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Copy if the iGen Shift colleges are changing to reach the next generation.

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The iGen Shift: Colleges Are Changing to Reach the Next Generation

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The iGen Shift: Colleges Are Changing to Reach the Next Generation

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In this article they talk about how generation z is constantly active when it comes to social media but not much else. a lot of people claim that they want to help yet they don't go out as much as they should. A lot of teachers started using technology to inform their students much easier but there is still some teachers who don't use technology other than a tool.

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The juul company tried to make an adult orientated e cigarette in order to make people stop smoking cigarettes The company knew that teenagers had a big chance in order to start using their products so when they advertised it they didn't use anything that they thought would appeal to a teenager. Now that juul is a very big company and they see that a lot of teenagers are using it they are trying to make something to stop the teenagers from using these vapes.

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Juul is under federal investigation for marketing its discreet, flash-drive-resembling e-cigarette product to youth. Credit Credit Jason Henry for The New York Times

The e-cigarette company says it never sought teenage users, but the F.D.A. is investigating whether Juul intentionally marketed its devices to youth.

Juul is under federal investigation for marketing its discreet, flash-drive-resembling e-cigarette product to youth. Credit Credit Jason Henry for The New York Times

SAN FRANCISCO - The leaders of a small start-up, PAX Labs, gathered at a board meeting in early 2015 to review the marketing strategy for its sleek new electronic cigarette, called Juul. They watched video clips of hip young people, posed flirtatiously holding Juuls. And they talked about the name of the gadget, meant to suggest an object of beauty and to catch on as a verb - as in "to Juul."

While the campaign wasn't targeted specifically at teenagers, a former senior manager said that he and others in the company were well aware it could appeal to them. After Juuls went on sale in June 2015, he said, the company quickly realized that teenagers were, in fact, using them because they posted images of themselves vaping Juuls on social media.

The former manager said the company was careful to make sure the models in its original campaign were at least 21, but it wasn't until late 2016 or January 2017 that the company said it decided the models in all Juul ads should be over age 35 - to be "better aligned" with a mission of focusing on adult smokers. Only in June of this year did the company again change its policy, this time to using only real people who had switched from cigarettes to Juul.

The company recently modified the names of its flavors - using creme instead of crème brûlée and cucumber instead of cool cucumber. Juul said it "heard the criticism" that teenagers might be attracted to the flavors and "responded by simplifying the names and losing the descriptors."

The sales campaigns for Juuls - now hugely popular with teenagers across the nation - are at the heart of a federal investigation into whether the company intentionally marketed its devices to youth. The attorney general of Massachusetts, also investigating the company, contends that Juul has been luring teenagers to try the product and has introduced many to nicotine. Her investigation will examine Juul's efforts to audit its own website and other online retailers that sell its products to see how effective they are at preventing minors from accessing Juul or Juul-compatible products. (Federal law prohibits sales of e-cigarettes to anyone under 18.)

"From our perspective, this is not about getting adults to stop smoking," the Massachusetts attorney general, Maura Healey, said in an interview. "This is about getting kids to start vaping, and make money and have them as customers for life."

And Cult Collective, the marketing company that created the 2015 campaign, "Vaporized," claims on its website that the work "created ridiculous enthusiasm" for the campaign hashtag, part of a larger advertising effort that included music event sponsorships and retail marketing. A spokesman for Cult Collective declined to comment.

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Examples of Juul's advertising from 2015. The company's current marketing is far more sober-looking, with a less colorful, more adult design.

The company, now called Juul Labs, denies that it ever sought to attract teenagers. James Monsees, one of the company's co-founders, said selling Juuls to youth was "antithetical to the company's mission."

The original sales campaign was aimed at persuading adult smokers in their 20s and 30s to try an alternative to cigarettes, but it "failed to gain traction on social media and failed to gain sales" and was abandoned after five months, in the fall of 2015, said a company spokesman, Matt David.

Mr. David said sales didn't take off until 2017, after Juul had improved its sales and distribution expertise, and, by then, had a more sober online marketing campaign.

The former Juul manager, who spoke to The New York Times on the condition that his name not be used, saying he worried about facing the ire of the company, said that within months of Juul's 2015 introduction, it became evident that teenagers were either buying Juuls online or finding others who made the purchases for them. Some people bought more Juul kits on the company's website than they could individually use - sometimes 10 or more devices.

"First, they just knew it was being bought for resale," said the former senior manager, who was briefed on the company's business strategy. "Then, when they saw the social media, in fall and winter of 2015, they suspected it was teens."

The Food and Drug Administration announced it was investigating Juul's marketing efforts in April. Juuls and other e-cigarettes are regulated by the F.D.A. as tobacco products because nicotine derives from tobacco leaves. E-cigarette users inhale far fewer toxins than do smokers of traditional cigarettes. The nicotine inhaled while vaping is less a concern for adults than these toxins, but it remains a serious health issue for teenagers, whose brains are still developing.

The Juul story highlights a central dilemma in public health. Cigarettes remain the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 480,000 people a year. But will it be possible to get people who are addicted to cigarettes to switch to e-cigarettes, which are less harmful, without enticing a new generation or non-smokers to try them?

Juul, in a letter responding to the F.D.A.'s demand for documents, said it had converted one million smokers to Juul, but the company data is drawn from self-reported surveys on its website and is unverifiable.
[Here's how schools are dealing with the rise in popularity of e-cigarettes.]
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who heads the F.D.A., declined to comment on the agency's investigation of Juul. But he has long been hopeful that e-cigarettes or other similar devices, properly regulated, will prove a safer alternative to smoking and help people quit the deadly habit. Before becoming F.D.A. commissioner, he served on the board of directors of Kure, a retailer that sells e-cigarette products.

"Two-thirds of adult smokers have stated they want to quit," he said. "They know it's hard, and they've probably tried many times to quit. We must recognize the potential for innovation to lead to less harmful products."
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But Eric Lindblom, a former F.D.A. tobacco official who heads the tobacco control program at Georgetown Law, said Juul's internal concerns about teenage use demonstrate they are in some ways "no different than the cigarette industry."

"They are going to maximize their sales and profits any way they can," he said. "They are going to do that within the law, but they are going to press the gray areas as much as they can."

Over the last three years, Juul has had a meteoric rise. It has become the dominant seller of e-cigarettes, now controlling a remarkable 72 percent of the market, according to Nielsen data. In July, the company completed a round of fund-raising for $1.2 billion, putting it in rarefied air. From a virtual standing-start in 2015, it is now valued by investors at $16 billion.

Across the country, Juuls have become so popular that "Juuling" has indeed become a verb, and officials from several state governments have sent alerts to schools warning them about the problem.

A survey of adolescent drug use last year found that 11 percent of 12th graders, 8.2 percent of 10th graders and 3.5 percent of eighth graders had vaped nicotine in the previous 30 days.

Juul's other co-founder, Adam Bowen, said that he was aware early on of the risks e-cigarettes posed to teenagers, and that the company had tried to make the gadgets "as adult-oriented as possible," purposely choosing not to use cartoon characters or candy names for its flavors.

The F.D.A. has ordered Juul to turn over the company's research and marketing documents, including focus group data and toxicology reports, to determine whether it intentionally courted the youth market.

The day after receiving the F.D.A. letter, Juul announced it would spend $30 million to combat underage vaping and recruited Tom Miller, the attorney general of Iowa, who helped lead the multistate 1998 master settlement with tobacco companies, to run an advisory board to counsel Juul on its efforts. Mr. Miller said recommendations might include more controls on social media marketing and better surveillance of retail outlets, but the ultimate decision on how to spend the money remains with Juul.

Mr. Miller says he sees huge potential in e-cigarettes. He believes Juul and other e-cigarette companies have already helped lower the adult smoking rate to 13.9 percent in 2017 from 16.8 percent in 2014. "The only plausible explanation is e-cigarettes," he said.

A report from Citigroup, citing Nielsen data, said that sales of traditional cigarettes dropped 6 percent in the first quarter of this year and "it's impossible to say what has caused the change for sure but the most obvious case is Juul."

Juul recently deleted months of social media posts, including ones with images of cool-looking young people vaping Juuls. This spring it made major changes to its website, which had prominently displayed a Juul surrounded by luscious-looking images of fruit and the words "Mango, it's back." The site is now a more sober-looking affair, featuring video of adults vaping with a tagline "For smokers. By design." Across the top of the page, visitors are invited to "learn about our youth prevention efforts."

Mr. Bowen, 42, and Mr. Monsees, 38, the company's founders, met in 2003 in a graduate product-design program at Stanford University, bonding over brainstorming sessions and cigarettes. Both had been smokers since their teens, and both have since quit; Mr. Monsees regularly uses a Juul.

The culmination of the program was a masters thesis, and both had struggled to find a worthy subject. In 2004, about six months before the thesis was due, they got to talking about their smoking habits and, within days, were excitedly sending emails back and forth about developing an alternative to cigarettes.

Big tobacco companies were experimenting with e-cigarettes, but there was no real market for them until around 2010, when NJoy, an Arizona company, became the industry's first darling. By 2013, e-cigarettes were a $1.7-billion-a-year business, still only a small fraction of the $90 billion cigarette business.

But then NJoy gambled on an e-cigarette that looked virtually identical to a cigarette. It was a mistake, said Craig Weiss, the chief executive who pushed the so-called cigalike strategy and now consults for Juul. As NJoy's fortuned flagged, he said he realized that people didn't want a product that looked so much like a cigarette that it still left them with the stigma of being a smoker. NJoy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016, later re-emerging.

