Teens in a circle with smart mobile phones – Multicultural young people using mobile phones outdoors – … [+] Teenager fascinated by new technology concepts
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We’ve been hearing a lot about Gen Z lately, some good, some bad. Gen Z has been described as hopeless, creative, eccentric, and intelligent.
Over the years, my colleagues and colleagues have been from the greatest generations: baby boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y. But I didn’t know what to believe about “Gen Z.” Well, I can speak from personal experience and it is enlightening.
Earlier this month, I spent four days at Indiana University listening to and talking with students (undergraduate and graduate students). Many of them come from the Kelley School of Business, where I currently serve as Polling Chair for Business and Government Leadership. Almost all of these students are Generation Z, or those born after 1999. (Generation Alpha started in 2012, so the oldest member of that group is only 12 years old.)
I don’t want to bury Rede. What I learned from actually spending quality time with Gen Z is that Gen Z tried to move Gen He said he had some doubts about the move and was withdrawing. This is due to the parents of the baby boomers, the so-called “greatest generation.” In particular, I experienced real rejection of the “everyone gets a participation trophy” idea that competition should not lead to unequal outcomes.
There also seemed to be real skepticism about the concept of “safe speech,” based on the recognition that free speech is indeed important in a free society. Many of IU’s Gen Z members recognize the importance of open inquiry and free dialogue, not just at the university, but in American society at large. They clearly believe in diversity, including ideological diversity, insofar as meritocracy is truly “colorblind.”
Another strong theme among Gen Z is an undeniable desire to contribute to the community at large. America’s young people are passionate about leaving a positive impact, whether it’s within a company, a specific industry, or in any other capacity. Their belief in community service requires that businesses not only comply with all laws, but also have integrity without losing sight of the company’s fundamental purpose of providing market-competitive returns to shareholders and employees. This is tempered by the subtle distinction that This parallels their belief that the pursuit of other social goals (i.e., environmental action) is best undertaken by individuals, purpose-based organizations, or the political sphere. According to many Gen Zers, individual action is the best way to build norms that represent the will of the people.
Over four days, we conducted 14 discussion sessions with small groups of 7 to 12+ Gen Zers. These were not lectures or class presentations, but rather the spontaneous outcome of introducing ourselves and determining topics to explore through open discussion. And it left me with no “baby boomer doom” or “get off my lawn” results, or, as Gen Zers would say, “benefits.”
The four days I spent with Gen Z left me both inspired and optimistic, and tempered the general feeling that universities are places primarily driven by a unifying ideology. As Kerry’s polling chair, I look forward to deepening these connections with Gen Z over the coming months. Their overall optimism has only made me feel more positive about the future, especially in an election season where political polarization is rampant.
Of course, IU’s sample size is not necessarily representative of Gen Z as a whole. There’s still a lot to criticize about certain Gen Zers, and my perception of the 150 or so students at a school that admits nearly 2,000 undergraduates a year (from over 20,000 applications) It is questionable whether the results are consistent with data from a broader population.
However, my conversations with teachers were also encouraging. They often said that today’s undergraduates tend to be less politically astute and reflexively “progressive” than older MBAs and other graduate students across campus. They told me that student ideology on campus is as much generational as it is political.
Overall, we hear a lot of gloomy talk about America’s next generation of employers and employees, but not all of it is unfounded. The rise of social media (among other things) has certainly had unintended consequences for Gen Z.
However, I feel that a generational shift is underway. Ahead of Election Day, I was curious to see if post-election polls show a political shift between older Millennials and younger Gen Z, as corroborated by my own first-hand interactions. There is.
After four days with Gen Z, I’m hopeful we’ll start to see more widespread changes. But for me, the future feels a little brighter than it did just a month ago.
