Contraceptives are not for generating hits online

The group of individuals collectively categorised as Generation Z, or Gen Z, have dominated the local news lately. The reasons for this are obvious to many Kenyans. Some may not be too conversant with what the label Gen Z stands for. It signifies the generation of people born between 1997 and 2012. The ‘Z’, stands for ‘zoomer’, as this generation is known to ‘zoom’ all things tech.

The recent Gen Z activities have reminded me of my own clinical encounters with them. Not long ago, a Gen Z couple came to see me. As expected, each of them was immersed in their digital gadgets as they waited their turn. They weren’t too pleased when I suggested they temporarily delink from their gadgets for the sake of a fully engaging consult.

My practice is mostly about infertility, but that’s not what brought the Gen Z couple. In fact, their reason for a consult was exactly the opposite. They wanted a recommendation on an effective contraceptive. But there were extra demands attached. They wanted one that could be applicable in enhancing her following on social media. Well, I wasn’t going to get involved in some sort of marketing gimmick, but I nevertheless recommended a patch that is usually applied on the skin.

I later came to learn that she actually enhanced her social media following by posting semi-nude photos of herself showing the patch stuck on her bum. That raised eyebrows, but achieved the intended effect with hundreds of fans. But then she ended up with some unintended side effects that brought her back to me for review. I recommended changing to a different contraceptive.

I didn’t see it coming. The new contraceptive wasn’t going to be visible on any of her body parts. The clamor of her fans for more explicit exposes started to dwindle. The couple came back to me accompanied by another Gen Z whose face was almost completely hidden by his dreadlocks. He was their social media advisor. He demanded compensation for the rapid decline of her social media following, all blamed on me for recommending a less flashy contraceptive!

I couldn’t believe the turn of events. All the contraceptive was meant to do was to prevent unwanted pregnancy, not to elevate hits and likes online. I wasn’t going to get drawn into some ludicrous shenanigans, after all am a Gen X who can’t stand nonsensical claims.

I got all of them kicked out of my office. They said they would be back some day, especially if they required help getting pregnant and couldn’t find any DIY help online!

Dr Alfred Murage is a Consultant Gynecologist and Fertility Specialist.