Juul initially developed a product in 2010 that looked like a fountain pen and distributed it in specialty vape shops. Its sales grew to a modest $30 million by 2015.

Then the company found its current design, a sleek stick that looks like a flash drive, and largely stumbled onto a new way of delivering nicotine: it mixes nicotine with a chemical called benzoic acid. The result is that when Juul users inhale, they get a very quick and powerful burst of nicotine. This gives smokers a more cigarette-like experience, but medical researchers say it also makes the product more addictive for youth.

The company launched its new product in June 2015, with starter kits costing $35, and packs of four nicotine refill cartridges selling for $16 - each roughly the equivalent of the cost of a pack of cigarettes. According to Nielsen, sales in the first month were roughly $1,500 and reached over $1 million that December. It began a steady climb, and then experienced explosive growth in the beginning of 2017, with sales rising 627 percent in the four weeks ending June 17, 2017, according to Nielsen and Wells Fargo Securities.

The company said that toward the end of 2016 and around the beginning of 2017, it changed its social marketing campaign and guidelines to require all models to be over the age of 35.

In the last two months, Juul has removed the flavor focus and now uses only "real people" who have used Juul to switch from smoking cigarettes, the company said.

Matt Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said that he was prepared to be a fan of a product like Juul if it is responsibly marketed and shown to help adults quit smoking. But he cited a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that in 2017 2.1 million high schoolers and middle schoolers used e-cigarettes - "and the reports about high school students using Juul are rampant," he said.

Mr. Myers observed that Juul "delivers nicotine so much better than any comparable product on the market," and so its popularity means that "both the hopes of the e-cig fans, and fears of those concerned about e-cigs and kids, rise exponentially."

On Jan. 23, The Boulder Daily Camera published a front-page story about the growing concerns of local educators in Colorado about student use of Juuls.

Five days later, Carrie Yantzer, the principal at Nederland Middle-Senior High School, received an email that immediately struck her as suspicious. The writer introduced himself as Bruce Harter, a former educator working with Juul to develop an anti-vaping curriculum for schools.

[Here's why public health experts believe vaping may lure teenagers into smoking.]
"I read about the challenges you're having with Juul," Mr. Harter wrote. He offered a free, three-hour curriculum provided by Juul to discourage teens from using e-cigarettes by teaching them about their brains and giving them mindfulness exercises.

"What we've found from focus groups with teenage Juul users is that young people don't understand the dangers of nicotine addiction," the letter read. "They sometimes feel 'pushed' by friends to use e-cigarettes. We also found that they don't have operative ways to deal with stress and the emotional ups and downs of their lives right now."

Ms. Yantzer was angry. "It sounded preposterous," she said, and the company "deceptive."

She wasn't the only school administrator to get such a letter. The Boulder school district and, ultimately, the state of Colorado condemned the offer as a brand-building exercise that was tone-deaf at the very least.

"The way we see this is a fox guarding the henhouse," said Alison Reidmohr, tobacco communications specialist for the Colorado Department of Public Health. "A company that stands to profit from, and currently profit off, youth using a product can't be trusted to prevent use of this product."

Ashley Gould, Juul's chief administrative officer, said the company, because it has not built management around former tobacco-industry employees, was unaware the tactic had been used by cigarette companies. However, Juul's board of directors includes experienced investors, including Nicholas Pritzker, a billionaire whose family controlled one of the country's largest chewing tobacco companies, Conwood, which was acquired in 2006 by Reynolds American for $3.5 billion.

For its part, Juul said it was still deciding what to do with that school program. Ms. Gould said the company did not realize the curriculum would offend or that the idea harked to a tactic big tobacco companies used decades ago. "We didn't know," she said. "We should've known."

Juul has a new innovation in the works, a Bluetooth-enabled version of its e-cigarette that it hopes could push more smokers to switch without risking youth uptake. Mr. Monsees called it a "smart" e-cigarette.

The Bluetooth-equipped Juul might provide a way for adult vapers to measure their nicotine use. It also might discourage teen use by disabling the device unless it's in the presence of its adult buyer, perhaps by linking it to the buyer's cellphone. The solution would still require effective controls on sales to minors at brick-and-mortar stores and online retail outlets.

Juul officials contend their ability to offer such innovations is hamstrung by regulatory policies. The company is building a high-powered operation in Washington to help it navigate such issues. It's run by Tevi Troy, a political strategist who worked with Dr. Gottlieb, the F.D.A. commissioner, at the Department of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush and who wrote an opinion article with him for The Wall Street Journal.

The company has also hired Jim Esquea, who was an assistant secretary at the health department during the Obama administration, and Gerald Masoudi, a former F.D.A. chief counsel.

The company is also ratcheting up its lobbying efforts. It has reported spending $450,000 on lobbying so far in 2018 - substantially more than the $120,000 reported spent for all of 2017. It also recently started a political action committee, although no donations have yet been reported. In June, Kevin Burns, Juul's chief executive, gave $50,000 to the Republican congressional leadership fund.

The centerpiece of Dr. Gottlieb's tobacco control strategy is a plan that would potentially greatly benefit e-cigarette companies, including Juul. It would require tobacco companies to reduce nicotine levels in traditional cigarettes so much that they were no longer addictive. The proposal is still in the early discussion phase, with the tobacco industry strongly opposed. But it would potentially make Juul, a potent nicotine delivery device, far more appealing to smokers.

Mr. Monsees, a Juul co-founder, says he believes that e-cigarettes are a key to reducing smoking, and can be profitable without sales to teenagers.

"Yes, I want to make money," he said. "I'm on the board with a fiduciary duty that obligates me to make money."

But he added, "The best investor return in the long term comes from more adults turning away from combustible cigarettes."

Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks contributed reporting from Washington.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: Investigators Ask if Vaping Ads Tried to Hook Teenagers for Life. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe

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Did Juul Lure Teenagers and Get 'Customers for Life'?

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The e-cigarette company says it never sought teenage users, but the F.D.A. is investigating whether Juul intentionally marketed its devices to youth. Juul is under federal investigation for marketing its discreet, flash-drive-resembling e-cigarette product to youth.

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"Lit" is over - and other things you could pay teens to tell you

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"Lit" is over - and other things you could pay teens to tell you

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this is teen teaching adults about our social behaviors, lifestyle, and thought process. they made a company which they have people go throughout twitter and other social media in order to find what is currently going viral and why. This being said after they find this they talk to adults who are curious, and instead of having adults do all this research it is teens researching on other teens and talking to adults explaining why it is what they do.

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Consulting firms like JÜV are helping grown-up brands talk to young people without condescending to them.

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Employees of JÜV, a consultancy firm run by teens and college kids, lived and worked in a loft-like apartment in Brooklyn for the summer. Credit Karsten Moran for The New York Times

When CJ DeLeo founded his record label, Right Coast Music, he knew that reaching teenagers would be crucial to its success. But rather than thumbing through Instagram to figure out how to talk to 10- to 21-year-olds - or, Generation Z, as the demographic after millennials is sometimes called - he reached out to JÜV Consulting.

The company is one of several new marketing firms that illuminate the inner workings of kids these days without condescending to them. How? JÜV Consulting is staffed entirely by young people who range in age from 14 to 22.

"I was honestly quite skeptical when I found out they were teenagers," Mr. DeLeo admitted. "After the first call, they blew me away. They could walk into a regular business setting with people in their 30s and 40s and be completely comfortable. They are living the demographic we were targeting."

That's the whole point. The employees at JÜV (named for a combination of the words "juvenile" and "rejuvenate") are out to teach brands, companies and nonprofits what it means to be a young person by commodifying their own quality time.

JÜV's creative director, Nico Trigo, 18, left, and the director of marketing Jacob Chang, 19, in their shared bedroom. Credit Karsten Moran for The New York Times

"Don't talk about teenagers, talk to teenagers," said Ziad Ahmed, 19, JÜV's C.E.O. and a rising sophomore at Yale (major undecided). He co-founded the consultancy firm in 2016 with Nick Jain, 19, the company's C.O.O. and a rising sophomore at Princeton and Melinda Guo, 19, who goes to Stanford and serves as a member of the board.

This summer, Mr. Ahmed, Mr. Jain and six other members of the executive team lived and worked in a loft in Brooklyn, where they would meet with clients and then just hang out. In addition to an executive team, JÜV has five senior partners, 15 junior partners and 90 consultants on staff, all of whom (it should perhaps go without saying) are paid. Their de facto informants consist of friends - and friends of friends - from around the world.

"Gen Z moves fast, and so do the trends," said Jacob Chang, 19, JÜV's director of marketing, and a rising sophomore at the University of Chicago. A big part of his job is flagging memes and whatever is catching viral fire on Twitter. "There are a lot of things coming in and out of favor," he said.

JÜV's co-founder and chief executive, Ziad Ahmed, 19, confers with Shaina Zafar, 18, the company's chief of staff. Credit Karsten Moran for The New York Times

For example, "'Lit' isn't really cool anymore," said Mr. Ahmed. "Even though a lot of us still colloquially use it, if a company did it, that's cringey. Because lit, our parents now know it." On the other hand, he said, "if you were to, in a tweet, use a word like 'hella,' no one's going to be like, that's so cringey, because that's just how we type."

"Generation Z is Generation We," said Mr. Chang. "We love sharing experiences with each other. And that's why memes have taken off, because it's like the short, shared experience of our humor."

