Nicolás Maduro’s Claims About Generation Z

Venezuela’s socialist leader, Nicolás Maduro, made a striking assertion recently, claiming that Generation Z is “an invention of Western psychological warfare laboratories, carried out through social media.” He expressed this during the International Astronautical Congress held in Caracas.

According to Maduro, “Gen Z is a creation of Western media manipulating platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to shape an entire generation.” He elaborated that these platforms bombard children with content to form Generation Z, which he insists was developed in Western psychological warfare labs aimed at controlling young people’s minds.

The term Generation Z generally refers to individuals born between 1997 and 2012, mainly in the United States, but it has been adopted globally as a demographic descriptor.

Most young Venezuelans classified as Generation Z have grown up under socialist governance, first under Hugo Chávez and now Maduro. They’ve never experienced anything other than this regime since Chávez rose to power in December 1998. By 2007, Chávez unified his party with left-wing allies to form the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, further entrenching this socialist rule.

Interestingly, Maduro denies the existence of “Gen Z” in Venezuela, deeming it merely a “creation of Western media.” He instead celebrates a “great generation” of youth aged 14 to 16, proclaiming them to be “Venezuela’s atomic bomb” for the future, essential for scientific advancement.

“Wake up, everyone, don’t let yourselves be manipulated. You are a great generation. Great in science, music, culture, sports, and politics,” Maduro urged during the event.

Despite his claims that Gen Z is a “Western invention,” Maduro has allocated undisclosed resources to bolster his social media presence. His focus seems especially directed toward platforms like Instagram and TikTok, while less attention is given to “X” (formerly known as Twitter), which remains banned in Venezuela. Following the contested presidential election in 2024, he even switched from Twitter to Telegram for communicating with the public.

On social media, Maduro often shares videos that aim to present him as a relatable leader, sometimes including memes. Recently, he posted content featuring interactions with children and teenagers during official events.

In a clip from Instagram, he commented, “They are called Generation Z, but who says that? It’s the same media that manipulates the imperial powers of the world. Here we have a glorious generation aged 12 to 22.” He continued, painting this age group as “geniuses of the new Venezuelan identity,” emphasizing their potential to shape a bright future grounded in values like integrity and creativity.

While Maduro envisions a promising future led by this “generation of geniuses,” the reality is quite stark. Venezuela’s educational system is in dire straits, largely due to years of ineffective governance. Reports from the NGO Provea indicate a lack of qualified teachers and a significant decline in enrollment in teacher training programs, dropping from 116,000 in 2008 to just 30,000 in 2022. Furthermore, graduation rates for education professionals have plummeted by 80% over the past decade under Maduro’s administration.

There’s particularly acute scarcity in subjects like mathematics and science, with reports stating that only one math teacher graduated from the last class at the Caracas Teachers’ Training College, highlighting an alarming crisis.