Why Gen Z Struggles With Networking Despite Being Always Online

Gen Z is the most connected generation in history. Group chats never sleep, stories get replies within seconds, and a friend request can reach someone on another continent. So it may seem surprising that when it comes to building professional relationships, many young people say they feel unprepared. Being online all the time and being good at networking turn out to be two very different things. Yet networking can play an important role in finding opportunities, learning from others, and building a career, making it a skill worth developing. 

What the Research Says About Gen Z and Networking?

Research suggests that being comfortable with digital communication does not necessarily translate into confidence with professional networking. In a survey of 1,824 Gen Z workers in the United States by the Harris Poll and Freeman, only around two in five reported feeling highly confident about networking with people in their industry. The same survey found that 69 percent felt technology had made them less connected to people at their company and in their industry. This may seem contradictory, but it highlights an important difference: having more ways to communicate does not always mean feeling more connected.

The same pattern can be seen in how Gen Z experiences social connection more broadly. A January 2025 MetLife survey found that 30 percent of Gen Z respondents reported feeling isolated, compared with 22 percent across other generations. Similarly, a 2025 ezCater report found that 38 percent of Gen Z workers felt lonely at work.

These findings do not mean Gen Z is inherently bad at building relationships. They suggest that digital communication and professional networking require different skills. Starting a conversation with a potential mentor, introducing yourself at an event, following up after meeting someone, or maintaining a professional relationship can feel very different from replying to a message or interacting on social media. 

How COVID-19 Affected Gen Z’s Networking Skills?

For many Gen Z students and young workers, the pandemic came at an important stage of their education and early careers. Classes moved online, internships were cancelled or reduced, and many people started their first jobs remotely. This meant fewer opportunities to practice everyday interactions that help build confidence, such as speaking to someone more senior, introducing yourself, or having an informal conversation with a colleague.

These small interactions may seem unimportant, but they help people develop skills that later become useful in professional settings. Internships, university societies, events, and even casual conversations can teach young people how to start conversations, navigate different personalities, and build relationships.

Online Friends Are Not the Same as Professional Contacts

Much of young people’s online life revolves around friends and peers, where relationships are familiar, relatively equal, and low-stakes. Professional networking works differently. It often means starting a conversation with someone you barely know, who may be older or more senior, without knowing whether they will respond.

That difference matters because professional opportunities do not always come from close relationships. Sociologist Mark Granovetter argued in 1973 that acquaintances, or ‘weak ties’, can be important sources of new information and opportunities. A 2022 study published in Science, based on data from more than 20 million LinkedIn users over five years, also found evidence that weaker connections can play an important role in helping people find new jobs.

This does not mean online friendships are unimportant. Rather, being comfortable with close online relationships does not automatically teach someone how to build professional connections with people outside their existing circle. For young people who spend much of their time interacting with people they already know, reaching out to unfamiliar professionals can feel like a completely different skill.

The Awkward Gap Between Socializing and Networking 

The idea that Gen Z is simply uncomfortable with real-life interaction is too broad. A CNBC and SurveyMonkey survey conducted in August 2026, covering 1,174 people across five generations, found that Gen Z reported similar confidence in its in-person social skills to older generations. However, younger respondents were more likely to identify meeting new people as an area where they lacked confidence.

This creates an important distinction. Gen Z may not necessarily struggle with social interaction itself. The harder part may be entering unfamiliar social situations where there is no existing relationship or clear reason to start a conversation.

That difference is particularly important for professional networking. Talking comfortably with friends or familiar people is not the same as introducing yourself to a stranger at an event, approaching someone more senior, or starting a conversation without knowing where it will lead. The issue, then, may be less about Gen Z lacking social skills and more about having fewer opportunities to practice the specific skills that professional networking requires.

From Scrolling to Showing Up

The research does not point to one solution, but it does suggest a few practical ways to make networking feel more natural.

• Use online messages as a starting point: 

Send the message, then move the conversation to a call, event or coffee when it makes sense.

• Start small:

Join smaller classes, clubs, internships and discussion-based activities to practise talking to new people in low-pressure settings.

• Connect through shared activities:

Use a project, university society, competition or event as a natural starting point for conversation instead of simply approaching someone to “network.”

• Follow up with something specific:

Mention something from your conversation to give the other person a reason to remember you and make it easier to stay in touch.

The question is no longer whether Gen Z knows how to be online. It is whether the habits that make someone good at staying connected with friends are enough to build professional relationships. They are a starting point. The rest comes from practice.

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