To be clear, the JÜV team scoffs at the idea of a "Gen Z expert": anyone who pretends to speak for a generation, whether that's a peer or adult. They aren't a research firm, they say. They aren't a focus group. They are, according to Emma Himes, JÜV's 18-year-old director of development and a rising sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, "a really diverse group of trained teen consultants who can help you."

That approach has earned them work with big-name clients like Viacom and Edelman, as well consulting gigs with smaller nonprofits and businesses. One of the company's most appealing offerings is helping clients navigate social media to avoid the kinds of pitfalls that might make them infamous overnight - or canceled, in the lingo of the day.

JÜV teens, at work and at play. Credit Karsten Moran for The New York Times

"We grew up on social media. That's kind of the way we describe it to clients," Mr. Jain said. "The vast majority of us are fluent in it."

Before the executive team disbanded this month to go back to their colleges (where they will work remotely on a part-time basis during the school year), they would host clients at their loft in Clinton Hill.

The space looked like a hangout spot from a high schooler's dreams. There was a long desk in the middle of the light-filled room, where the team plugged in their earbuds and got to work, and a comfy sectional in the corner, where the team would occasionally stop working long enough to watch The Bachelorette. There were walls covered in Post-it notes (both to organize work tasks and delegate chores among the roommates), and pool floats were flung about the space as decoration.

Credit Karsten Moran for The New York Times

For meals, JÜV employees ate a lot of pasta. They would gather together at a high kitchen table, debating the efficacy of subway ads and whether Kim and Kanye might divorce with equal passion.

Liz Toney, a JÜV client who is the head of brand and engagement for a social media start-up launching this fall, described a typical meeting:

"One minute there are Nerfs, card games and inflatable pool toys," she said. "The next our laptops are out and it's focused, brilliant conversation, and two hours of exciting brainstorming."

For a room full of students who have yet to experience the existential dread of graduating? Sounds about right.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page ST5 of the New York edition with the headline: Things You Can Learn From Teenagers: 'Lit' Is No Longer Lit. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe

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'Lit' Is Over, and Other Things You Can Pay Teens to Teach You

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Consulting firms like JÜV are helping grown-up brands talk to young people without condescending to them. When CJ DeLeo founded his record label, Right Coast Music, he knew that reaching teenagers would be crucial to its success.

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in this article they claim that because of how we grew up with technology the whole market of advertising is changing. their statistics show that we don't spend more than a couple of minutes viewing their articles and unless its short and has a good hook we wont look twice. Another thing they claim is that a company will only do good with a lot of likes and if it takes more than one or two steps to share this post no one will end up doing it making their advertisement worthless in the sense that no one will see it.

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It seems that on a regular basis, we hear about Millennials, their habits, likes and dislikes, and how businesses can best market to them. But believe it or not, it's time to start looking at the next generation. Generation Z , who were born approximately between 1995 and 2014, are the first truly digital generation. They have grown up with technology from day one, are very adept to communicating on social media, are tech savvy, and have always had high-speed internet (how lucky).

Whether you refer to them as iGeneration, Net Gen, Digital Natives, or simply Gen Z, their presence as consumers and in the workforce is changing online marketing as we know it.

Marketers are spending millions across all of the major social media platforms to gain followers and increase brand awareness. And just a couple of short years ago, that was the way to go because it worked. However, with Generation Z coming up economically, the old strategies just aren't cutting it. Or if they are still working, it's costing a lot more to make the same impact.

With an extremely saturated online marketplace, the competition is stiff, making it tougher to stand out.

So how can you grow your audience, increase brand awareness and turn online users into leads without spending a fortune in this new age of Gen Z digital native buying power?

Make it easy for the younger audience to engage.

On average, Gen Z spends between six and nine hours per day consuming media. And they use an average of five screens - smartphone, TV, laptop, desktop, and tablet - switching among them for different purposes. As a comparison, millennials use three screens on average.

This could be why they lose interest very quickly, no matter how good your content is. If it takes more than a step or two, you'll lose the attention of most younger people. And that means that they won't opt in, they won't share your post and they may not come back to visit your website. So, the goal is to make it easy for them to engage.

"Add social sharing buttons to everything, and add a bunch of them. Facebook, Whatsapp, Telegram, Twitter, the list goes on. Give your Gen Z audience the option to share to any and all the platforms they may use, because that's what they are inclined to do. When it otherwise would take a lot of effort to share your content, these buttons only take two steps. Now everything from your blog posts to paid offers can be shared easily, which means they will be shared more often," says Vin Clancy, online entrepreneur and influencer who recently released a new eBook, Ace the Game . Hisbook includes online marketing strategies that entrepreneurs at all levels can digest and easily implement.

"Only add one strong call-to-action. If you add a bunch of links or ask more than one thing of your visitors, you will lose them. Make it simple and let your visitors know exactly what you want them to do, whether that is comment, reply, purchase or opt-in," adds Clancy.

Gen Zs are in a hurry and typically don't spend much time reading an entire email or article. That's why it's important to keep headlines, titles for blog posts or webinars, and offers, clear and catchy. They need to be attention-grabbing and let readers know exactly what they will get for investing their time.

When social media strategies get popular, they also lose effectiveness.

While Facebook, YouTube and Instagram are among the social networks with the most users, they also have a lot more competition and aren't the only options out there.

The younger generation (and potential followers) are on other social media platforms and websites that aren't as well known. In fact, only 10% of Facebook users are under 24 years old. If you are trying to reach the Gen Z consumer, Facebook would not be your best option.

Pinterest users are not only slightly younger, but it's a great platform for marketing because one image can keep working for you time and time again.

You can also head over to Quora, a site where people ask questions about anything they want to know, and answer questions related to your industry. "Quora has proven to be a great way to not only gain followers but to also boost your credibility and brand," says Clancy.

The key is to analyze many different social networks to determine where your target customer spends their time and develop a strong marketing strategy for that platform.

Optimize your content the right way.

There is so much content pumped out on the internet these days, it's important to optimize that content so it gets widely read. In fact, you should spend 80% of your time promoting your content, and only 20% of your time actually creating it. There's no point in publishing content if no one ever comes across it. Make sure you are driving traffic to your site or blog through all available means.

"Most people are familiar with how to use Google, but few really understand how it works. You need to understand it and then optimize your content for it. In order to do that, you need to understand what your potential followers are looking for online," says Clancy.

Once you've analyzed what your target customers are searching for, use that search data to come up with long tail keywords, which are three or more highly targeted words, and optimize your site for those phrases. This will get you more web traffic, and as a result, more potential clients.

When marketing to this generation who are high on likes, were too young to actually remember 9/11, and who see no difference between friends they've met in real life or only know online, it's important to consider their unique upbringing and relationship with social media so you can deliver a marketing message that resonates.

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Online Marketing As We Know It Is Changing With The Rise Of Generation Z

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It seems that on a regular basis, we hear about Millennials, their habits, likes and dislikes, and how businesses can best market to them. But believe it or not, it's time to start looking at the next generation. Generation Z , who were born approximately between 1995 and 2014, are the first truly digital generation.

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Huff post research shows that generation z is a lot less focused but we are better multi tasks and we can switch between work and play a lot faster than millennial. They also think that we will think more globally on our actions and what we do compared to millennial now. a lot of teens now compared to before start at a younger age with their business ventures and at a much higher percentage too, the expectations for generation z compared to millennial is a lot higher because of us having the want to start earlier.

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A question I've been hearing a lot lately is "What is the difference between Millennials and Generation Z?" I am going to list 8 key differences between Gen Z and Millennials in this post, hopefully shedding some light here.
Generation Z, as they have been coined, consist of those born in 1995 or later. This generation makes up 25.9% of the United States population, the largest percentage, and contribute$44 billion to the American economy. By 2020, they will account for one-third of the U.S. population, certainly worth paying attention to.

Just so we're clear:
A "Millennial" is a person reaching young adulthood around the year 2000.
Generation Z (also known as Post-Millennials, the iGeneration, Founders, Plurals, or the Homeland Generation) is the demographic cohort following the Millennials.

The difference between the two is important to know in order to prepare your business, shift marketing, adjust leadership, and adapt recruiting efforts to stay relevant for the future.

How Generation Z Differs from Millennials

Today relevant is constantly being refined and Gen Z lives in a world of continuous updates. Gen Z processes information faster than other generations thanks to apps like Snapchat and Vine. Thus their attention spans might be significantly lower than Millennials.

Though Gen Z can be less focused than their Millennial counterparts, in school, they will create a document on their school computer, do research on their phone or tablet, while taking notes on a notepad, then finish in front of the TV with a laptop, while face-timing a friend. You get the picture.

Gen Z can quickly and efficiently shift between work and play, with multiple distractions going on in the background...working on multiple tasks at once. Talk about multi-multi-tasking. Just think about how this kind of flow might reshape the office.

Millennials care more about prices than Gen Z. This is arguably because they came of age during the recession.

Sixty-seven percent of millennials surveyed said that they would go to the website to get a coupon, whereas only 46% of Gen Z polled said they would do the same.

Millennials also tend to click on more ads; 71% of Millennials in a recent poll said they followed an advertisement online before making a purchase, however only 59% of Gen Z'ers said the same.

4. Gen Z is Full of Early Starters

Many employers are predicting that more teens, between the ages of 16 and 18 will go straight into the workforce, opting out of the traditional route of higher education, and instead finishing school online, if at all. Would you make a major investment, possibly leading to years of debt to come--knowing there are new, more affordable (not to mention more convenient) online alternatives coming up every day?

