Don't tread on Gen Z

When adults speak on our generation they often fall into a predictable cliche. To them, we are narcissistic, entitled and unable to make decisions rationally. When I asked my dad his opinion on our generation, he responded, “If there was any generation less prepared for adulthood, it would be yours.” I immediately replied to his comment with contempt. I told him that we had a sense of the world around us, we weren't entirely glued to our phones and made conscientious decisions. As he went on to point out real-life examples of people he worked with to prove his point, I was able to think of characters on TV that embodied those same traits. I thought of Ilana Wexler from “Broad City” and her job-hopping, brunch-loving tendencies. I thought of Jessica Day from “New Girl” and her tumultuous relationship-life. I realized, however, that these characters that embodied the characteristics my dad spoke of were not part of our generation, but a different group entirely. We are not millennialsWhat my dad attributed to our age group was really the disdain he felt for Millennials, not our generation. My dad is not alone in this. So much of the contempt our elders hold for our generation can be attributed to the mislabeling of our age group. Demographers typically disagree how generational groups are defined, but a popular belief is that Millennials were born between about 1980 and 1995, and are roughly 23 to 38 now. By that criterion, we are not Millennials, but instead Generation Z, the generation born after Millennials that is emerging as a tidal wave for cultural scientists. With the oldest members of our group finishing up college, the race to define what our generation prioritizes has started. We exhibit characteristics antithetical to our older counterparts. Gen Z-ers are conscientious, hard-working and mindful of the future. The typical Millennial, on the other hand, is often characterized as self-involved, naive and chained to their bound convictions of expectation and reality. While no stereotype can serve an entire generation, these hold some value. Psychologically speaking, we are, to some extent, a product of our environment. Millennials were raised during the boom times and economic peace of the 90s, only to see that jaded by the 9/11 attacks and 2008’s recession. Generation Z, by contrast, has had its eyes open from birth, growing up in the aftermath, in the era of the war on terror and economic stagflation.Our Parents Along with that, Millennials were raised by Baby Boomers, a generational group that likes to consider themselves “The Best Generation.” According to many, they are the most iconoclastic generation in history. They came of age in the idealistic times of LBJ’s “Great Society”, Woodstock and Civil Rights. They raised their Millennial children by that same freedom, encouraging them to find their passions. Baby Boomers able to see the problematic nature of Watergate and Vietnam at face value, raised their children following individualistic ideals, separate from the safe route and untrustful of government and corporate America. Because of this, Millennials grew up unhinged by normalcy and codes; they have followed their own life paths, not following usual routes to success (Think: Mark Zuckerberg, Karlie Kloss, Evan Spiegel, Forbes 30 under 30).By contrast, Generation Z is the product of Generation X, a small generation that came of age in the post-Watergate, post-Vietnam, trickle-down U.S., when horizons seemed dazed. My dad, part of Generation X, a former latchkey kid, found his way through that instability and rose up the ranks. His path followed that upward mobility that so many Gen X-ers follow, they grew up in the age of grunge and economic instability, and because of that, aimed to give their children the safe, secure childhood that they never had. Afterall, my dad was part of a generation that, as a 2004 marketing study about generational differences puts it, “went through its all-important, formative years as one of the least parented, least nurtured generations in U.S. history.” This in mind, it is clear why our parents, more than any generation, value safety as a huge concern. They paved the way for Helicopter Parenting and rises in Anti-Vax ideologies, Find My Friends and even gluten-free diets. It is what sets us apart from that stereotype of Millennials. Though we still hold some of that entrepreneuring zeal found in Millennials, we face it with a sense of pragmatism. The Internet  There’s no doubt that Gen Z-ers have their ideals rooted in pragmatism, at least compared to our Millennial brothers and sisters. Part of our obsession with realism and security is likely due to the hard times that both we and our parents faced in formative years. We grew up in a post-9/11 America, just as our parents faced the hard realities of a post-Reaganomics world. This crosses over in our internet presence, which only further differentiates us from our millennial brothers and sisters. When people think of Generation Z, technology is the first thing that comes to mind. Sure, Millennials are tech savvy; their teenage years were defined by MP3 and MySpace. But Generation Z is the first generation to be raised in the era of smartphones, with many of us not remembering a