We interviewed members of Generation Z from Poland, Lithuania, and Romania to get their thoughts on the recent trend of celebrity and influencer fights in the ring. Although society views these fights negatively, they are still incredibly popular. In this text, our participants attempt to explain why this phenomenon exists.

Robert, a resident of Romania, shared his opinion on freak fights organised in Romania, saying, "People above 40 may not be aware of the identity of some of these fighters, which means that more young people will consume this kind of content. Generation Z will consume more violent content simply because the athletes are known to them."

On the other hand, a respondent from the same country had a different perspective, stating, "I think it's quite similar to our childhood when we played 'GTA: San Andreas.' There was a lot of violence, which could make us violent, too, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. In a way, we express ourselves online through games and aggression, so we are not so aggressive in real life."

When asked if he thought Generation Z identified more with this kind of violent content than other generations, Teo disagreed and said, "Absolutely not. Millennials, for example, had much more dangerous and violent sources of entertainment."

Young Lithuanians are critical of the trend. One respondent shared, "Yes, I have witnessed such fights. Once, I had the opportunity to watch a live broadcast online. From what I could understand, some participants were professional fighters, while some opponents were social media influencers. The fights sparked heated discussions among my friends. I cannot even begin to describe the feelings that arose after watching it all. It is simply horrifying and extremely cruel."

Another person from Lithuania added, "I have no interest in this kind of entertainment and have not watched a single such broadcast because I find it absurd. However, I believe the organisers have found an easy way to make money because people enjoy ‘shows’ that make them laugh."

Kuba noted that it is challenging to find young Poles who openly express their liking for freak fights, and he likened it to a bizarre phenomenon similar to disco polo. Although many people criticise the aggression and uncivilised nature of these fights, they still enjoy significant popularity. He added that while it's great to see famous people promoting sports, there are better ways to encourage physical activity among young people.

Oliwia, on the other hand, has a strong opinion on the matter and stated that she does not enjoy freak fighting due to its violent nature. She also criticised the content presented at these events, calling it harmful to young audiences. She further expressed her lack of understanding regarding the current craze for these types of fights.

Source: delfi.lt, strileprotv.ro