As we'll discuss later in this post, Gen Z knows the true value of independence, and knowledge is no exception here. If a Gen Z'er knows they are capable of learning something themselves, or through a more efficient, non-traditional route, you can bet they'll take the opportunity.

5. Gen Z Is More Entrepreneurial

According to Gen Z marketing strategist Deep Patel, "the newly developing high tech and highly networked world has resulted in an entire generation thinking and acting more entrepreneurially." Generation Z desires more independent work environments. As a matter of fact, 72% of teens say they want to start a business someday.

One apparent recurring factor you might notice throughout this post, is that many Gen Z identifying factors can be traced back to the recession in 2008, from their frugality, to their value of experiences, and increased likelihood to become entrepreneurs. This is an interesting note to take down.

6. Gen Z Has Higher Expectations Than Millennials

Millennials remember playing solitaire, coming home to dial-up internet and using AOL. Generation Z was born into a world overrun with technology. What was taken as amazing and inspiring inventions, are now taken as a given for teens.

"When it doesn't get there that fast they think something's wrong," said Marcie Merriman, executive director of growth strategy at Ernst & Young. "They expect businesses, brands and retailers to be loyal to them. If they don't feel appreciated, they're going to move on. It's not about them being loyal to the business."

7. Gen Z Is Big On Individuality

Gen Z'ers were born social. In fact, nearly 92% of Gen Z has a digital footprint. Arguably as a result of the celebrities and media they follow, Gen Z seeks uniqueness in all walks of life primarily through the brands they do business with, future employers, etc.

Millennials were considered the first "global" generation with the development of the internet, but as more of the world comes online -- Generation Z will become more global in their thinking, interactions, and relatability. 58% of adults worldwide ages 35+ agree that "kids today have more in common with their global peers than they do with adults in their own country." Diversity will be an expectation of Generation Z.

After asking people "Would you call yourself addicted to your digital devices? (computer, smartphone, etc.)," we found Gen Z'ers are 25% more likely than Millennials to say they are addicted to their digital devices. A full 40% of Gen Z are self-identified digital device addicts.

This generation grew up with technology, and for them, it's probably hard to go without their devices. If this younger generation is constantly on their phones or devices and not watching as much live TV, we may experience a massive shift in advertising methods and marketing messages.

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8 Key Differences between Gen Z and Millennials

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A question I've been hearing a lot lately is "What is the difference between Millennials and Generation Z?" I am going to list 8 key differences between Gen Z and Millennials in this post, hopefully shedding some light here. Generation Z, as they have been coined, consist of those born in 1995 or later.

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Research shows that generation z is using a lot more money and a lot quicker than any other generation. they estimate that by 2020 we will have used between 29 to 143 billion dollars, a lot of this is for personal look or name brand. in any other generation they did not care about how they were perceived by the public but now they care more than ever,this generation will pay more for something if that is how they think they want to be portrayed. This generation cares more about succeeding compared to previous generations.

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Each new generation to the market brings its own set of attitudes, beliefs and behaviors, which can sometimes make them feel mysterious or elusive to marketers. While new to the scene, does not need to fit this bill. Rather, they are resolute, smart, pragmatic and hard-working, among other characteristics. It's a result of growing up in an environment shaped by economic instability and social change, not to mention rapid digital innovation.

This is not to say that reaching Gen Z won't be as demanding, if not more so, than reaching Millennials, but it does point to an enlightening and rewarding time in the market as they venture onward to change the world. And change the world they will. Gen Z is already on track to become the largest generation of consumers by the year 2020, and they account for $29 to $143 billion in direct spending. But their impact on the market doesn't stop there. Ninety-three percent of parents today say their children influence family and household purchases, according to a by CASSANDRA, meaning a significant portion of overall market spend is because of these youths.

I spoke with Steph Wissink, managing director and consumer research analyst at Jefferies, and Joe Cardador, PhD, VP of consumer intelligence at Barkley, to learn more about Gen Z's influence on spending in today's modern household and what it means for brands.

Jeff Fromm: Why do marketers need to understand the accurate financial impact of Gen Z?

Joe Cardador: Based on our research , Gen Z is on track to become the largest generation of consumers in just a few short years. They already represent up to $143 billion in buying power - and that's without accounting for the influence they have on household spending. Marketers should focus on understanding Gen Z and the power they have in the market today to build loyalty for tomorrow.

Fromm: When it comes to direct spending, where are Gen Zers dedicating most of their earned funds? What inspires their purchases?

Cardador: According to Mintel, for Gen Zers age 16 to 21, spending most frequently falls into the following categories: Car (including gas, insurance and taxes), Groceries, Entertainment and Hobbies, Studies (including textbooks, tuition and school fees), Mobile Phone, Bills, Appearance (hair appointments, clothes, cosmetics, etc.), Savings, Restaurants, Fast-Food, Debt Payments, and Public Transportation.

For the younger spectrum of Gen Zers (those ages 6 to 11), Mintel found they spend their allowance or money on Toys, Candy, Video Games, Clothing, Movies, Collecting Cards, Board Games, Magazines/Comics, and Restaurants.

Purchases in these categories are often inspired by peers, which makes sense regarding their current life stage and their extreme connectivity to social media. Additionally, Gen Z pays attention to ratings and reviews and is more trusting of influencers - especially the ones they follow on YouTube.

Fromm: What product purchases are Gen Zers influencing that are used generally among the household?

Steph Wissink: Well known, Gen Zers represent the tech-natives in their household but we find Gen Zers are equally looked to for anything/product categories most inspired by youth culture. These are oftentimes the products and services that are experiencing counter-cultural changes to the standing normalities - aka the disruptors or those emotive industries with rapid rates of underlying change: Technology, food, health and wellness, beauty, fashion, etc., and even some larger ticket purchases such as electronics, auto and home goods. Gen Zers are showing a willingness to explore and discover, to consume information/media exponentially more than products, and to insert themselves into the consumption conversation - in their households, online and among digital social circles. They are convincing because they are informed and have mastered the balance between new and novel and crowd-sourced and validated.

Fromm: What is different about Gen Z that has allowed them to gain so much influence at such a young age?

Wissink: Gen Z is one of the first generations (as a cohort) to be fluent in rapid information gathering. They are able to sift through institutional messages, to filter out excess noise, and to identify voices they can trust. They are calling on brands to be increasingly transparent and accountable; they are catalyzing movements among their peer consumers to improve awareness and demand utility and simplicity. Technology (especially mobile) has enabled much of their power position. But interestingly, even beyond device and program utilization, Gen Zers are info-nivores and rarely (truly) make an uninformed impulsive decision. The social consequences of uncool consumption are higher than they've ever bred.

Fromm: What is the biggest difference in spending between Gen Z and millennials?

Cardador: Obviously, category spending is different. With a good percentage of Gen Z not yet into their teens, their spending focus is on toys, candy, snacks and video games versus more household-related purchases and purchases for their own children - after all, many millennials are now raising their own kids. However, differences in Gen Z and millennial emphasis on success may suggest an even bigger difference in their approach to spending as Gen Z ages. For example:

Gen Z cares more about personal success and being perceived as successful than other generations

Gen Z is more concerned about purchasing brand name products and buying products to make them happy

Gen Z is more likely to say they are willing to pay more for a product that helps them convey the right image

While Gen Z and millennials are similar in that they expect brands to help them discover new things and to create a seamless brand experience, Gen Z leans on brands more when it comes to helping them craft their identities. All generations have faced this challenge as they transition into adulthood, but for Gen Z the process is more public and fluid than ever before because of technology and social media.

Fromm: How can brands resonate with Gen Z?
Cardador: Gender and racial equality are important to Gen Z, especially Gen Z females. Our research on the Youth Mindsets™ suggests that Gen Z females are looking for brands to be innovative and part of their social network, both online and off. This corresponds to their goals of projecting success through bringing new ideas and products to their networks. Gen Z males share some of these goals, as well, but also prize brands that are accessible and easy to use. This means helping them discover new things and allowing them to create and/or customize products and services to meet their needs and express their identities.

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How Much Financial Influence Does Gen Z Have?

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Each new generation brings its own set of attitudes, beliefs and behaviors, which can sometimes make them feel mysterious or elusive to marketers. While new to the scene, Gen Z does not need to fit this bill. Rather, they are resolute, smart, pragmatic and hard-working, among other characteristics.

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with the technology and power we have in order to stay in contact we rarely feel like we are connected. This generation has the highest population ever and most of us don't feel like there is someone we can talk to.people are becoming more and more aware of this issue and are trying to reach out to people considered socially outcasted.

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CLOSE

The loneliness of Generation Z reflects not just rising social media use but a broader decline in interactions with neighbors, co-workers and church friends.

At a time when we're supposedly more connected than ever, there are an awful lot of lonely people.

"Nearly half of Americans report sometimes or always feeling alone or left out," according to a new survey from health company Cigna. One out of five Americans has no person they can talk to.

And the loneliest generation? That would be Generation Z, defined in this survey as those 18 to 22. Their average loneliness score is nearly 10 points higher than the least lonely generation - the Greatest Generation, those 72 and older.

While it's tempting to blame Gen Z's reliance on smartphones and social media, the data don't bear that out: The survey didn't find a significant difference in loneliness levels between those who used social media often or infrequently.

