Stars to Screen
March 20, 2023 2023-03-20 22:14Stars to Screen
A generation’s astrology fascination
Social media has seen a growing fascination with the predetermined fates and celestial bodies of astrology. As communities connect through the internet, Gen Z indulges more in the ancient study through TikTok or daily insight apps, with readings of birth charts documenting star signs. This belief that personality, mood, and environment being dictated by one’s birth date has dominated modern online spaces.
Astrology was first noted in 3000 BC Mesopotamia as Babylonians noticed patterns in the sky. They later created the zodiac wheel after discovering the use of constellations to measure time and selected 12 of them to do so. Astrologer Claudius Ptolemy taught the Greeks this phenomenon. It expanded in the 6th century BC, becoming more dramatized and focused on the soul’s ascension to the stars rather than the past, present, and future.
Other countries had their respective systems during its beginning, China claiming one of the most well-known with animal symbolism. India uses Vedic astrology which operates similarly to the West, differing in signs and dates. The Egyptians created Horoscopic astrology by combining their tradition of the Decanic zodiac and Babylonian astrology. Its genesis can be mapped across the world, and social media has created a medium to where different cultures can share these diverse systems.
Understanding how zodiacs and horoscopes operate and their appeal to Gen Z is complex. Simply put, the sun shines in front of constellations as Earth orbits the sun, and the astrological signs identify what period the sun appears in which constellation. This does not always correlate with zodiac signs, since the sun’s constellation does not always match those of a person’s zodiac sign while Earth’s axis drifts from the summer solstice north of the equator. In essence, the signs and the calendar dates measuring them become off and unreflective of the modern day.
Undoubtedly, the internet is the biggest contender responsible for astrology’s rise in popularity amongst Millennials and Gen Z. Media such as personality tests and TikToks associating traits to birth months has etched a fixation into pop culture. The trend has provided a source for people to consume personalized content, measuring romantic compatibility by two individuals’ sun signs and birth charts, and interact through a unique interface.
The world is vast and unpredictable, and many believe seeking guidance in astrology can uncover reasons for behaviors that people may not easily understand. Many find security in the divination of tarot cards or tracking planetary placements to help through journeys of self-discovery and introspection. In many ways, the internet’s connection to astrology has helped youths boost their confidence and quell fears of the future.
