More than two billion young people - hurried, pragmatic, independent and stubborn - live in a perfect symbiosis with the digital universe and make up “Generation Z.” Speed? Yes! Patience? No! Social networks? - Yes! Books? Nope! Ambition? - Yes! Obedience - Nopenope! Video games? - Yes! Sports? - Meh.
These young people born after 1995 grew up with the Internet and seem determined to build a life in connection to it, far from the codes of conduct and aspirations of their predecessors. They are "mutants," some sociologists say, browsing multiple screens at once and demanding Everything, Immediately, Anytime. It seems normal to them to pay a lot for the latest smartphone, but just as natural to get movies or songs for free. (Sorry, Hollywood!...)
Their friends on social networks matter as much as real-life friends. From the age of 16, these youngsters visit dating websites. More than half of the young Zs think that true social life happens online, via sites where almost 80% of them are users/members. Quite accustomed to YouTube video tutorials, self-taught in all the high-tech areas, as their parents have fallen behind, Generation Z have already witnessed the disappearance of several technologies: old tape recorders, walkmans, CDs, DVDs. But somehow they’ve managed to create innovative, useful, and original stuff… like the fidget spinner. Kids, these days!...
They are not just happy watching online movies and videos, they also want to contribute by creating their own YouTube channel or blog, emulating some other famous teenagers. But their attention span is very short: they scan instead of reading, they get bored amazingly fast, they require more diversity and multi-level interaction than any other previous generations. It’s a challenge to keep them focused, but it’s exciting to work with them. That’s why we’re teachers, after all…
Picture credits:
Sources: