Noam Galai/Getty Images Gen Z has been grappling with the coronavirus pandemic during a critical time as its members figure out their identities. But 2020 has also made Gen Z more politically and socially active as it seeks change in the world. 2020 has been a wild ride, especially for Gen Z. The generation, the oldest of whom turned 23 this year, has been grappling with the pandemic during pivotal life stages. Younger Gen Zers are at a point in their adolescence when forging social relationships is central to identity formation — something difficult to do during quarantine. And older Gen Zers are in the phase of emerging adulthood, the period between adolescence and adulthood when they struggle to figure out who they are and what they want of life.