Smarika Suwal '22 as part of the Holy Cross COVID-19 Chronicles, advised by Profs. Cynthia Hooper and Lorelle Semley (History)

Abstract

This summer, I worked as a Research Associate on the Holy Cross COVID-19 Chronicles, a research project exploring the experiences of the Holy Cross community during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the larger project, I investigated a topic of my own choosing. I focused on how the coming of age narrative for high school and college-aged youth has changed during this incredibly tumultuous time, and how the crisis is prompting the emerging Generation Z to think about the future. Are they becoming more critical of traditional authority, or are they pulling closer to family and tradition? How do they view the challenges ahead and who do they blame for current problems? What do they think should be changed?

The poster I created is a collage of one of my most informative types of sources: memes. In all their humor and oddity, memes offered one of the most insightful glances into the ethos of a generation. Tracing common themes and messages across the viral images helped me understand the issues Gen Z cared about and how they viewed their place in society. I arranged a variety of memes I had collected for my project in the shape of a “Z” and juxtaposed their eclecticism with recent news headlines about COVID-19 edited to appear a dull gray in the background. The newsprint-esque background further emphasized the emergence of a new, vibrant generation, even in the darkest of times.

Poster Presentation