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Heyyyyy everyone!! We are BACK with an alllll-new GEN-Z Insight Blog post.
This week?
I’m giving you the run-down on GEN-Z. Who are GEN-Z? What do we love? What makes us laugh? Everything. Well, as much as I can fit in under 1,000 words. There’s more over here, don’t worry. ;)
Okay, let’s get started.
What IS GEN-Z, anyway?
The GEN-Z age range is defined as anyone born between the years 1996 and 2010. As explained by McKinsey, “this generation’s identity has been shaped by the digital age, climate anxiety, a shifting financial landscape, and COVID-19.”
Those are some pretty crazy events to shape a generation, and it’s resulted in a diverse and independent group of young people who understand the importance of banding together for what we believe in-- but are also trying to clear the hurdle of isolation as well.
GEN-Z wants to be connected. With the key events that have shaped our generation (digital age, climate anxiety, financial anxiety, COVID-19), isolation has sort of come with the territory.
Tell me more!
The digital age has seen the world become more physically isolated from each other (although GEN-Z has become very adept at making and maintaining connections on the internet).
The news (or, the internet) keeps saying that the planet is going to collapse or implode or explode and we’re all going to die if we don’t save the world, which pushes a lot of GEN-Z right back inside as well.
With the current financial landscape, it’s hard to afford to go outside and do things with friends, so a lot of GEN-Z prefers to hang out online.
COVID-19 has also created a period of intense physical isolation from the natural world around us, pushing us even further into the internet.
All that said, GEN-Z wants to connect. I think one of our biggest desires is for connection. We want to feel connected to each other, we want to feel connected to the world around us… In a world that has become increasingly superficial and where we’re so entirely plugged in all the time, a lot of GEN-Z is looking for something deeper-- something more meaningful.
We’re also a generation with incredible diversity-- different cultures, different beliefs, different experiences, tastes, histories, countries, etc.
We’re known for our creativity, our ambition and drive, our activism, our fierce independence-- and our standards.
GEN-Z is pretty “take-no-s***” when you think about it. We chase our dreams and we get things done!
Millennials, Zillennials, and Zoomers, oh my!
You might be wondering, what’s the difference between Millenials and GEN-Z? Well, other than birth years.
According to McKinsey, there are a few differences between GEN-Z and Millenials. GEN-Z is generally more pragmatic (“with both complicated idealism and worries for the future”), more politically and socially active, more individualistic (“with a stronger sense of personal expression”), and more “interested in belonging to an inclusive, supportive community.” That said, we also have a less positive outlook on life compared to Millenials.
However, there are some members of GEN-Z that were born right at the beginning of the generation that feel aligned with Millennial culture too. We call them “Zillennials.” Get it? Like Millennial… but GEN-Z too.
We also have “Zoomers,” a fun little name for GEN-Z that plays on the “Boomers,” of the Baby Boomer generation. The name is usually in reference to how hyper-digital our generation is.
Now, for the fun part.
Seriously, WHAT is a meme?
Okay, so in order to truly understand GEN-Z, we have got to talk about memes. Memes are where a ton of people, brands, agencies, generations, etc. start to go “okay… I don’t get it.” But I have faith in you, reader! We’re going to get through this together! My only truly helpful advice in this section is: sometimes it really isn’t that deep. You can just laugh.
A meme is literally just an image or saying or video or anything that is supposed to be funny and then gets spread around the internet very, very fast. It doesn’t have to be deep. There isn’t always some secret “GEN-Z meaning” to them. Sometimes they’re just silly and absurd. Some are, some aren’t, and you’re supposed to laugh!
Here are some examples of GEN-Z memes:
There are also some really great memes from different brands! Duolingo and Ryanair come to mind immediately and you should totally go check them out for more brand-specific examples of memes.
Now, back to business.
What does GEN-Z value?
One of the characteristics of GEN-Z is an inclination towards activism. GEN-Z cares about things, and we want to make sure others do too. We care about justice, equality, sustainability… and we expect the same from our brands. We try to be purposeful consumers as much as we can-- and we try to consume as ethically as possible.
So, what does it mean to be GEN-Z?
Being GEN-Z means caring deeply about others and the world around us.
It means craving community, connection, and belonging.
It means laughing as much as we can in a world that seems more and more dystopian by the day. It means celebrating our differences and embracing our similarities.
It means turning dreams into reality by working hard to achieve anything we set our minds to. It means creating spaces for us to shine and thrive, like Word Tonic.
It means being silly, being accomplished, and being brave in the faces of those who tell you to “sit down,” and “you’re too young,” and “it’s not your time yet.”
Being GEN-Z means making it your time, now.
Pretty cool, right?