Generations are really about cultural change. By studying generations, we can get an idea of
how growing up now as a child or a teen
is different from it was for say the Gen Xers, growing up in the 80s, or the Boomers, growing up in the 1960s.
Looking specifically at numbers we define Gen Z as those born between 1995 and 2012.
1995 just happens to be the year the internet was commercialized so that also captures the generation of people who were born
after the internet existed who don't know a world without the Internet.
Compared to previous generations, they spend a lot more time communicating with their friends
electronically and
they also spend less time
hanging out with their friends in person. My generation, we're truly digital natives.
We've really only known a world where our phones are smart
You know we turn to technology for a lot of things whether it be entertainment, research, education. It's truly
just part of who we are.
I'm not entirely convinced that iGen's skill with social media is going to be a complete positive.
It's also linked to depression and anxiety
and
unhappiness,
especially for people who are spending too much time on social media who are comparing themselves to others too much.
You know, people always talk about taking digital detoxes and stepping away for a little bit,
and I don't know if it's necessarily cutting out the phone for a month at a time,
but understanding that it's okay to put down your phone for a couple hours,
don't have it at the dinner table, try not to be on your phone right before bed.
There's just time and a place for everything, and I think understanding that is really important.
I think something that parents can do to help with this anxiety the phones and information overload is really helping them sort of
analyze and prioritize the information is what we find is something
that's definitely needed with this generation.
At the moment, what many people think of when they think of iGen is
teen or a young adult, you know, looking at his or her phone,
but I think they'll become known for other things as time goes on.
One of our traits that you know is very
upfront with my generation is that we're very, very realistic.
At a young age, we were thrown into a world that you could say wasn't the prettiest.
You know, we grew up amongst a 2009 recession, after
9/11, and our parents didn't tell us we could necessarily be whatever we wanted.
They told us that it's a hard world out there.
You're gonna have to work your butt off, and if you're not willing to there's plenty of others that will.
Gen Z entering the workforce,
it's gonna be a lot of change. For Gen Z, if I can log on and log in I'm at work. So I think the
physical office is really gonna be challenged.
Another thing that we know about this generation
they're really gonna challenge is the pace at which things get done.
Everyone talks about work/life balance,
you know, I got my work and my life and work's from 9:00 to 5:00, and then your life,
and how do we balance the two?
What I love about Gen Z is
they just don't think it works,
and it really hasn't worked.
What they go for is work/life blend where work and life are seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
By spring of their senior year, iGen teens are less likely compared to previous generations to have their drivers license,
to work at a paid job, to go out on dates, to drink alcohol
and we've already seen this with Millennials and young adulthood. Taking longer to settle into careers, to marry, to have children
and so on.
So the whole developmental trajectory is slowed down.
Gen Z is by far the most diverse generation ever, and we're also the most interconnected
around the globe and part of the reason is
you know, now with our generation when something happens the entire world finds out immediately, through social media, through hashtags.
We're always
connected to each other so we feel as though whether it happened in the same building or a thousand miles away,
it is
immediately affecting us because we hear about it,
and so there, we feel obligated to help and be a part of the situation whether it's positive or negative.
They are also the one that values equality the most, whether we're talking about race or gender or
sexual orientation or transgender issues
They're really much more open
and focused on equality.
We really do not fear failure,
so whether it be through political activation or entering a new workplace or trying new thing,
we're willing to try something and fail, and this is gonna have a great impact on the other
generations. For the rest of us who have been so cautious, that's gonna really rub off, to get us to step outside our box and
maybe try some new things.