Generation Gap

In modern times, marketing and manufacturing companies use the characteristics of different generations to advertise their products more effectively to their target group. However, we can use this information for more than just marketing. Looking at the collective knowledge accumulated over the years about these generations, we can analyze where we stand as a coherent society and where we will stand when the youngest generation takes over.

Our current youngest generation is known as Generation Z or Gen Z for short. Generation Z is the generation cohort name of all people born between 1995 and 2015, the people who was born after the tragic event of 9/11. The majority of Gen Z currently consists of teenagers and young adults.  This generation seems to have quite a controversial reputation among the other generations. Gen Z has been labelled with a variety of opinions ranging from being accepting to being shallow.  The question is, should we be worried that the fate of our beloved world will one day be in the hands of this generation?

At first glance, this generation seems to be a bunch of rebellious teenagers who are more concerned with being popular than anything else.  They seem to be more comfortable on a social media platform than on actual platforms. Surely, we cannot trust a generation who took part in challenges where they ate Tide Pods or purposefully burned themselves using a combination of ice and salt for the sake of fitting in, can we?

Each generation has its core shaping events that influenced the world views of the people in these generations. According to the Kasasa website in an article titled ‘Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z Explained’ updated on 22 July 2020, the events that shaped Gen Z include internet access at a young age, the development of smartphones and social media and seeing the financial struggles of their parents ( Generation X). It thus makes perfect sense that this generation is seemingly obsessed with social media. What is surprising, considering the great influence of technology on this generation, is that according to a survey done by XYZ University, the majority of Gen Z prefer to communicate face to face. It may be time to realize that Gen Z’s obsession with staying connected, is not based on an eagerness to interact with technology, but rather based on an eagerness to interact with each other.

Gen Z is driven and motivated by their competitive nature. This generation has been placed into a schooling environment where they are not only there to learn, but are pushed to achieve good marks so that they can get into the best universities. Gen Z has been born into possibly the most competitive educational environment that there has ever been. This generation is also focused on achieving financial stability and is so used to being diverse that they hardly recognize diversity.

Despite the questionable trends that this generation follows: Gen Z values human interaction; is eager to learn; takes responsibility for their finances and ultimately accepts differences between them. Generation Z is an independent generation that has been shaped by technology but is not necessarily controlled by it. It is up to this generation to use their independence in a way that brings them together instead of pushing them apart. Gen Z is used to being confronted with global problems and responsibilities from a young age. Will this enable them to solve these major problems that we face as a society? Only time will tell.

Eloise Elizabeth Shelley (17 Years old)