Gen Z

“Always on”.

Digital natives. 

Eco warriors.

Gender non-conforming.

iGen.

Isolated. 

Living on a screen.

Who are Gen Z?

Multiplicitous.

Neurodiverse.

Pragmatic.

Racially diverse.

Snowflakes. 

Socially engaged.

A generation of ‘digital natives’ who value dialogue and freedom from external labels, Gen Z are pushing for societal change in new and exciting ways. Often referred to as ‘generation snowflake’ Gen Z makes it known that their tolerance for individuality and personal expression is high, and their tolerance for bigotry low. With a strong emphasis on valuing community (both on and offline), this group is pragmatically shaping the future. (Robinson, 2017)

Deciding when a generation begins and ends is not an exact science, and the names and dates which mark generations will differ depending on culture and geographical location (Parker, Graf and Igielnik, 2019). Within a Western context, opinions differ, with Kasasa (2021) and the Pew Research Centre (Parker, Graf and Igielnik, 2019) classifying Gen Z as being born between 1997-2012. CareerPlanner.com (Robinson, 2017) says 1995-2012, while McKinsey & Co (Francis and Hoefel, 2018) cites 1995-2010. For ease and to gain the broadest perspectives possible, we have decided to count everyone born between 1995 – 2012 as Gen Z.

Declared by McKinsey & Co to be the “generation in search of truth” (Francis and Hoefel, 2018), much of the focus on Gen Z has centred their relationship with the internet (particularly social media), their dislike of gendered labels and increasing levels of neurodivergence. However, as we saw with their Millennial siblings, the Gen Z experience has been flattened to a two-dimensional landscape – with little room for nuance or multiple perspectives. 

While no one can deny that they are a group of people born with infinite sources of knowledge at their fingertips, Gen Z have also grown into a world of increasing economic, ecological and societal turmoil. With some of their most definitive years spent in relative isolation due to Covid-19, many Gen Z have witnessed racial health inequality impact their families and communities with devastating results. As a generation with access to technology 24/7 how has news about: the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the attacks on the East Asian, SouthEast Asian and Pacific Islander communities, global protests against the restrictions of human rights, multiple wars, the hostile immigration environment in the UK, GCSE, A Level and Higher Education awarding gaps, conversations around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within institutions, and the recent overturning of Roe v Wade in the US, impacted this group of young people?

In this Terms of Reference (TOR) journal, we wish to tell nuanced, contextualised, authentic stories of GenZ. Your contributions will be presented in three Acts: Act 1 – The Inheritance, Act 2 – The Reckoning, Act 3 – The Future. Shades of Noir invites members of Gen Z, their parents, teachers and peers to push through the noise and tell us – who are Gen Z? 

Key provocations/themes for this TOR include but are not limited to:

• Gen Z and racial justice 
• Gen Z and mental health 
• Gen Z viewpoints on past and future generations
• Gen Z and neurodiversity
• Gen Z and disability
• Gen Z, money and finance
• Gen Z on migration
• Gen Z’s approach to learning and research
• Gen Z’s approach to the creative industries
• Gen Z on sex and sexuality
• Gen Z and gender identity
• Gen Z on climate change, climate justice and ‘greenwashing’
• Gen Z and Covid-19
• Gen Z and the workforce
• Gen Z and politics – what are you/they voting for?
• Gen Z and social media – what is the real story?
• Who are Gen Z without the internet?
• Generational cohorts are largely a marketing invention – do these profiles help or harm?
• Teaching Gen Z
• Parental perspectives on raising a Gen Z child
• Previous generational perspectives on Gen Z

Bibliography 

(with special thanks to Favour Jonathan):

