Decoding Gen Z: From Constant Connectivity to AI Optimism

#FutureOfWork

I spend a lot of time with younger generations. I still can’t vlog my daily life or pass the vibe check. But apparently, I’m a lot of people’s bestie even though I don’t care to try the latest TikTok dance. However, I do listen, watch and learn. Most of my time is spent translating these learnings for corporations.?

Over the last 18 months in particular, every question from my clients has been around two main subjects:?

1. GenZ in the workplace
2. How GenZ are using AI

To really answer the various questions that come from these topics, there are three things that are driving to the top of our research now:

1. Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Their lives are consumed by constant information, pings, updates, opportunities, and socialization across multiple channels. It’s a frenetic energy that young people deal with at all times.

Ping, pop, beep, heart…updates are constant, and the updates are a tagline, or even just a quick picture. We’ve shortened our communication style, and yet also driven more communications.

You might have a vague understanding. I know I do. At times, I find myself flipping through my Instagram feed, getting caught up in a kangaroo sanctuary. Then in an instant, somebody’s telling me what I need to do with my hair, and then I shift to a new story about the election, and then the latest crisis…then I see the disaster in different feeds, and then to other people reporting on the same disaster, and it takes me down rabbit holes, all while I'm getting pings and emails and beeps and likes.

As a generation who has grown up with this type of communication, are they more prepared for it? For me, I’d like to turn off all those sounds, but as one GenZ from the United Kingdom stated, “I do like downtime, but downtime is on my phone. I don’t want to miss something.”??

2. The narrative is more important than facts.

We’re finding that over 45% of Generation Z get their news from social media. They’re learning history, updates and new ideas from peers, influencers, or ‘randoms’ on social media feeds. It isn’t necessarily true, but it’s captivating.?

If things aren't factually based anymore, what does that mean in general? When things go wrong, whose narrative is believed? Who is the loudest or the most convincing, emotionally, and gets their version out there?

As a business, how do you stick to the facts? And, is it tempting to control the narrative??

Most youth are smart enough to navigate the social media algorithms that keep their target audiences in their bubbles. The emotional narrative they (and we) hear is the narrative they (and we) want to hear.? The storytelling and the conviction of voices are what is driving the information.?

For companies, this gives us a lot to think about.?

3. There is an optimism and excitement toward Artificial Intelligence.

For Generation Z, it’s about opportunity more than fear. As was wisely said by one of our youth from California, “No math genius was made from a calculator.”?

In fact, in our research, we have seen that over 54% of Generation Z is excited about AI and 42% have Mixed Feelings - but not trepidation towards AI. They're excited by the jobs that are being created from AI and the possibilities it brings to their lives. As technical natives, they've learned that the advent of new technologies means new ways of society, life and living. It isn’t naivete that makes them think this way, either. They simply engage differently with AI than we do, and realize it’s similar to other technology cycles that have previously happened.?

Everyone is asking how to incorporate AI into their business, but the question that you should be asking is what is the mix of AI and GenZ? How does this generation - your future customers and employees - use and engage with AI??

To truly find the GenZ potential as employees and consumers, there is a simple magic trick: watch their behaviors and the trends because they’re different and we need to adapt our approaches accordingly. There is constant change and we need to see solutions from a different lens right now. It's never “One and Done.”