Unlearning Empire: How Gen-Z Challenges the Narratives on War with Iran
Amid tensions between Iran, Israel, and the United States, Gen-Z is confronting the idea of war with a critical eye shaped by digital media, historical awareness, and a growing rejection of Western imperial narratives.
Today’s youth is decoding conflict through decentralized, community-driven platforms where counter-narratives can thrive. For Gen-Z, war is not just an abstract concept, it’s a politicized spectacle, one that they’re actively interpreting, questioning, and resisting.
Gen-Z’s Lens: Propaganda, Media Literacy, and Misinformation
Across borders, Gen-Z is paying close attention to the language, images, and emotional manipulation used to justify war. Through memes, live streams, digital archives, they're picking apart official statements and identifying patterns of misinformation and racialized fear-mongering.
“Gen Z is very conscious of the misinformation that has been spread through U.S. and Israeli propaganda,” said Suraya, 27, from the Netherlands. “The suffering of the innocents is not by mistake and a deliberate act, masked by claims of the US and Israel doing it for protection/self defense. But who is the terrorist when the people being attacked are civilians, children, families?” For her, platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and alternative news outlets have become crucial tools in cutting through the noise.
Karim, 24, from Morocco, shared similar concerns. “I'm most concerned about the fearmongering and islamophobia that Western media tries to peddle in order to manufacture consent for a war with Iran,” he said. He added that Gen Z has the power to challenge these narratives: “There are reasons to keep up the hope, the tide's already shifted quite a bit regarding public opinion on Palestine, and if our speech didn't have an impact then they wouldn't be trying to suppress it by any means necessary.”
In Newark, New Jersey, 23-year-old Mariana pointed to how disinformation is evolving with technology. “I have seen AI videos of Iranians portrayed in a bad light (ex: sending threats to Americans). People on TikTok have been spreading misinformation about potential attacks on America and installing fear into them, which doesn’t help at the end of the day,” she said. She stressed that resisting state narratives begins with education and mutual understanding.
Mirleen, 23, a Haitian-American also from Newark, reflected on the long-term impact of propaganda. “Ever since I was a kid the government — starting with George H Bush — has always spoken about ‘weapons of mass destruction’ when it came to Iran and Iraq and how dangerous those countries are to good old fashioned American freedom. They’ve been using the same play book since 2000,” she said. For her, platforms like TikTok and independent media have opened up new perspectives and counter-narratives.
“Gen Z doesn’t support war in Iran because we know that this war isn’t about protecting the peace, it is about personal interest,” added Milena, 24, from New Jersey. “The US has always been involved in war because of personal interest. We’ve seen it in the Vietnam war, we've seen it in World War I and II. Unfortunately, history repeats itself. Gen-Z understands this and is opposed to starting or being a part of another hopeless war.” She pointed to the importance of “sharing credible sources that debunk propaganda” as ways to push back against prominent narratives and build bridges.
Habeba, 21, Egyptian-American, shared that blatant Islamophobia is what concerns her the most about how Iran is portrayed in the media. “Iran was a prominent hub of intellectuals and was very what we think is “westernized” until the US intervened in the 1970s and placed the dictatorship we see today,” she said. “I think the continuation of making Muslim countries the bad guys not because of their actions but because they are anti-Western and Muslim majority countries is a sign of continued ignorance in our own society.”
In an era of algorithm-driven news and politicized media, Gen Z is increasingly attuned to how narratives are shaped and manipulated. Media literacy has become a survival tool, especially when it comes to separating state-sponsored propaganda from people-centered journalism. For many young people, learning to question headlines, trace funding sources, and compare global coverage is part of a broader political awakening. Whether it’s analyzing the language used to describe U.S. allies versus so-called adversaries, or recognizing whose voices are platformed and whose are silenced, Gen Z is developing the skills to interrogate power.
Still, the danger of oversimplification remains. Romanticizing or vilifying entire populations—whether Iranians, Israelis, or Americans—feeds into the same logic that justifies war. Many Gen Zers recognize how this binary thinking is reinforced not only through news media, but also through education systems and popular entertainment. Western school curricula often erase colonial histories or reduce complex international conflicts to good-versus-evil tropes. Films, shows, and even humanitarian campaigns can flatten stories, casting entire regions as backward or dangerous. Challenging this distortion means unlearning, listening carefully, and committing to deeper, more ethical engagement with the world.
Decolonial Reckoning: Rethinking Power, Resistance, and Allyship
To be “anti-war” in the 21st century requires more than opposition to bombs and missiles. It demands a reckoning with the global systems that normalize war, legitimize occupation, and criminalize resistance. For Gen Z, many of whom grew up witnessing endless U.S.-led military campaigns and digital propaganda, being anti-war often means rejecting the dominant frameworks that have historically painted the West as a force for good and the Global South as a perpetual threat.
Mainstream narratives tend to frame international conflicts in binary terms: Iran is frequently reduced to an oppressive theocracy, while the United States is portrayed as a flawed but necessary enforcer of global stability. This dichotomy not only erases the long history of U.S. imperialism in the region but also obscures the agency of Iranian people.
Iranian activists and scholars have long walked the line between opposing domestic authoritarianism and resisting foreign intervention. From the Green Movement in 2009 to ongoing labor and women's rights protests, Iranians have demonstrated that dissent does not equal endorsement of empire. Diasporic voices, particularly from Gen Z Iranians and Middle Eastern youth, are using digital platforms to challenge both the Islamic Republic and U.S. aggression, refusing to let Western militarism speak in their name.
In many ways, Islamophobia and Orientalism continue to fuel public support for war in subtle and explicit ways. Images of hijabs, Arabic script, and culture clothing are still coded as dangerous in Western media. Meanwhile, terms like “women’s rights,” “democracy,” and “freedom” are often deployed selectively and weaponized to justify intervention when it aligns with geopolitical interests, and ignored when allies commit human rights abuses. This phenomenon, known as "weaponized liberalism," has become a key target of Gen Z’s political critique.
Across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and independent media collectives, young people are organizing to deconstruct nationalism, challenge military recruitment propaganda, and hold institutions accountable for perpetuating the empire. For many, allyship means platforming marginalized voices, refusing state-sanctioned narratives, and pushing back against calls for “unity” that come at the cost of truth and justice.
Across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and independent media collectives, young people are organizing to deconstruct nationalism, challenge military recruitment propaganda, and hold institutions accountable for perpetuating the empire. For many, allyship means platforming marginalized voices, refusing state-sanctioned narratives, and pushing back against calls for “unity” that come at the cost of truth and justice.
What Can We Do?: Collective Action for Truth and Nuance
At a time when disinformation spreads faster than facts, collective action rooted in truth-telling and critical thinking is essential. For Gen Z, this means going beyond performative allyship and engaging in tangible practices that challenge dominant narratives. Supporting independent and community-based media outlets allows for the amplification of underreported perspectives, especially those of civilians, grassroots organizers, and journalists directly affected by war. Community teach-ins, political education circles, and reading groups are key spaces where people can learn historical context and sharpen media literacy skills together.
Sustained political pressure is equally important. Calling on elected officials to reject military escalation and arms deals, particularly when it involves oppressive regimes, can disrupt cycles of violence. Building transnational solidarity with those resisting from within conflict zones reorients the conversation away from state-centered interests and toward human dignity. Gen Z’s growing insistence on nuance, truth, and global listening is a powerful reminder: meaningful change begins when we center people over profit, justice over nationalism, and solidarity over silence!