More: Aziz Ansari lesson: Women should feel free to hurt the guy's feelings

More: Why Ruth Bader Ginsburg is right that Millennials are key to #MeToo

Given the worrying consequences, the loneliness of Gen Z - and other generations - should be taken seriously. In fact, Cigna, citing a 2010 Brigham Young University study, says "loneliness has the same impact on mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, making it even more dangerous than obesity."

One initiative to encourage Gen Z should be #WalkUpNotOut, a movement that urged high school students to reach out to students perceived as socially isolated after the tragic high school shooting in Parkland, Fla. Regardless of your position on gun control, it can only help to have students focus on being kind and welcoming to each other, particularly when the pervasiveness of social media has made it increasingly easy to bully both on and off campuses.

Plus, this encourages face-to-face interaction - and the Cigna survey found a huge difference in average loneliness scores between those who had daily meaningful in-person encounters and those who didn't. (Astonishingly, one of five Americans surveyed reported having such encounters less frequently than once a week.)

It's also important for Gen Z - and other Americans - to take "social capital" seriously. Thanks to the erosion of neighborhood communities, the fracturing of many families and the decline in church attendance, there are fewer and fewer opportunities for finding new friends or developing meaningful relationships. And that puts even more pressure on students. Imagine being unhappy at school and having no other community to turn to.

According to a 2017 report prepared for Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, several factors show the decline in our interaction with each other:

► Monthly church attendance fell from the early 1970s to the present, with 50% to 57% attending in the past compared with 42% to 44% now.

► In 1974, a third of Americans spent time socially with their neighbors several times a week. Now, only 19% do.

► We're also spending less time schmoozing with our co-workers, going from an average of 2.5 hours a week in the mid 1970s to just under an hour in 2012.

► Families are also becoming smaller, and the percentage of children raised by a single parent or no parent has doubled, from 15% to 31%.

More: Liberals need to close the Millennials funding gap
POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media
Given these declining numbers, it makes sense that more Americans are falling through the cracks, losing ways to get to know other people.

And if Gen Z is using phones instead of in-person interactions, that could be contributing to these young adults' loneliness. In an Atlantic article last year, psychology professor Jean Twenge highlighted how teens were less interested in driving and getting out of the house than past generations.

Describing one unnamed 13-year-old, Twenge wrote: "She spent much of her summer keeping up with friends, but nearly all of it was over text or Snapchat. 'I've been on my phone more than I've been with actual people,' she said. 'My bed has, like, an imprint of my body.' "

That's not healthy - and if these are the habits Gen Z is developing in these crucial years, it doesn't bode well for this generation becoming less lonely in the future.

The American writer Flannery O'Connor, a Catholic, was fond of a prayer that included these lines, "Raphael, lead us toward those we are waiting for, those who are waiting for us: Raphael, Angel of happy meeting, lead us by the hand toward those we are looking for."

You don't need to be religious to realize that we both need - and are needed by - others, and that our own lives grow in meaning through many of our interactions with others.

It's easy to toss out opinions on Facebook or on bumper stickers, but at the end of the day, one of the most powerful things many of us may do to change the world could be our "hello" to someone, our reaching out to that person who seems in danger of being on the fringe, making eye contact and sharing a smile with a homeless person even if we don't have change. Let's look up from our phones a little more often - and start acknowledging the people right in front of us.

Katrina Trinko, a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors, is managing editor for The Daily Signal. Her views do not necessarily represent The Heritage Foundation, her employer. Follow her on Twitter: @KatrinaTrinko

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2I9a6wO

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Gen Z is the loneliest generation, and it's not just because of social media

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CLOSE The loneliness of Generation Z reflects not just rising social media use but a broader decline in interactions with neighbors, co-workers and church friends. At a time when we're supposedly more connected than ever, there are an awful lot of lonely people.

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this article shows generation z as we really are, just teens who want to make a  off a hobby. It says that we prioritize quality over quantity which i agree with especially because they have proof.lastly i think we are far more accepting because of the time period we grew up in and with who.

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Millennials this, millennials that. Millennials here, millennials there. Millennials are lazy. Millennials are open-minded. Millennials are substantial consumers. Millennials define passion.

If there was one overused word in the past year or two, "millennials" is the incontestable winner.

There's a chance, however, we'll soon be subject to a new cultural talking point - Generation Z. Haven't heard of it? I hadn't, either, until just recently. I was attending a company-wide meeting, and our CEO had the floor. Discussing societal trends and the rise of tech usage, he referenced the nation's group of fledglings. "Generation Z, born in 1995 or later, came out with an IP address embedded in their heads," he joked into the mic, collecting a round of chuckles from the crowd.

It was sort of an ah-ha! moment for me. With a birth date near the end of 1994, I feel like I can't fully identify with millennials, especially in regards to "the golden days." Yeah, I remember when no one had cell phones - but only till sixth grade. Yeah, I thought Titanic was amazing - in 2005, when I was first allowed to see it. And no, I can't recall a time in my life when there wasn't a computer in my house. In second grade, I learned to use Google.

The true age bracket of Generation Z is up for deliberation among experts. Some believe members were born between 1991 and 2001; Entrepreneur says 1994 and 2010 are the key birth years. Still others say anyone born after 1995 lands squarely within the category. To me, hard dates don't matter as much as life experiences and personality traits, which are key in discerning millennials from Gen Z. Below are 11 characteristics that distinguish us - if you're young, and you identify, welcome to the club.

We're Internet experts.

Because we're always online, we find answers to questions in warp speed. Z members multitask across a few different screens or monitors at once. We make lightning rounds through Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, Tinder, and Gmail. We know the lingo; we create memes; we make Vines and Periscopes and elaborate Snapchats. We have accounts on dozens, if not hundreds, of platforms. It's a challenge to put down our phones, even for ten minutes to eat lunch. (In fact, I'm usually reading stories on my laptop while chowing down on meals.)

We'd rather message than talk in person.

Along the same lines, Generation Z would rather have a digital conversation than a real-life discussion in many instances. Before rolling your eyes out of your head, think of the benefits. Awkward pauses? None of those. Stick your foot in your mouth? Difficult to accomplish when you're typing rather than talking. Nice flow of language? For sure. Better written skills? I'd argue so. I text paragraphs to my friends, because yes, we have intelligent discussions via SMS or Messenger - and I go back in and edit for grammar, spelling, and sentence structure before sending. Obviously, I'm not revising the way I would an article at work, but I make a solid effort. You may think it strange, but it's simply a way of life for Generation Z.

We look up to YouTubers.

"[Generation Z's] new idols are Internet stars, like PewDiePie," says this Business Insider article - which is, well, spot on. Every single day, I check the YouTube channels I'm subscribed to (about 10) for new content. In fact, it's the first thing I do after getting home from the office. I'll spend up to an hour watching videos from my favorites, which include beauty vloggers and online comedians alike. On the other hand, I also use YouTube for documentaries and self-education . . . which makes me feel a little less guilty for all the time I "waste" on the site. (But I raise you this: is it REALLY considered a waste if it's harmless entertainment?)

9/11 was a huge part of our youth.

I remember exactly where I was when the 9/11 attackers struck - and most other Generation Z's have the same frightening memory, which we'll never forget as long as we live. We grew up in an era where terrorism was a hotly debated topic, where the possibility (and subsequent action) of involvement in the Middle East evoked the strongest of feelings. Bush was always on TV; we sent soldiers care packages in grade school. We didn't understand most of it, but we knew things were troubled.

The Recession affected our outlooks.

Hushed voices behind closed doors; sudden downscaling in lifestyle choices; dying jobs and families packing up and moving far away. I was a mere preteen when the Great Recession reared its ugly head, and it hit my area (Detroit) especially hard. Being so young and born into a relatively well-off family, I was never given a good look at the aftermath, but the tension and sadness in the air was tangible. Between 9/11 and the Recession, Generation Z came of age in a time of uncertainty, and as a result, we've learned to become more resourceful.

We're determined to turn our hobbies into jobs.

Since I was 10, I loved to write . . . and now I'm a journalist. According to Business Insider, this isn't (or won't be) uncommon, with 76 percent of Gen Z members aiming to create jobs out of their hobbies. And why shouldn't we? Though we're grounded in reality, we're better educated on planning, implementing, and excuting our goals and aspirations. With Google at our fingertips all hours of the day, we learn how to make our dreams come true on our own.

We're one step ahead in our careers.

That said, Gen Z is jumping on the (career) ball early on. We're building our brands as adolescents, because we understand the impact social media has on not only our personal lives, but also our pending jobs. I started following and engaging with well-known writers on Twitter when I was 17. I began reporting for various publications at 18, I became an editor for a national platform at 19, and I freelanced for money at 20. At this age, I also graduated from college and landed a full-time gig at POPSUGAR. The early bird catches the worm, and we're well-aware.

We're self-starters.

We're invested in our careers, yes, but more than that, we seek to invent. The entrepreneurial spirit has grown with each generation, and Z's are beginning to trickle into the work force with lofty plans of impactful start-ups. We think businesses can make a difference, and we're inspired by thriving companies such as Facebook or Uber, which have literally changed the scope of life. Expect us to take over tech - after all, we've pretty much never known a life without it.

We're stressed out, and often.

That's not to say we don't stress about our big ambitions. Generation Z certainly frets, principally over bigger-picture things like the economy and the environment, because ultimately that's how realists operate. On the bright side, we're more willing to do something about these weighty issues. Generation Z is highly involved in activist movements, with a genuine intent to save the world.

We prioritize quality.

