While researching what Gen Z means, I had to understand the generation that was born between the 1990s and 2010. I learned that they succeed Millennials and precedes Gen A (Alpha). Thankfully theres a quote for every generation. This one, which originated with Walt Disney, seemed illustrative of Gen Z: The Way to Get Started is to Quit Talking and Begin Doing. Gen Zers want to act vs. eternally debating or studying issues related to governance.
I became interested in understanding this cohort because they seem to be showing up everywhere in political studies and generational discourse. What I learned gave me hope. For example, a study conducted this year by Tufts University about Gen Z Americans and democracy was enlightening.
The study explained that Young Americans represent both the present and future of political leadership and participation in the United States, despite the current dissatisfaction with democracy in the United States. There is an overwhelming consensus among young people that democracy itself is fundamentally valuable; a majority have strong commitments to its core principles.
The study points out that Gen Zers have grown up during a troubling time, and not just in American life. They have experienced a global pandemic, economic instability, major political shifts, increases in school shootings, activist movements related to racism, climate change, and the rise of social media and digital platforms as means of primary communication.
Those factors dont mean that people born between 1990 and 2010 are a monolithic generation. But their diversity, digital connection, education, and aspirations provide them with a collaborative identity, similar experience, and often an agreed upon ideology that informs the unique ways that they approach democracy.
AI helped me understand this generation. On my first search for more information the first thing to pop up online was a helpful list of key differences between Gen Z and prior generations. They include such facts as these: Gen Zers are Digital Natives, having never lived in a world without the internet. They are more cautious about economic matters with a view to securing their futures. They are prone to anxiety and stress given the pressures of daily life and political uncertainty. They also value authenticity, transparency and interpersonal relationships and feel globally connected in ways that helps them explore interesting career paths. To be succinct, they live in a uniquely modern world involving innovation, participation, and engagement in entirely new ways.
I wanted to write about Gen Z, not only because they show promise for the future when our current political nightmare ends, but because there are signs that this generation is already capable of making the world a better place for everyone, no matter what country they live in.
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