By: Scott Steinberg
Everywhere we turn these days, people are talking about Millennials (a.k.a. Gen Yers), today’s largest generation, and the single biggest age group now in the workplace. But what about Gen Z, the generation that comes after the Millennials – one that’s about to fundamentally change the way we forever think, look at, and interact with the world around us. What do we know about them? The answers may surprise you.
So who is Generation Z exactly? Basically, they’re the group of scrappy and entrepreneurial young folks born after 1995 – and the first generation to have ever grown up in a mobile, always online and connected world. And amazingly, Gen Zers are also radically different than the Millennials who’ve come before. Fun fact: Gen Z currently represents a quarter of America’s population. And by 2020, nearly 40% of customers will hail from this generation – and have about $44 billion in purchasing power.
These guys and gals are hugely social too – they spend nearly 8 hours a day interacting with friends and family. What’s more, Gen Z uses 5 screens on average as compared to Millennials, who use 3 – smartphone, TV, desktop, laptop, and tablet. Anyone care to guess how long their attention span lasts when you’re trying to lead them or communicate with them btw? The answer is 8 seconds – less than that of a goldfish. Thanks Snapchat, Vine, and emojis!
Also important to note is that Gen Zers are born entrepreneurs – more than 7 in 10 want to start their own businesses and ventures. And like Millennials, 60% of Gen Zers want to make a difference in the world – topics like corporate social responsibility, personal/prof development, and innovation are becoming far more important for them than any prior generation. Anyhow, as you can see, Gen Z’s moment is almost upon us – and learning how to more effectively connect with and engage them is more important than ever.
Award-winning professional speaker and trends expert Scott Steinberg is the founder of SELECT nightlife and entertainment magazine, and the author of Millennial Marketing: Bridging the Generation Gap. Among today’s leading providers of keynote speeches, workshops and seminars for Fortune 500 firms, his website is www.AKeynoteSpeaker.com.
