Welcome to The Gen Z Report

A brief explanation of why I’m here and what I hope to offer

Photo of author and his puppy, Butters

First, thank you so much for taking the time to check out The Gen Z Report. I’m Ben Ulansey, and this is my Substack — a place for opinion pieces, reflections, and political/social/cultural commentary.

There’s no sugarcoating it: the world is weird right now. Really weird. Our planet is heating up, democracy is in peril — at home and abroad — and the tech tyrants of the world want to see novel human creativity replaced by artificial intelligence.

It’s enough to give anyone vertigo. But instead of succumbing to the madness, I hope to channel my thoughts into something meaningful: writing. And copious amounts of it.

So if you’re overwhelmed with all of the noise but still want to venture along with me as I try to make sense of it, too, you’re in the right place. I cover everything from politics and culture to the existential oddity of navigating life on a planet that stubbornly refuses to sit still.

Beyond just sharing my thoughts and stories, I want The Gen Z Report to serve as a resource, a spark for conversation, and a tool for reflection. You’ll find:

• Deep-Dive Analyses: I’ll address issues in politics, culture, and technology from a Gen Z perspective.

• Personal Essays: I’ll publish reflections on navigating the strangeness of modern life, feathered with humor, honesty, and a healthy dose of existential dread.

• Community Engagement: I hope to provide a space for dialogue and exchanging ideas about how to navigate these turbulent times together.

• Exclusive Content: Paying members can expect behind-the-scenes looks at my creative process, glimpses into drafts of upcoming pieces, and access to a paid-subscriber-chat, as well as the entire archive of material that I’ve published on the platform since I first joined. They’re also welcome to offer input into any topics they’d like to see addressed.

I know that fulfilling my dreams here won’t be easy. I started devoting my days to writing with the plain understanding I might fall flat on my face if my work never found its audience.

As with many creatives these days, I feel an existential anxiety that tugs at the core of my being about what it even means to make art in these strange times. As artificial intelligence dips its automaton toes into more and more industries, and the line between novel human creation and machine generation blurs further and further, I fear whether the future I want is possible.

I wonder whether this world will have room for writers in a few years. I wonder whether we’re only a couple of ChatGPT updates away from the days when the profession feels as frivolous as toll booth operators in this bold era of EZ-pass.

But I’m far from giving up. Even if we reach that dystopian place in time when writers are no longer considered necessary, I’ll be happy to offer the superfluous. Writing is what I love regardless of whether I make a life of it. But to have others believe in that dream can go a long way in keeping the fire alive.

I’m still a far cry away from earning enough to buy a house in this forsaken economy. I want nothing more than for my passion for writing to remain at the forefront of my life, and to maybe one day afford a reasonably decent home doing what I love. But if I want to do that, every ounce of support you can offer means the absolute world.