Digital Dilemmas of the New Consumer Generation

Welcome to the world of Generation Z. Don’t get confused, this generation are the children of Generation X (population usually between mid-1960s and early 1980s, some may refer them as the Friends generation) but who also may have Millennials parents aka Generation Y.

Self-proclaimed ‘digital natives’, Gen Z is the first generation to be born into the internet technology and the world of smartphones. The new consumer generation is made up of pre-teens and teens who seem to take in information just as instantaneously as they lose interest in them. Famously referred to as ‘millennials on steroids’ by worldwide director at J. Walter Thompson, Lucie Greene, this generation is shaping up to be a mysterious puzzle that market researchers want to discover more about ASAP.

Trend forecasters are studying heaps of data on this new consumer generation, their hesitation and choices that make up their digital lives. The following pointers dab into areas of their dilemmas and the digital direction they’re headed to.

Why share my life with everyone I know?

Being a millennial myself, I remember when Facebook came into our lives. I was still in school and hesitantly signed up to this odd website that was prompting me to send friend invites to my friends IRL. We excitedly jumped right into the deep side of the pool of networking platforms and admittedly so, may have even overshared our personal lives online. Gen Z is not only wise enough to pick on this, they are cautious and take their privacy seriously. No, they’re not abandoning social media, they’ve just decided to lead distinct digital lives. This means they’re not interested in using Facebook and Twitter, they’re more interested in applications like Instagram and SnapChat where they can share media with a close group of friends and maintain a rather strong personal brand.

 Gen Z is not only wise enough to pick on this, they are cautious and take their privacy seriously. No, they’re not abandoning social media, they’ve just decided to lead distinct digital lives.

Why read when I can watch?

Gen Z is not interested in reading an article, as a matter of fact, they may even skip listicles. Living amidst screens their whole lives, it’s no secret that this generation has a small attention span and feeds off video content. To add to this, they even prefer expressing themselves visually, for instance via emojis, snapchatting pictures and short-lived videos.

Gen Z > Gen Y?

Teens today have more opportunities than us millennials. There are websites and mobile apps that are helping them monetize their skills and find them freelance work. There is a surge in the production of fresh content (podcasts, videos, articles) by Gen Z and promoting it online. A prominent example is how a wave of teen beauty bloggers on YouTube have turned their content into businesses and are being approached by big brands for endorsement. Some even say Gen Z is the most entrepreneurial generation yet.

Some even say Gen Z is the most entrepreneurial generation yet

Innovation is closely integrated with our lives today. Technology used to take upto a decade to upgrade and Gen X, Y and Z have to adapt to new technologies every 1-2 years. This significant change is reflected in human attitudes and is a contributing factor making generations shorter. Regardless, we will always need to find a way to push through digital dilemmas and make sure we come out wiser.