• Akala (2018) Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire. London: Two Roads.
• Dimock, M. (2019) Defining Generations: Where Millennials End and Generation Z Begins, Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center. Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/ (Accessed: 5 August 2022).
• Francis, T. and Hoefel, F. (2018) ‘True Gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies, McKinsey & Company. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies (Accessed: 20 July 2022).
• Moore, K., Jones, C. and Frazier, R.S. (2017) ‘Engineering Education for Generation Z’, American Journal of Engineering Education (AJEE), 8(2), pp. 111–126. doi:10.19030/ajee.v8i2.10067.
• Eyerman, R. and Turner, B.S. (1998) ‘Outline of a Theory of Generations’, European Journal of Social Theory, 1(1), pp. 91–106. doi:10.1177/136843198001001007.
• Kasasa (2021) Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z, and Gen A Explained, Kasasa. Available at: https://www.kasasa.com/exchange/articles/generations/gen-x-gen-y-gen-z (Accessed: 20 July 2022).
• Mannheim, K. (1952). ‘The Problem of Generations’ in Kecskemeti, P. (ed.) Essays of the Sociology of Knowledge: Collected Works. New York: Routledge, pp. 276–322.
• Parker, K., Graf, N. and Igielnik, R. (2019) Generation Z Looks a Lot Like Millennials on Key Social and Political Issues, Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project. Pew Research Center. Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/01/17/generation-z-looks-a-lot-like-millennials-on-key-social-and-political-issues/. (Accessed: 20 July 2022)
• Prensky, M. (2001a) ‘Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants’, On the Horizon, 9(5), pp. 1–6. doi:10.1108/10748120110424816.
• Prensky, M. (2001b) ‘Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 2: Do They Really Think Differently?’, On the Horizon, 9(6), pp. 1–6. doi:10.1108/10748120110424843.
• Reeves, T. C., & Oh, E. (2008). Generational differences. Handbook of research on educational communications and technology, 3, 295-303.
• Robinson, M.T. (2017) Which Generation Are You?, Careerplanner.com. Available at: https://www.careerplanner.com/Career-Articles/Generations.cfm (Accessed: 20 July 2022).
• Slavich, G.M. and Zimbardo, P.G. (2012) ‘Transformational Teaching: Theoretical Underpinnings, Basic Principles, and Core Methods’, Educational Psychology Review, 24(4), pp. 569–608. doi:10.1007/s10648-012-9199-6.
• Thompson, P. (2013) ‘The Digital Natives as Learners: Technology Use Patterns and Approaches to Learning’, Computers & Education, 65(July 2013), pp. 12–33. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2012.12.022.

Submission Guidelines: 

We accept contributions in the form of visual works, poetry, film, podcasts, music, soundscapes, creative writing, think-pieces, social media, traditional journalism and personal essays. 

Submission deadline: 11:59pm on Wednesday 9th November 2022.

Submissions can be, but aren’t limited to:

Written pieces:

• Format: MS Word or Google doc format (please allow editing permissions).
• Word count: 500-1000 words. 
• Please include an image that represents you and/or your work, this should be no less than 2000px wide and 300 dpi.
• Social media/website links

Visual Work: 

• Images should be no less than 2000px wide and 300dpi. 
• Please submit 3 – 6 images from multiple angles if possible. 
• Please clearly title images and send to us in jpg or png format 
• Please include in a separate word document: a short artist’s bio (100 words max), a project blurb (1page max), image captions and credits. 
• Social media/website links

Film: 

• Please send an open link (YouTube & Vimeo are the best formats) 
• A project blurb in a Word document (1 page max)
• A short artist’s bio (100 words max)
• Social media/website links

Sound:

• Please send an open link (Soundcloud, YouTube & Spotify are the best formats)
• A project blurb in a Word document (1 page max)
• A short artist’s bio (100 words max)
• Social media/website links

Social Media Submissions (open to GenZ only): 

You can send us a social media submission only or, send a social media submission in addition to another submission format. You can also choose to reply to one or all of the social media submission questions below. This mode of submission is very flexible. The only restrictions are that content must be properly attributed and dated as outlined below:

• Please send an open link  (YouTube, TikTok, any media that doesn’t require login to see content) in response to one of the following questions
  • What quote/meme/reel/tiktok/social media account would you recommend to someone from a previous/your parents’ generation?
  • What quote/meme/reel/tiktok/social media account best represents your views on the world today?
  • What quote/meme/reel/tiktok/social media account best represents how you plan to deal with the world you have inherited?
• Please also include the content creator’s social media handle (e.g. @myname)
• The year the content was created/shared (yyyy), and
• How you would like to be credited for sharing (e.g. @myhandle or My Name)