I mean by that is, we’re through with speculation. We are in the time of activation. You’re here, we’re working together,” Hines said. “We’re past the era of asking, ‘What is Gen Z going to be like?’ Now, we know.
“These are all things that some people still consider new that I don’t think are new anymore. We’re all in at this time. This is the normal, this is the expectation,” Hines said. “But the expectation goal post is always moving, and it’s tough to keep up with it. These three things, [post-pandemic, post-digital and post-Gen Z]—and a million other things underneath it all—are the really big reasons behind the unique time that we’re in here in 2025, and the anxiety is around, ‘How do I stay on top of that?’ The people who are reluctant to change are going to feel it the most.”
[Related: The Z: The Benefits and Appeal of Competitive Socializing]
Tim’s Top Tips
If you’re like me and often feel haunted by the Ghost of Yet to Come, Hines has some tips and tricks he recommends for reducing and preventing future anxiety.
“First, silence, or at least have an understanding of, those things that are triggering,” Hines recommended. “Balance staying informed with being scared. Find outlets and streams of content that are more balanced and not leading with fearful headlines. Recognize that you are triggered by fear to feel a certain way and take a certain action. It’s a human instinct of yours.
“And yes, the world changes, but again, they’re trying to capitalize on your fear,” he added. “Look at history. Look at all of the things the world has gone through since the beginning of recorded time. Hundreds and hundreds of horrible—even more horrible things than what we’re experiencing—have happened. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the moment without recognizing and understanding that worse things have happened than what’s happening to you today.
“Humans are naturally resilient. We have our ways of figuring out how to overcome almost anything,” Hines said. “And if you are able to capitalize on that yourself, I think that’s a grand opportunity for you to go, ‘I can’t figure this out today, but I am going to figure out what I need to do to get to the point where I can.’”
It’s what we’re all trying to do, really: Figure it out. Life is one big journey of figuring things out, but when you look back at all the seemingly impossible things you’ve figured out already, the future starts to feel a little less scary, doesn’t it?
If that doesn’t work, there’s one thing I tell myself that always does: One day at a time,
Taylor
Have a question about Gen Z or a topic you’d like to learn more about? Share your thoughts with Taylor at taylor.smith@meetingstoday.com, on Instagram at @tay__writes or on X at @taywrites.
Mission Statement: "The Z: Planning for the Industry’s Next Generation" is a Meetings Today column discussing the meetings and events industry’s newest and youngest members—the incoming Generation Z. Written by Meetings Today’s Taylor Smith, a member of Gen Z herself, The Z explores how to welcome, work with, understand and plan for the industry’s next wave of professionals while serving as a guide for members of Gen Z themselves, planners and attendees alike.
Read more from "The Z: Planning for the Industry’s Next Generation."