Quality over quantity is the name of Generation Z's game. We're incredibly selective in the products we purchase, making it painstakingly tedious for advertising marketers to get through to us. I generally don't buy anything on Amazon that has less than a 4-star rating. Before going out to dinner on Friday nights, you can bet I'm perusing Yelp for the best restaurants that still fall beneath my budget. With abundant cyber reviews from people who've already been there and done that, we'd be hard pressed to misuse our time on a transaction that's just not worth it.

We're more accepting.

Gen Z grew up in an era in which societal standards began to shift dramatically. Norms were flipped upside down - "gay" was no longer taboo; "transgender" wasn't just an urban legend. I distinctly remember bullying to be uncool when I was in high school. It was uncool to make fun of the boy who liked other boys. It was uncool to pick on the quiet African-Chinese twins. Band geeks were mainstream. The nerds were the popular ones. Our prom queen was a girl named Hannah who played on the boys' football team. High school, for the most part, was a safe and amicable culture. And playing both advocate and witness to the many ongoing developments of important social justice campaigns in this country, I have high hopes for an even more secure future with Generation Z commanding the forefront.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Sisilia Piring

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Millennials this, millennials that. Millennials here, millennials there. Millennials are lazy. Millennials are open-minded. Millennials are substantial consumers. Millennials define passion. If there was one overused word in the past year or two, "millennials" is the incontestable winner. There's a chance, however, we'll soon be subject to a new cultural talking point - Generation Z.

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this article talks about something that I find very interesting and what that is, is finding a new way to teach the new generation on how to work in their office and making them retain that information. They talk about how we need to make a collaboration room so gen z can talk about their ideas and alter them for the better. It also says that gen Z will forget the information that they have learned if they don't use it frequently and tat is something I agree with but I don't think it is only generation z I think that is everyone in general.

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Technology-obsessed. Social-media crazed. Entitled. Unfocused. By now you've likely read a dozen editorials about Millennials and their effect on the American workplace. And by now you probably have several coworkers in their twenties and have been able to separate fact from fiction. (You also probably got them to help you figure out Twitter).

According to this study from the University of North Carolina, Millennials will make up 46 percent of the workforce by 2020. The influx of Millennials in the workforce has already posed a bit of a challenge for many companies, as it can be difficult to integrate this younger generation into the workplace. Considering Millennials' needs and desires while balancing Baby Boomer expectations and practices is no easy feat. But, your company is making it work. Your company's corporate culture has adapted to accommodate the new multi-generational workforce. You've managed to satisfy both the twenty-somethings and those in their forties and fifties. You can sit back and take a break from corporate restructuring for a while, right? Not quite.

You might have just gotten a handle on the Millennials, but it's already time to prepare for the next generation trickling into the workforce: Generation Z. Born in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Generation Z is growing up at the peak of technological advancement and innovation. This generation doesn't know a world without sleek laptops, smartphones, and the ability to connect with people via online communities.

Growing up under such circumstances, GenZ-ers are tech-savvy, vocal, and adaptable. But all that time online means they struggle to develop strong interpersonal skills, use appropriate body language, and understand privacy. As a whole, they're noticeably different from previous generations and they're bound to drive changes in corporate culture on an even greater scale than the Millennials did. Get ready, it's time to restructure... again.

We still have five to 10 years before Generation Z is fully integrated into the workforce, but as the challenge of accommodating the Millennials demonstrated, it's better to prepare sooner than later. Here are five ways to better meet Generation Z's needs while taking advantage of the unique skills they will bring to the table:
1. Replace your old organization chart with a project-based one.
Take notes from some of the new-age tech companies, like Medium and Zappos. These companies are ditching traditional hierarchy for Holacracy, a corporate structure without managers. While you don't need to completely throw out job titles, consider shifting the focus in your company's organization chart from individual titles to team-based projects. Even as fresh hires, the hyper-connected Gen Z-ers will have strong networks available to them. When you allow them to put these networks to use they'll feel more engaged and more valuable to your company. And as all leaders know, engagement is the key to quality work.
2. Broaden your notion of diversity. Gen Z is the most diverse generation in history thus far, and they like it that way.
Born and raised in a highly interconnected world, Gen Z is accustomed to diversity. They may not see a need to actively encourage diversity or inclusion in the workplace because they assume it's already present. The companies that will attract and retain Gen Z employees and the diverse perspectives they have to offer will be those organizations whose culture is fundamentally shaped by diversity. By making diversity a core part of your corporate culture you'll be able to spark more creative conversations in the office, increase the engagement of Gen Z-ers, and drive more business solutions.
3. Create sparring zones.
Sparring zones are spaces of power-free collaboration where employees of all levels can come together to share ideas, concerns, and plans. They're a space where employees work together in a respectful and responsive way. Having grown up with social media apps at their fingertips, Gen Z-ers are accustomed to freely expressing their thoughts, knowledge, and opinions online. This taste for self-expression will show up anywhere they work, and sparring zones will provide them with an environment in which they can be heard.
4. Teach the personal and the technical.
While Gen-Z employees will probably be more tech-savvy than you are, their interpersonal skills might be less refined. It's important to adjust company training programs accordingly. Beyond addressing technical issues, programs should train Gen Z about relationship building, body language, cultural dynamics, and privacy. Even in our increasingly tech-oriented world, the ability to interact and connect with others in person remains important. Your company should ensure that the future Gen-Z employees are trained to be as effective at communicating face-to-face as they are online.
5. Train in real time and make it engaging.
When teaching technical skills to Gen Z-ers, consider training them in real time. Generation Z has a short attention span centered on the "here and now." If they're not actually using the skills they're being taught at that very moment, they will be less likely to see the skills as relevant, and therefore less likely to retain them. Your company should replace some preplanned learning activities (like lectures) with more engaging activities that will teach Gen Z employees skills they can use and apply immediately.

The next generation of workers is sure to present some challenges -- just like any new generation -- and they will require some changes within the corporate structure. The task of adjusting (again) to the unique needs and wants of an entire generation may seem daunting, but making these changes will benefit the new generation and your company alike. Make sure you are equipped to handle the arrival of Gen Z and prepare early. And remember that, while they are seemingly unfocused and entitled, they will bring with them fresh ideas and energy that only they can provide.
Erica Dhawan is an author, keynote speaker and the CEO of Cotential, a global training and consulting firm. Her new book Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence, co-authored by Saj-nicole Joni, is out now. Follow her on Twitter and receive her free Connectional Intelligence Report here.

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Start Prepping Now -- Generation Z Is En Route

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Technology-obsessed. Social-media crazed. Entitled. Unfocused. By now you've likely read a dozen editorials about Millennials and their effect on the American workplace. And by now you probably have several coworkers in their twenties and have been able to separate fact from fiction. (You also probably got them to help you figure out Twitter).

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This article talks about the spending habits of millennials and gen z but they also talk about how Gen z will alter the marketing campaign altogether. They talk about how we have a greater understanding of people all over the world compared to previous generations based on our technology. They also said we realize that " everyone is essentially the same regardless of location."

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Millennials have long been the focus of attention, but as the first wave from Generation Z enters the workplace, there will be another shakeup on the horizon.

Business and marketers have been falling over themselves trying to appease millennials who were described as the biggest retail and employment disruptor of our time. However, as they are now thought to be 20 to 35, they are no longer the new kids on the block but are now getting older, and this represents a very different challenge to both businesses and marketers.

Every generation will develop different wants, needs and desires as they progress through the different stages of life and their responsibilities change. Much of what we thought we knew about millennials is about to change as they enter the next phase in their lives and begin to think about starting a family or financially planning for their long-term future, so we need to stop thinking of them as 15-year-olds.

They typically shunned debt and have famously believed to have put experiences over possessions by keeping a simple, minimalistic lifestyle and their lack of interest in cars still completely baffles the auto industry, but these attitudes could begin to change as they settle down into adulthood.

By contrast, Generation Z are starting to have purchasing power as they arrive in the workplace and are the first real digital natives who were raised on using five screens such as the smartphone, desktop, laptop, tablet and TV to communicate and digest information instantaneously but are equally easily distracted. The oldest members of Gen Z (born roughly between 1995 and 2010) will turn 20 this year, and their arrival is signaling a wave of change in the business landscape that could dramatically change the economic climate.

Millennials will start feeling old at an office party when nobody understands their tales of reminiscing over iPods and MySpace. Their younger colleagues cannot remember a time without social media or smartphones as technology has always been there dominating their lives; they are the first generation not to be excited by it, in fact, it's stepping away from tech and gadgets that feel alternative and cool.

Having been technologically proficient from such a young age, less is more, and any communication needs to be incredibly concise considering whole conversations can be achieved with a single image thanks to emojis.

Whereas the Millennials were all about filtered photos and edited videos that fueled their egos with likes and comments. Gen Z embraces living in the right now and enjoys sharing the world through their eyes through Snapchat stories that enable them to tell their story of a day in their life in an unedited video that will last for 24 hours before disappearing forever.

This simple change in habits will result in moving millions of marketing dollars away from the unfavored Facebook, and this is probably one of many reasons why Snapchat bravely turned down a $3 billion offer from Mark Zuckerberg's social network.

When surveyed it also predictably revealed that this new generation are proud cord cutters who seldom watch traditional tv or cable packages and would much sooner stream their content on services such as Netflix or YouTube.

We often talk about disruptive technology, but we should prepare for the arrival of Gen Z and accept how they are already beginning to change the corporate landscape. The gray suits behind large corporations that struggle to move anything forward are deemed too clunky and in a brave new digital world where rapid change is expected as the norm, the message is simply to keep up or get left behind.

