Neil: Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute English, I'm Neil.
Rob: And I'm Rob.
Neil: Rob, what generation are you?
Rob: Well what are my choices?
Neil: You can't choose what generation you are,
it depends on when you were born.
Rob: Oh, OK then, what are the different
generations?
Neil: Well, there are baby boomers, who
were born in between the 1940s and the early
60s. Then there was Generation X, born
between the mid 1960s and the early
1980s. Then there is Generation Y,
also known as millennials, born mid
1980s to late 1990s, and ...
Rob: OK, let me guess, Generation Z? Born
in the late nineties or early noughties?
Neil: You're very smart. So, which one are you?
Rob: Ah, that would give away my age,
wouldn't it! OK, I have to confess I am
Generation X. And what about you, Neil?
Neil: Yes me too, Generation X. But today
we're going to focus on Generation Z, also
known as Gen Z. What marks Gen Z in
particular is that they are the social media
generation. They have never known a time
without social media.
Rob: Oh, poor them!
Neil: Mmm, well, that's one view. Other
opinions are available. Before we look at
Gen Z in more detail, a question though.
No one can quite agree on who first used
the term 'social media', but we do know
from which decade it came. Was it...
a) the 1980s, b) the 1990s, c) the noughties,
that is the first decade of the 21st Century.
Rob, what's your answer?
Rob: Well, come on, it's quite a recent
thing. It's got to be c) the noughties.
Neil: We'll find out the answer later in the
programme. Now we're going to hear
from Hiral Patel who is an analyst for
Barclays. She appeared on BBC Radio 4's
You and Yours programme and was
asked whether there was much difference
between millennials and Generation Z.
Does she think they are the same or different?
Hiral Patel: Most people view Generation
Z as mini-millennials - and that's because
there is an obsession with the word
'millennial'. Our research shows
that Gen Z are different and that they have
their own set of values and preferences
which consumer brands need to cater for.
Our research found that Gen Z are
tech-innate, hyper-informed consumers,
and extremely savvy. This hyper-connected
world that we live in today is a new norm
for them.
Neil: So Rob, does Hiral Patel think there
is much difference between the two
generations?
Rob: Yes, she does. But she comments
that not everyone does. 'Millennial' is a
term that is used so frequently that many
people think it refers to all young people.
Gen Z, she says are not mini-millennials,
they are quite different and have their own
values and preferences.
Neil: And this is important for consumer brands,
for companies who want to sell to this
generation. They need to cater for that
generation, which means they need to
provide goods that Gen Z want.
Rob: And she describes Gen Z as being
tech-innate, hyper-informed consumers.
Neil: It's a bit of a mouthful but essentially
it means that they are extremely
comfortable with modern technology and
social media and as a result have a lot of
information about what's going on in the
world. This makes them savvy.
Rob: And being 'savvy' means being able
to understand situations well and make
clever decisions because of this
knowledge.
Neil: Now I think I'm pretty savvy when it
comes to modern connected technology
and media, but I didn't grow up with it, it's
new. For Gen Z, this level of technology is
what is normal, it's all around and always
has been, it's their norm, as Hiral Patel put
it. Here she is again:
Hiral Patel: Most people view Generation Z
as mini-millennials - and that's because
there is an obsession with the word
'millennial'. Our research shows that Gen Z
are different and that they have their
own set of values and preferences which
consumer brands need to cater for. Our
research found that Gen Z are tech-innate,
hyper-informed consumers, and
extremely savvy. This hyper-connected
world that we live in today is a new norm
for them.
Neil: Right time to review this week's
vocabulary, but first let's have an
answer to that quiz. In what decade was
the term 'social media' first coined? Was it:
a) the 1980s, b) the 1990s, c) the noughties
What did you say, Rob?
Rob: Yeah, well I said c) the noughties.
Neil: You're wrong. Perhaps unsurprisingly,
the 1990s is the answer. I'm sure most of
you got that one correct. Right, now, the
vocabulary.
Rob: Yes this week we've been talking
about 'generations'.
This a term used to describe people born
in a particular period of time, usually, but
not always a period of about 18 to 20 years.
Neil: And we were focussing on
Generation Z or Gen Z which includes
those born in the early noughties,
which is the first decade of the 21st
Century from 2000 to 2009.
Rob: The next expression was 'to cater for'.
This means to provide something that is
needed or wanted for a particular group.
And if you are trying to sell something,
you need 'to cater for' your target market.
Neil: And if your market is Gen Z you need
to be aware that they are tech innate,
hyper-informed. They have grown up with
connected technology and are very
knowledgeable.
Rob: This makes them extremely 'savvy'.
This adjective means 'smart and
intelligent'. In this context it means they
are able to make smart decisions
about what to buy because they are
connected so many sources of information.
And for Gen Z, this level of interaction and
connectivity is 'the norm'. It's what is
normal, what is usual for them. So where I
struggle sometimes with modern life and
technology - for Gen Z, it's easy.
Neil: Well that may be true but I'm savvy
enough to know that it's time to end the
programme. Do join us again next time
and remember you can find us on
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bbclearningenglish.com.
And let's not forget our app Rob!
Rob: Download it now. It's free!
Neil: Join us again next time. Goodbye.
Rob: Bye!