Generation Z is a phrase simultaneously filled with dread and intrigue. Commonly defined as being solely within the technological age and containing those born within the late 1990s to early 2000s, there is an undiscovered complexity to this plethora of youths. Constantly plagued with the judgement that they are lazy, incompetent, and truculent, the need to debunk this modern mythology is long overdue.
To provide some context, this generation has suffered from the background trauma of the global counterterrorism agenda, the mass consumption of social media, and burgeoning political activity from every corner. Chaos is their calm. Changing the world is in their blood. Achieving their dreams is in their grasps.
Yet, they are vehemently ridiculed and their failures drastically hyperbolised. Pop culture and media at large seem to agree with this. Assiduously adhering to preconceived stereotypes, bold fashion, laissez-faire attitudes, and ever-dangerously irresistible activities, are foundational elements when denoting Gen Z on any screen.
Let’s break down how much of that is true.
The perception that Gen Z are fruitfully languorous is counteracted by mere facts. 50% of those aged 16-24 were either fully or part-time employed in 2018, as detailed by Child Trends. In the last 9 years alone, there has been a 9% increase in the amount of youth employment for those unenrolled in further education. And, not to mention, women who were enrolled in university had a 47% employment rate, while their male counterparts had a 42% employment rate.
If their enthusiastic workforce doesn’t impress you, perhaps their existence as the backbone of the new technological and scientific revolution will. It’s no mystery that Gen Z is highly tech savvy. Their demand for products that are better, brighter, and boisterous challenges inventors to perform at their peak. With 18 iPhones out to date, increased focus on women’s health via increased varieties of birth control, and the proliferation of social currency, the world never seems to stop progressing. And, we have Gen Z to thank for much of this.
Gen Z’s power to change the world doesn’t stop there. It is also a feat that lasts on a
momentous scale. Individuals like Greta Thunberg, Yara Shahidi and Jacob Barnett are only a few to name of many who are establishing a more socially conscious, environmentally aware, and education-oriented population. Their boldness and intelligence helps to highlight their sheer strength and power. They ensure sustainable change. With their insights, opinions, and abundance of collective experience, they make the world around us a better place to be.
Gen Z may be the cause of a more disruptive and frantic existence. But, they are also the cause of making us politically, socially and environmentally aware. The world may be getting smaller, yet, the accomplishments of population Gen Z means its existence remains far from frivolous.
In other words; the kids are alright after all.