Whereas previous generations had a worldview that was shaped by the media, these new kids on the block were leaving traditional stereotypes behind and regularly communicate with individuals from every corner of the world and understand at a relatively young age that everyone is essentially the same regardless of location.

Platforms such as Snapchat and Periscope have allowed them to tune in and see unedited daily routines of how people live their lives all over the world free from media bias. This has resulted in these global citizens relating to each other on a personal level and developing an understanding of just how similar all of our lives are all over the world.

As we continue to see the rise of individuality and the personalizing of almost everything we are already seeing larger companies beginning to struggle with their one size fits all marketing campaigns from auto do-not-reply email addresses that merely leave this new audience cold, in fact, they barely use email anyway.

More and more will turn away from clocking into an office 9-5 like many of their parents and siblings have done before them. Sluggish business practices and failure to continuously improve and evolve could even lead to a dramatic rise in solopreneur's or localized entrepreneurial business ventures forcing larger brands to change their ways.

Just when you thought you understood the mindset of the millennial, life has thrown another curveball in your direction. Whether its disruptive technology or even a next generation workforce, this is simply a wake-up call to illustrate how individuals or businesses can no longer have a static view and definition of a generation and must embrace rapid change before its too late.

With Gen Z turning their back on TV, email and the fake world of celebrity, idealistic millennials embrace the sharing economy as many will continue to steer clear of owning a car or their own home. This will increasingly impact the economy if old businesses no longer understand or are relevant to the two dominant generations.

Are you already noticing subtle changes in attitudes, spending habits and engagement from Gen Z audiences? Please share your experiences by commenting below.

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Millennials have long been the focus of attention, but as the first wave from Generation Z enters the workplace, there will be another shakeup on the horizon. Business and marketers have been falling over themselves trying to appease millennials who were described as the biggest retail and employment disruptor of our time.

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Fox news said that over the last few generations productivity has increased they say that generation z is less achievement oriented and that they need to go back to the managing style of 20 years ago. They claim that this generation is more collaborative and that leaders have to be more collaborative towards us. They also predict that they cannot rely on individual achievement for getting things done.

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I've had so many calls from frantic HR managers and executives about millennials, that it's become routine. "Over-entitled, lazy, tech-obsessed, lacking dedication, impatient" these are some of the typical complaints I get about the largest generation in U.S. history, who also happen to be "the most educated generation." With the impact millennials are having on the rising costs of recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training, and attrition due to turnover, it's no wonder that businesses are starting to worry. Many of us have been warning of the shift in values that millennials bring to the workforce for over 10 years. If you're just starting to panic now, you're behind the times! What's more, millennials are about to become old-school. Yep, brace yourselves, because the next generation, Gen Z, is about to enter the workforce with a value system all their own. That means, you're going to have to adapt again -- and quickly. Let's explore the burgeoning data on Gen Z and get a heads up on how businesses can adjust to meet the needs of the newest members of our workforce, and thrive in a brand new business world.
Related: 5 Ways Millennials Are Like No Generation Before Them
Every generation has a unique impact on the workforce, both positive and negative. In order to get a handle on how the latest generation of workers will be different, Essentials LLC, in one of the largest studies of its kind, surveyed nearly 70,000 high school students. In the study, all students took an identical 200-item assessment that described key behaviors such as proactivity, endurance, self-control and follow-through. The study's Gen Z subjects were compared to Baby Boomers surveyed at the same age using a similar methodology. Findings show that there are some striking differences in proactivity and exhibition scores that will have an impact on your business culture.

Shift in proactivity.

Proactivity is associated with the drive for individual achievement, which predicts how much your workforce will focus on meeting goals and achieving promotions. For the past several generations, this score has been high, but according to the study, it's substantially lower for Gen Z, which means these individuals are less driven and not as goal-oriented. While it may seem odd, that the most educated generation in history would score low in the proactivity category, there are logical reasons for this. Our educational system has shifted from focus on individual achievement to emphasizing and rewarding teamwork and cooperation. In addition to this our internet culture makes instant sharing and connectivity the norm. In the study, the Gen Z students who do the best in school are those with a balance of achievement-oriented behaviors (measured by proactivity, order, self-control, follow-through) and socially-oriented behaviors (measured by networking, change and exhibition).

In order to address this shift,your company will need to recognize that for Gen Z workers, the balance between social and achievement-oriented traits is highly regarded. Adapting your culture to take this fact into consideration, and use it to your advantage, will go a long way toward your continued success. I'm already hearing from many companies that shared decision-making and group-oriented achievement have emerged as traits for millennials. Expect this trend to gain even more momentum as Gen Z hits the workforce. Plan for your strategies- from incentives to performance-reviews to promotions to decision-making methods to leadership training to accommodate this shift in values.
Related: How to Motivate Millennials, By Millennials
Shift in exhibition.

For Gen Z, the need for attention and to be seen, has grown substantially, compared to Baby Boomers surveyed at the same age. While this makes sense, given the selfie craze and the ability to always be virtually connected to friends and family, the impact on work culture will be significant. Imagine all of your employees needing the spotlight, constantly craving attention from their managers and peers. What's even more interesting about this behavioral scale is that according to the study, when the need for exhibition is high among students, it negatively affects their GPA, indicating that this group will place less emphasis on achievement.

What this means is that we'll likely have to return to the managerial methods of 20 years ago. The managers of today, since they're managing mostly high-performers, have been given significant individual contributor responsibilities on top of their management responsibilities. With the advent of Gen Z, who are demonstrably less achievement-oriented, we'll need real "managers" who spend most of their jobs actually managing employees.
Related: Why 'Gen Z' May Be More Entrepreneurial Than 'Gen Y'
The silver lining.

With the continual improvement in productivity over the past few decades, we have come to expect high output from nearly every employee, but is this necessarily a good thing? With individual achievement as the core competitive advantage within organizations, we do see negative fallout. Employees are stretched thin. Stress and stress-related illness is rampant. The shifting values from millennials and Gen Z, can actually be a balm to what is likely an unsustainable trajectory for our businesses. We will no longer be able to rely on individual achievement as the core factor for getting things done. Leaders will need to learn how to be more collaborative, share decision-making, give attention to their employees and coach them to become more productive. We will likely see a shift to a more supportive work environment, with full-time coaches within organizations and more managers who spend most of their time managing, rather than contributing individual work. Are you ready for Gen Z? How will you need to adapt?

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I've had so many calls from frantic HR managers and executives about millennials, that it's become routine. "Over-entitled, lazy, tech-obsessed, lacking dedication, impatient" these are some of the typical complaints I get about the largest generation in U.S. history, who also happen to be "the most educated generation."

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Intelligent HQ said something very interesting when it comes to privacy settings. They talk about how most men will have there privacy setting on public rather than private as for females they will have it on private. They also talk about how white males will put there real names on Instagram and other social media sites compared to African Americans who only 77% put their real names. it also talks about how people post their phone numbers, school, etc. on social media.

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Article written by Paula Newton and Maria Fonseca

Understanding how Generation Z, those that are currently teenagers, use social media is essential to grasp the type of humans beings we will have tomorrow. Gaining this comprehension has been the recent endeavour of a Pew Research report published in 2013. The authors of the report set out to look at the types of information that teenagers share, their use of different kinds of social media sites, their opinions about privacy and their network sizes, among others. The findings show that teenagers are interacting in interesting ways with social media. Pew Research surveyed a total of 802 teenagers to understand patterns and trends.

One of the key differences that was established, and an important point that the Pew Research report highlights as being significant is that:

"Teens are sharing more information about themselves on social media sites than they did in the past".

That may seem like quite a strange finding, since some might think that social media does not really have much of a past, but in fact the research looked at the differences between the use of social media websites among teens in 2006, compared to that in 2012, and the six years interval has made quite a difference.

Teens were found to be much more likely to post a photo of themselves, and 91% reported that they did this, compared to 79% in the past. Additionally teens were more likely to post their school name, the city or town where they live, their email address and their cell phone number. In the case of the cell phone number the figure had risen from 2% to 20%, and with email address, the figure was 53%, up from 29%. Also, teenagers in 92% of cases post their real name. Particularly useful for marketing purposes, 84% post their interests, 82% post their birth date, and 62% post their relationship status.

What is interesting about this study is how it tends to confirm the assumption that generation Z is not concerned at all neither with issues of privacy nor (counter-intuitively as it might seem) of publicity, as publicity is now something quite easily achieved and shared by many. As Social Media Marketeer Brian Solis writes in a recent post on his website:

"Privacy for the most part is something that older generations guarded. For most, privacy was and is sacred, worthy of protecting. Publicity on the other hand was almost a luxury. To earn the attention of the masses required investment and strategy. It's almost the opposite is true among digital natives."

The report showed that demographics had some bearing on what was shared or not. In particular older teens (14-17 year olds) were found to be significantly more likely to share certain types of content than younger teens (12 and 13 year olds). What they were more likely to share was the photo of themselves, their school name, their relationship status and their phone number. Interestingly, most kinds of data shared by boys and girls were very similar, but with one important exception. Boys were found to be far more likely to share their phone numbers than girls. In terms of race, another interesting difference was found, namely that African American social media using teens are less likely to use their real name on their social media profile. Specifically, 95% of white teens will publish their real name, but this number drops to 77% for African American teenagers.

