Probably no generation has had as many lines written about it, nor has it faced as much criticism, as the unfortunate representatives of Generation Z. These somewhat elusive, yet potent consumers are often adorned with epithets such as ‘lazy’,’uneducated’,’with their noses glued to smartphone screens’ by older generations. Those less inclined to criticize and more concerned about the future have labeled this generation as snowflakes (engl. snowflakes), gentle souls that can be broken by any, even the smallest, trauma. However, recent research shows that the older generation is wrong. Yes, it is a sensitive generation that has increasing problems with, for example, mental health (or they are just more willing to talk about it), but they are also young people who are much more resilient than is thought, a consumer cohort that we may have judged and underestimated too soon.
Indeed, any attempt to generalize or precisely characterize this generation is quite thankless as it consists of young people born between 1997 and 2012. Therefore, there is a huge difference in behavior and worldviews between an 11-year-old who has not yet gone through the trauma called ‘puberty’ and a 26-year-old who is earning a living and participating in the labor market. A recent study conducted by Oliver Wyman on ten thousand American and British Gen Zers warns of the shortcomings of previous descriptions as they are based on stereotypes that only partially correspond to the real world of young people. For example, members of Generation Z are indeed more sensitive than previous generations, but they are also more active. Behind them do not stand micro-traumas that have broken their fluffy souls, but serious crises (the 2008 recession, the global pandemic, climate crises) that have shaped their personalities. According to the Oliver Wyman Forum report, Generation Z accounts for 25 percent of the total world population, its purchasing power is estimated at seven trillion dollars, and by 2025 it will account for 27 percent of the total global workforce.
A traumatized generation
Although it can be said that it is empathetic, pragmatic, and cynical, it is still an ‘unfinished product’. Or, as the report states, because members of this generation were born with technology, their social skills are not yet fully developed. They face challenges in recognizing misinformation and fear making mistakes (like previous generations, these young people are not mature enough to learn from mistakes) and increasingly create their micro-world on social platforms where they can control the narrative (unlike older generations who are, for example, hooked on ‘big’ Facebook). Although descriptions like ‘they are passionate individuals who do not care what others think’ can resonate with anyone who has ever been young, researchers assure that this generation will not, like all others, start resembling their parents at some point. Due to economic, social, and political changes, or rather, traumas they have experienced during their short lives, new values, behaviors, and a different way of life have simply become part of their DNA.
However, before determining how Generation Z will change the world, or what makes it different now and in the future, it is necessary to establish who they actually are. At least approximately. Thus, the report states that when it comes to basic identity, members of Generation Z can be labeled with various ethics. They are mostly spiritual but not religious; realistic but also optimistic. Additionally, this youth wants to have bosses who understand them and respect their individuality and support them in fighting against social conditioning, from gender to beauty standards.
