Now, Generation Z consists of those born in the mid to late 90s and 2000s and they range from anywhere between 0 and 18. These kids have never known a time without the Internet, have never known a time without MP3 players and don’t know what A. They can text faster than they can type and tweet faster than they can talk. They’ve also infiltrated every area of social media and have shaped it for their own use. Instagram for example, being used as a vehicle for conversations.
These “digital natives” are also very culturally diverse–breaking away from many traditional ideals. This could be because they are the children of Gen X and some Y rather than having Baby Boomer parents.
Many in Generation Z also find the need to memorize and retain knowledge unnecessary as they can just simply look it up on their smartphone or computer and three year olds no longer play with building blocks or learn their ABCs from a book but from a tablet.
As Communication Scholars we must understand the next generation as they will be the ones to shape our future. Our we ready for them to infiltrate the work system, the government, become our leaders? As we move forward we must realize more than ever that Social Media will be the key in every aspect of our day to day lives as it already is for Gen Z.
- 1,425 Days and Counting - December 7, 2013
- Microsoft’s Xbox One - November 23, 2013
- 1 in 3 - November 16, 2013
I am excited for Gen Z because access to more and more technology is extremely powerful. On the other hand, our need to retain knowledge outside of the classroom for tests and such is greatly diminishing. It makes me nervous that we can utilize machines for anything. This is especially problematic since the world of tech is trying to create robots to replace humans. I like using technology as a tool, but I don’t like the idea that humans and human knowledge becomes more and more obsolete.