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Generation Z, Gen Z’ers, iGen or Post-Millennials, however we choose to refer to them, we need to get ready to embrace them. Hailed as Generation Y on steroids they were born with the Internet in their pockets and have been raised in the era of the smart phone. Gen Z don’t remember life before the Internet and for a generation that has never gone without there is no on or offline.
Gen Z are part of a population who grew up post-911, where terrorism is part of their landscape, a sour economy is all they remember, and uncertainty defines their mindsets. It’s all of these things that have made Gen Z’ers so pragmatic in their nature. Adult beyond their years, this is a generation that has faced facts from day one. So lets take a look at some of the differences between Gen Z and the now ageing Gen Y.
Generation Y spent their money boldly and with few boundaries whereas 57% of Gen Z’ers prefer to save money. Generation Y spent time hanging out at the shops spending pocket money on Pokémon cards and Body Shop Soaps, Generation Z prefers shopping online for almost all their purchases. Generation Y grew up during a strong economy owing to their frivolous nature but generation Z is growing up in a time of recession, terrorism, violence, volatility, and complexity. For better or for worse they have so much more information at their fingertips.
Generation Y subscribed to everything social; as soon as the web took over you name it and they joined it. Generation Z however doesn’t want to be tracked; opting for platforms such as Snapchat over Facebook. Generation Y watched YouTube while Generation Z wants to co-create and live stream; they are hungry for their five minutes of fame and aren’t content to be bystanders.
Generation Y grew up with a slightly longer attention span compared to Generation Z who has an attention span of just eight seconds and approximately 11% of Gen Z have been diagnosed with ADHD. While Generation Y initiated text messages as a norm, Generation Z prefers communicating through images, icons and symbols; this is the emoji era and if you don’t speak the language get ready to be left behind.
Generation Y worried about their growing social status and their ‘likes’ on social media, Generation Z worries about the economy and the environment. Generation Y enjoyed a life that revolved around them but Generation Z plans on coping with multi-generational households and marriages.
So much is different, for this group of youngsters. Their movies are Hunger Games and Divergent, where youths are being slaughtered and kids are no longer kids. They multitask on five screens, not one. They experience FOMO: the “Fear Of Missing Out” and therefore try to consume everything all at once. They plan to get educated and start working earlier, but they are ‘school hackers’ and do not necessarily access education in the traditional sense. Gen Z are a major influence on household purchases, including dinner menus, vacations, home furnishings and even family cars and three out of four wish their current hobby could become their full-time job and they don’t see that as unattainable. In short Gen Z is the future and they know what they want from it more than any generation that has come before them. They are tapped in, clued up and putting the somewhat dated Gen Y to shame. This is the Gen Z era.
