This Gen, In Pen – An expository writing blog from the brilliant mind of Ethan Smith

February 2, 2023February 2, 2023

A Digital Classic – Lionel Messi: “World Champions!”

So… what were YOU doing on December 18th, 2022? If you’re anything like me, and you have a love for sports, then chances are that wherever you were, you were watching the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final!

What a match that was; the biggest event on the biggest stage in all of sports – with 1.5 billion estimated viewers (Sports Illustrated). It did not disappoint! It was a game whose momentum maintained a constant state of flux, going right down to the wire – through full-time, through extra-time, and ending with a penalty shootout. Beyond that, for many of us fans around the world, and likely for some of the players as well, it was seen as a battle within a battle. France, the 2018 World Cup champions, looked to defend their title against 2014 finalist, Argentina. Meanwhile, Mbappé the promising, young French talent sought to usurp the throne of arguably the greatest player in the history of football/“soccer”, the Argentinian, Lionel Messi.

When it was all over, and the Argentinian anthem played triumphantly to background of French sobbing and swear words, and Lionel Messi finally hoisted the most elusive trophy of his illustrius career, this significant moment in sports history was photographed and posted on his Instagram page for all his 426 million followers to celebrate. And that they did, this post became an “instant classic” in the digital space, as users all across the web banded together to share the post, like the post, and urge others to do the same.

*Lionel Messi pictured holding the coveted FIFA 2022 World Cup Trophy. Currently the most liked post on Instagram.*

Within just a few days of its publication on December 18, 2022, Lionel Messi’s Instagram post captioned, “CAMPEONES DEL MUNDO!!!!!!!” – or “World Champions!”, in English – amassed so many likes, that it actually surpassed the infamous “World Record Egg” Meme (another digital classic with 59.4 million likes) to become the single most liked post on the platform.

*“The World Record Egg”, previously the most liked post on Instagram (now in second place).*

Today, it stands at an astounding 75, 105, 730 likes on Instagram, and remains both the record holder for most likes, and a testament to the power and reach of the internet and more specifically, social media in today’s society.

Here’s a crazy idea: maybe we can harness some of that power, and make this the most commented post on my blog page? What do ya say? 😉

January 26, 2023January 30, 2023

Generational Thinking: Use or Abuse

If you’re an avid user of Tik Tok, chances are you might’ve come across a recent trend which makes use of something that can be referred to as “generational thinking”. If you aren’t an avid user of Tik Tok, then I have got some bad news for you pal. Chances are this trend is about you – the older folks, the out-of-touch. What’s that you say? You’re not that old, you just don’t really like Tik Tok? Ha! “OK Boomer.”

In case you didn’t catch it, that last bit right there… that is the trend. “O-K Boomer.” At first glance, this phrase may seem harmless; just a simple message of affirmation addressed to those born in the Boomer Generation (i.e., 1946 – 1964), but when you add a sprinkle of sarcasm, and hint of context, it suddenly takes on a new, almost opposite meaning. Essentially, what this Gen-Z trend attempts to do is dismiss conservative views by labeling those who make them as “Boomers” – insinuating that they are out of touch – and agreeing with them sarcastically, so that the resultant effect is ironically equivalent to saying, “shut up”.

While a statement from Pew Research Center’s “The Why’s and How’s of Generational Research” that “an individual’s age is one of the most common predictors of differences in attitudes and behaviors” (Pew 1) does support this use of “generational thinking”, the trend’s evolution as it was propagated throughout the platform saw “OK Boomer” go from a phrase that was used on actual members of the Baby Boomer generation, to one that could be used on anyone who expressed conservative beliefs or appeared out-of-touch or even just disagreed, regardless of their age. In my opinion, that is where it went from being a use of generational thinking, to ultimately becoming an abuse of it.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know 🙂

January 24, 2023January 26, 2023

Who is Ethan Smith?

Simply put, I’m HIM. I’m “That Guy”. I’m “Himothee”! And as can be deduced from those three statements I am a member of Generation Z. I was born on October 11^th, 2002, on an island somewhere in the distant Caribbean Sea. As a child, I would marvel at Hollywood’s peculiar depictions of the tropical region that I called home. Pirates? Mermaids? That stuff is funny to me now, but I remember, I used to believe in them. I used to go to the beach every weekend, strap my goggles on and explore “the deep sea”. That’s what I would call it, though a six-year-old me was never actually allowed to venture out into the ocean past waist height. Nowadays, I find myself being influenced less by movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and more by short-form videos, social media posts and memes. From my understanding, that seems to be the common case among the members of my generation. It’s possible that our reduced attention spans push us more towards these quick modes of media consumption. Hence, platforms such as Tik Tok, Instagram (reels) and even Vine (where it all started) have seen considerable success in our time. Whether this shift is a good thing or bad… I’m not sure yet, but regardless, I enjoy it. When I scroll, I scroll for hours. Hopefully you’ll have the same experience reading my blog posts, ha ha!