Of note, focus group discussions that were held with teenagers expressed that teens had "waning enthusiasm" for Facebook. Nonetheless, teens tended to have an average of 300 friends on Facebook, but only 79 followers on Twitter. Teenagers expressed a need to stay on Facebook due to the socialising that it allows for, but they reported stress associated with managing reputations on Facebook and having to continually deal with the drama that occurs on Facebook. Many also did not like the number of adults on the site.

Importantly, on the issue of privacy, it was reported that:

"60% of teen Facebook users keep their profiles private and most report high levels of confidence in their ability to manage their settings".

Girls were found to be more likely to keep access to their profiles restricted, and more than half of the teenagers surveyed had no problems with managing the privacy settings on Facebook. Interestingly for business and moving forward, few teens had any concern about third parties having access to their information on social media websites, and only 9% reported being "very concerned" about this. Younger users were much more likely to be concerned than online teens. Of note, those teens that were concerned about the access of others to their information were considerably more likely to manage their online reputations more carefully.

There are two striking conclusions to be taken from this study. One is how the concept of privacy is being totally transformed, through the hands and behaviours of the younger generation, and the other is how generation z is so interested in self expression. How to interpret these two signs, and as ways to predict the costumer/ citizen of the future ?
Forget about Privacy and Welcome Transparency
Concerning privacy, the main lesson to be taken is how the online/offline persona is disappearing increasingly. As Solis writes:

"The line that divides online and offline character and image is rapidly, and intentionally, eroding. And for some, it's completely vanished."

Generation Z, also called as the digital natives, are thus transforming what we understand by "privacy", which confirms a similar shift in the overall society, particularly noticeable in the way "privacy" issues are being increasingly addressed through the adoption of the word "transparency", "trust" and reputation".
Reinventing the Self Portrait through the "Selfie"
But as Brian Solis notes, when analyzing the Pew report, the study lefts out of the picture how teens increasingly use Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, and many other sites, which tend to downplay the "drama" of commentary happening on facebook, rather focusing in self expression and more curated content, specifically tailored to their interests. Some of these new platforms also reintroduce secrecy, as it is the case of snapchat and glimpse.

If self expression and a relentless interest in numbers of likes, followers, and subscribers, can be interpreted as characterizing generation Z as very prone to narcissism, when everyone else is a "celebrity" or a narcissist, the concept of such a "celebrity" totally dependent and contributing to the numbers of others, just vanishes as a sand castle.

In 1999, in a thought provoking article, renowned psychologist Keneth Gregen anticipated the impact of social media technologies, what he called as "technologies of sociation" in the conception of the "self". His essay, entitled " self: death by technology " previewed the erosion of individualism, triggered by the effects of the online social connections on the experience/construction of a private self, now to be shaped in a totally different way.

Could we thus understand the "selfie", massively done by everyone with the ultimate goal of providing the internet world with something upon to "comment and share", as the vernacular version of that "erosion of the self " proposed by Gergen ? In the same essay Gergen proposed that as a result of the phenomenon, would arise a "growing consciousness of the self as a commodity", or a "self" constructed through polyvocality, plasticity, and de-authentication.

What about now, 14 years later?

As many have written, and teenagers give evidence, we are all now becoming part of the connected generation, as we move from being a "self" to making (thus becoming) "selfies", aware and savvy on managing "polyvocality, plasticity and de-authentication". It will just be a question of years until teenagers (and the rest of us) will look at the "selfie" with an high doses of laughter and increased "self" awareness on the connected character of our souls. If so, Generation Z should thus be looked at with optimism.

Lets wait and see.

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Understanding the characteristics of generation z

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Article written by Paula Newton and Maria Fonseca Understanding how Generation Z, those that are currently teenagers, use social media is essential to grasp the type of humans beings we will have tomorrow. Gaining this comprehension has been the recent endeavour of a Pew Research report published in 2013.

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This article talks about how our generation has no patients or focus. They show how people talk how this generation is going to plan head and build our own companies and businesses off what we enjoy. They also talk about how we are branded socially inept or unable to socially interact normally.

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Poor Generation Z. The oldest members of this cohort are barely 18 and they're already getting a bad rap. Media and market research companies have labeled them "screen addicts" with the attention span of a gnat. And the pressure: They only have the weight of saving the world and fixing our past mistakes on their small shoulders.

Really?

While generational research is an inherently messy process-older generations study "the kids" to figure them out-much of the recent research is awash in normative preconceptions, biases, and stereotypes. Gen Z deserves a fairer shake, and the rest of us need a more nuanced conversation: This group makes up a quarter of the U.S. population and by 2020 will account for 40% of all consumers. Understanding them will be critical to companies wanting to succeed in the next decade and beyond.

My firm Altitude set out to dig below the surface to understand not only what Gen Z were doing but why-in their own words. We worked with over a dozen 16- to 18-year-olds with diverse backgrounds from across the country through a series of in-depth discussions, video diaries, and daily interactive exercises designed to provide a glimpse into their lives. Our goal was to view the world through their eyes.

What we learned was surprising.

The recent headline-grabbing studies suggest that Gen Z attention spans have shrunk to eight seconds and that they're unable to focus for extended amounts of time. However, we found that Gen Z actually have what we're calling highly evolved "eight-second filters."

They've grown up in a world where their options are limitless but their time is not. As such, Gen Z have adapted to quickly sorting through and assessing enormous amounts of information. Online, they rely heavily on trending pages within apps to collect the most popular recent content. They also turn to trusted curators, such as Phil DeFranco and Bethany Mota, to locate the most relevant information and entertainment. These tools help Gen Z shrink their potential option set down to a more manageable size.

Once something has demonstrated attention-worthiness, Gen Z can become intensely committed and focused. They've come of age with an Internet that's allowed them to go deep on any topic of their choosing and learn from like-minded fans. Marcus, a 17-year-old from Connecticut, spent years exploring the corners of vintage sneaker culture online, eventually becoming somewhat of a " sneakerhead." During his freshman year in college, he realized he could leverage this knowledge and started a side business flipping rare shoes.

Gen Z have a carefully tuned radar for being sold to and a limited amount of time and energy to spend assessing whether something's worth their time. Getting past these filters, and winning Gen Z's attention, will mean providing them with engaging and immediately beneficial experiences. One-way messaging alone will likely get drowned out in the noise.

The media has painted Gen Z as a bunch of socially inept netizens and older generations struggle to understand why they spend so much time online. In reality, Gen Z are under immense pressure to simultaneously manage their personal and professional brands to help them fit in while also standing out.

On a personal level, Gen Z seek immediate validation and acceptance through social media, since that's where all their peers are and where many of the important conversations happen. They curate different social media personas in order to please each audience and minimize conflict or controversy. "We filter out whatever flaws we may have, to create the ideal image," says Sneha, a 16-year-old from Arizona.

On a professional level, Gen Z are hyperaware of the negative stereotypes that have plagued millennials. As a result, they want to be known for their ability to work hard and persevere offline. "I've always felt like I needed to prove myself," says Sneha. "Hard work eventually pays off."

The majority of the people in our study also said that their ability to communicate clearly in person, specifically with older adults, was the number one skill that would ensure their future success. "I need to be able to look adults in the eye, give them a firm handshake and ask them how they're doing," says Liam, 17.

Between these two forces, Gen Z feel torn: They need social media to build their personal brands but resist being defined by it. They seek social validation and inclusion but are looking to differentiate themselves professionally. Companies that understand this tension will provide Gen Z the tools they need to reconcile and better manage their personal and professional brands.

Recent reports have labeled Gen Z the "entrepreneurial generation" and highlighted their desire to forsake the corporate grind for their own startups. We found that while Gen Z like the idea of working for themselves, the majority are risk-averse, practical, and pragmatic. Their supposed entrepreneurialism is actually more of a survival mechanism than an idealist reach for status or riches.

Whereas millennials were criticized for their lack of focus, Gen Z are determined to plan ahead. Gen Z have been strongly shaped by their individualistic, self-reliant Gen X parents and they're committed to avoiding the mistakes their meandering millennial predecessors made. "I need a job that will come out with money, otherwise college will be a waste", says Marcus, 17. "I want to pick a career that is stable."

To ease this anxiety, the participants in our study all claimed to be aiming for jobs i n growing, less-automatable fields like education, medicine, and sales. And they're obsessed with developing contingency plans to help them navigate the dynamic job market. While the media has singled out a number of high-profile entrepreneurial teen success stories, the majority of Gen Z in our study are biased in favor of career and financial stability. Entrepreneurship is seen as a way to not have to rely on anyone (or anything) else, and their version of it will likely be focused on sustainable "singles and doubles" ventures rather than Silicon Valley "home runs."

Society tends to either romanticize youth or criticize the things they're doing differently. The reality of Gen Z, however, lies somewhere in between. They face many of the challenges that everyone faces in that life stage-transitioning from school to work, separating from parents, and forming their own identities. But they're doing so in an ultra-connected, fast-moving technological age.

It's critical that we recognize Gen Z's differences and meet them where they are, rather than where we want them to be. Without empathy and understanding, brands risk being filtered into obscurity. As writer Logan Pearsall Smith put it nearly 100 years ago: "Don't laugh at a youth for his affectations; he is only trying on one face after another to find a face of his own."

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What Is Generation Z, And What Does It Want?

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Poor Generation Z. The oldest members of this cohort are barely 18 and they're already getting a bad rap. Media and market research companies have labeled them "screen addicts" with the attention span of a gnat. And the pressure: They only have the weight of saving the world and fixing our past mistakes on their small shoulders.