time before social media or Apple. We are the first true digital natives, taking in information instantaneously, which enables a sense of informative intelligence. That’s not to say that the stereotype of our generation being, as one of my teachers calls it, “Phone Zombies” doesn’t hold true. We forget information almost as fast and easy as we collect it. Though unlike Millennials, who braved the first drunk Facebook photos and risky MySpace profiles, we face our internet lives with the same realistic sincerity that we face our everyday lives. Millennials have shown us that a risky internet persona can cause damage, so we have striven to protect ourselves. Gen Z, after all, popularized the Finsta (A hard to define, private instagram meant for niche use) and Snapchat (An app that lets you send photos that immediately self destruct after viewing).This in mind, there is no doubt that we use technology differently than Millennials, and certainly every other preceding generation. Our faithful pragmatism transfers through all aspects of life, especially in how we use the internet. There is a reason the rise of internet use in the 90s was hailed as “The Information Age.” With access to information at your fingertips, it has become easier for teens to educate themselves on issues. That is not to say that the rise of the internet has made us smarter or more resourceful. In fact, we are still on level with preceding generations. What sets us apart is that we were the first generation to grow up with smart phones, allowing us to be comfortable with internet use. Afterall, I was only six years old when the iPhone came out and can’t remember a time before Apple. In fact, most days I cannot do my homework without internet use. With some psychologists, such as Jean Twenge dubbing us the IGen, it’s hard to imagine that the internet doesn't play a crucial role in our lives. Diversity  It is clear our use of the internet definitely defines us, though it does not directly follow the stereotype given to us. Aside from that, we are one of the most diverse groups in our nation’s history. According to a Neilsen Report, Generation Z holds the largest percentage of Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks, at 22 percent and 15 percent respectively. Compare that to the Greatest Generation (those aged 71 and up), whose make-up is overwhelmingly non-Hispanic white at 78 percent, with 9 percent of its population non-Hispanic black and 8 percent Hispanic. It is because of this that our social attitudes have changed. This is most clearly illustrated with the rise of teen activism, especially in respect to the most recent gun control debate. Members of Gen Z have used the internet to their advantage, calling for reform on gun control via social media, a staple of our lives. We have honed in on the social issues we care about and have brought them to confrontation. Just in the last decade same-sex marriage was ruled constitutional, the first female was nominated as president for a major political party and an attempt at universal healthcare was undergone. In 2011 only 43 percent of people supported gun control, today it has risen to 61, according to a Gallup poll. This in mind, it is hard not to accredit some of this progress to our diverse generation. Simmarly, we all seem to demand change in one way or another, whether that is for populist politics or progressive ideals, we don't want the status quo. What’s To Come  It is undeniable that generations are products of their environments. Growing up in the midst of two recessions, there is no doubt that Gen Z has its eyes open when it comes to spending. According to Forbes, Gen Z is already on track to become the largest generation of consumers by the year 2020, and we already account for 29 to 143 billion dollars in direct spending. Aside from that, we influence our parents’ spending greatly. Concerned more about success than previous generations, Gen Z spending will only impact the economy and American culture positively. With more spending comes more taxes, and in turn federal revenue, which is invested back into the cycle. This all allows for a healthy economy and political climate. Our ideals fall at the root of this, with our fixation on pramatism we are on track to lead the US into a second Gilded-Age. A lot of people believe that our generation has an ‘I want it all’ mentality. With the rise of Amazon and Postmates, being dubbed as the generation of Instant-Gratification makes sense.  Everything we consume is instant — information, communication, food, and gratification. However, this does not mean our generation’s demands are selfish in nature; it just shows our need for things to work seamlessly. We want a world tailored to perfection, where self-reliance and competition are key. Lastly We are a generation budding into adulthood. While prior generations have faced this period of life with great uncertainty, Gen Z has faced it head on. Yes, our elders often think we are the internet-obsessed people the media makes us out to be, though we are actually quite opposite. Instead, we should be characterized as the hard-working, pragmatic, creative and accepting generation that we are. Afterall, we are striving for progress and a future we can live comfortably in.