As Wikipedia reports: “Generation Z refers to the cohort of people born after the Millennial Generation. There is no agreement on the name or exact range of birth dates. Some sources start this generation at the mid or late 1990s or from the mid 2000s to the present day.”
According to JWT Intelligence:
“After years of Millennial obsession, Gen Z is emerging as a welcome new focus for brands, researchers, and marketers. ‘Finally,’ is the resounding sentiment. ‘Something new to talk about!’ i-D magazine has launched “how generation z will change the world,” a series of articles, photos, and calls to arms. Meanwhile, Dazed & Confused’s new cover features Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams musing on what it’s like to be a teenager. The New York Times recently ran a feature called ‘Make Way for Generation Z.’ In timely fashion, Larry Clark, director of the jarring 1995 movie Kids, has introduced a new equally uncomfortable portrait, this time of Parisian youth, in his latest movie The Smell of Us.”
“It helps that the group, aged roughly 12-19 years old, is refreshingly different from its Selfie-loving Millennial predecessors. Gen Z, born circa the late ’90s, is the first truly digital native generation — they were practically born with technology in their hands and are constantly connected to the people and content that matter to them.”
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I found this article very intriguing as it addresses some truths that I have considered in great detail before. One of which being the fact that those born in the late 90’s and after have never known a life without technology. By technology I am mainly referring to Smartphones and social media. I would consider myself in between these two generations because I was born in 1994 and in addition was always the last in my class to get new on the bandwagon for technology. In middle school I would ask my mom for a phone and she would simply give me 50 cents and tell me to use a payphone. I also didn’t get a smartphone until I saved up enough money after highschool. From what I hear kids now have smartphones in elementary school.
As the article suggests, this attachment to technology results in a generation of kids that are very connected, well informed and hopefully, willing to be productive as well. I look forward to the follow up article to this article which promises to “offer a closer look at this group—what do they like? What stresses them out? How do they want to make their mark?”.
-Matthew LoBiondo
mkt 101 MW
Similar to the reader above, I was born in 1994 and often find myself somewhat in the middle. I was largely raised with technology, though I experienced – and appreciate- when the gadgets are left at home. However, my younger siblings know nothing of the sort. I am curios what makes generation z so much “less self absorbed” as people just a few years older. If anything, I have found the opposite to be true. I am quite impressed by the people I interact with that are my age and just a few years older, and find the people younger than me to be particularly addicted to technology and their own self absorbed lives.
I’ve honestly never even heard of “generation z” before reading this article. But I guess being born in 1996 myself, I fall under it. We did grow up with new technologies and a lot different than those before us have. But I think the newer generation from the 2000s+ are the ones who really fall under this generation z. The people younger than I am seem to be a lot more wrapped up in the new technology, social media, etc. I refuse to sit on my phone or on the internet for too long. Kids need to get out more and express themselves because it is making social interaction so much harder for them.
“Generation Z” is very interesting. One of my professors taught about the differences in every person in many different generations to me but he did not teach bout generation Z. All I have to say about the generation is that they will be the most tech savvy and intelligent generation yet. I guess based on this article that I am part of the generation. I believe that as new generations form they just become more efficient and more intelligent. As technology rapidly becomes better, so does every person working behind it. In sum, I am interested to see the products created by generation Z and how their creations will effect the next generation after Z. The last letter of the alphabet.
This generation Z is a gray area that will include many peoples born between 1990s-2000s. I have 2 younger siblings, one born in 1997 and another in 1999, and it’s interesting to see how different each of our childhood to teenage years are different. When I was a child, technology wasn’t a major part of my life and in my pre-teen years in when technology started to affect my peers with having the latest phone or device. My sister born in 1997 was a little similar to me, but always relies on technology, while I still rely on both technology and before technology. My brother was born in 1999 and he was raised with technology since birth. He would always want the latest phone, or the next gaming system and would communicate with friends via Playstation. This generation Z is going to be a generation hooked with technology, but if technology ever fails, even momentary, this is the generation that would be confused until technology resumes.
As an 80’s, I have to say it’s really hard to communicate with the millennials, what they normally do, what is their language, the celebrities they like..totally confused me. But I’d say once you are doing the marketing, and if your target market is focus on millennials, you have to learn and understand their language, otherwise you gonna lose this market, and the new future, because are the main force of consumption in the future.