If you want the exact numbers, Millennials were born between the years 1981 and 1996, whereas Generation Z was born between 1997 and 2010.
It may not seem like too big of a difference, but the generational war between the two have only become more evident throughout the years.
To begin, it’s safe to say each generation, though raised around each other, has apparent differences. But many go unnoticed, for example, attention span. According to a study done by Oberlo, Gen Z has an attention span of around 8 seconds, while Millennials have an attention span of 12 seconds. According to Tradable Bits, a marketing blog, advertising is now directed to fit the new generation 8 second attention span.
The online world is everything these days, so when Google conducted a study trying to figure out why teens turn to online shopping, the answer was not as exciting as you’d think. One word: convenience. As a part of Gen Z, I think I speak for many of us when I say, why make your life any harder than it already is?
But it’s not to say Gen Z is anti-social in any way. In fact, they might even have better social skills than Millennials. Millennials were pioneers of the digital world; witnessing phones become an essential and modern technology become a part of regular life. 74% of Gen Z say they prefer face-to-face contact with colleagues in the workplace. Gen Z grew up with technology and is said to have a better balance between the tech world and their real-life interactions.
Growing up around so much technology, we have advantages of all sorts. Gen Z is the most proficient generation when it comes to multi-tasking. This could include watching a movie while researching and completing an assignment. They have trained their brains to handle multiple things at once, and if not challenged enough, will likely get bored.
When it comes to education, the divide is evident. According to Sparks and Honey research, 75% of Gen Z believe there are many other ways of receiving proper education than the typical college route. It is common to see Millennials these days who are still paying off student debt. 44% of recent college grads are employed in jobs that don’t even require a degree. With wisdom, generations seem to learn from past mistakes.
But when all these differences are brought to life, conflict may occur. Over the last couple years, stereotypes and lingo towards those in other generations were created. Phrases like ‘Karen’ and ‘Boomer’ were made by Gen Z towards older generations.
The term boomer is used as a comeback towards Baby Boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964. The term is used as a response to any arguments a Gen Z person could be having with. And according to BBC ‘the term Karen widespread meme referencing a specific type of middle-class white woman, who exhibits behaviours that stem from privilege.’ These stereotypes stem from differences of age and mindsets, which change throughout the years.
With evolutionary changes to society and standards, conflicts between generations are always going to be something generations may not see eye to eye on. Many factors play into these differences, whether it is the evolution of technology or the significant worldwide events that occurred as we grew up. Now, this isn’t to say one is clearly superior, I guess that is up to interpretation. Would you rather be able to do three things at once, or be able to focus for over 10 seconds?
