Generation Z (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what generation Z or centenarians is, their characteristics and what historical events they experienced. Also, what are the other generations.

A group of young people belonging to generation z take a photo. — Members of Generation Z have only completed two decades of life.

What is generation Z?

Generation Z or centennial generation (a more appropriate term than the Anglicism centennial), also called zoomersis in the Anglo-Saxon nomenclature the demographic cohort between 1997 and 2012 approximately, since there are still no universally defined limits for the closure of this recent generation of human beings. It is about the first generation of digital natives in history that is, of individuals who were born immersed in the culture on-line of the internet and social networks.

Initially, this generation was known as postmillennial or postmillennial, since they are the heirs of generation Y, but there is still no universal consensus on what to call them. Anglo-Saxon scholars have evaluated different options for this: “iGeneration” (in reference to popular technological products such as iPhone), “Gen Tech”, “Plurals”, “Internet Generation” and even “Delta”, but somehow the terms centennial have ended up being imposed in magazines and newspapers, centennial and “generation Z”. This may change in the future.

Generation Z It is still too young to define it exhaustively since its members do not have more than two decades of life. However, some trends already seem to be defining of the whole, such as the easy and intuitive relationship with digital technologies, the mental tendency towards dispersion and distraction, and a certain commitment to social militancy (especially on issues of ethnicity and gender), which has earned them the nicknames “offended generation” or “glass generation.”

Mostly born in the 21st century, centenarians have come into the world in the midst of uncertainties, in an era marked by fear of climate change and the radicalization of political thought as well as the often uncontrollable influence of social media and the free flow of information.

Characteristics of generation Z

A group of young people from generation z work in a cafe in front of their computers. — Generation Z was born immersed in the online culture of the Internet and social networks.

Although the traits of an entire generation of human beings may be very diffuse, centennials are generally thought to be characterized by the following:

were born between 1995 or 1997 and the first decade of the 2000s that is, between 2000 and 2012, depending on the authors consulted.
have an age range of between 11 and 26 years (in 2023) and cover 23.7% of the current world population.
are comfortable in a hyper-technological and hyper-connected world and they are regular users of social networks from an early age. Their way of relating and interacting, therefore, is deeply linked to the digital.
tend to get involved at an early age with causes linked to social activism on topics such as combating racism and sexism, or making LGBTQ people visible. In this sense, they tend to use their own lexicon and their own categories, especially in relation to gender identity.
They present a marked tendency towards technological dependence, mental dispersion and anxiety. They present higher margins of autism than previous generations, although it is difficult to compare given that the diagnosis of this type of mental configuration was not common before.
are an eminently urban generation much more than its predecessors, who were already quite so. They are also considered more mature and pragmatic than the so-called millennials.
They are much more accustomed than previous generations to family diversity: single-parent families, homoparental families, among others.

Historical events experienced by generation Z

Two young people from generation z walk down the street covered with masks during the covid 19 pandemic. — The Covid-19 pandemic prevented, among many other things, the normal socialization of young people and children.

Some of the most significant historical events that generation Z has witnessed in its brief history are the following:

The Great Recession (2008). This is the name given to the great economic crisis that began in 2008 in the United States, the product of a confluence of factors including the rise in oil prices after the US invasion of Iraq, the absence of timely regulations, the regional mortgage crisis and credit, among others. The crisis spread throughout the developed world very quickly and caused an unprecedented rise in commodities (the raw material), which brought a global rise in inflation followed by a huge financial deflation.
The Syrian civil war (2011-). Still ongoing in 2022, this conflict began through a series of anti-government protests that sought to depose the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The intervention of foreign powers led to the polarization of the conflict and the outbreak of civil war, which soon involved neighboring countries and produced the emergence of religious radicalism, under the banner of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS). The latter motivated the direct intervention of an international alliance that did not have the approval of the Syrian government. Along with the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, the Syrian civil war was one of the most dramatic war events of the nascent 21st century.
The signing of the Paris agreement (2015). This is an international agreement signed by 196 countries in order to combat climate change and the greenhouse effect caused by human emissions of high-carbon gases. Signed on December 12, 2015, it entered into force on November 4, 2016, and is intended to limit global warming to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels.
The Covid-19 pandemic (2019-). A new respiratory disease appeared in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, China, and quickly spread throughout the world, unleashing the covid-19 pandemic. In its first three years, the new disease claimed the lives of 6.32 million people and forced the entire world to undergo strict urban confinement measures, whose impact on the economy was catastrophic. The pandemic interrupted schooling and modified socialization habits, forcing social distancing and the use of face masks, which prevented, among many other things, the normal socialization of young people and children.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022-). New global tensions were unleashed, politically and economically, with Russia's invasion of the territories of eastern Ukraine, after internal tensions in this country led to a civil war between pro-Russian and pro-European Union supporters. The immediate consequences of the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine were the global shortage of wheat and its derived foods (mostly produced in this country) and also the increase in the price of natural gas that Russia supplies to Europe and much of the world. This quickly generated an energy crisis that threatens to impede the climate objectives established internationally to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere and thus climate change.

Differences between millennials and generation Z

Greta Thunberg gives a speech in defense of the environment. — Generation Z shows a strong commitment to various environmental and social struggles.

Although these are generations that share major constituent elements, such as their technological affinity and their new ways of relating through Communication and Information Technologies (ICT), generation Y and generation Z already present some differences, such as are:

His propensity for activism. The millennial generation It was considered by many to be a more cynical, comfortable and volatile generation than its predecessors, and was criticized for a hedonistic and selfish, even spoiled, stance. In contrast, the still young Generation Z seems to have a greater commitment to environmental causes, gender equality and the visibility of minorities, especially on social networks. Their participation in demonstrations and marches tends to be the majority.
Your link with technology. If millennials made the leap into the digital world, centenarians were born immersed in it. But unlike their predecessors, Generation Z seems to prefer physical, in-person meetings over the virtual interaction typical of millennials.
Your cultural consumption. The cultural consumption trends that emerged with the Internet and cable television, constitutive in the youth universe of millennials, were consolidated in the world of generation Z. The platforms of streamingmusic and video social networks (such as YouTube or Tik Tok) and other forms of globalized cultural consumption allow centenarians greater openness and freedom when choosing their aesthetic trends. It could be said that, in this sense, centennials are the logical conclusion of millennial culture.

What are the other generations?

In addition to generation Z, the following generations of the 20th and early 21st centuries are usually distinguished:

The silent generation. Generation preceding the baby boomerswhose individuals were born between 1928 and 1945, currently covers 3.5% of the world's population.
baby boomers. So called due to the significant rise in birth rates that they witnessed, the baby boomers They were born between 1946 and 1964, and currently represent 15% of the world's population.
Generation. Also called “the lost generation” or “the dumb generation”, it is considered a “bridge” generation between the baby boomers and the millennials. This is a generation that witnessed the great changes of the 20th century and includes those born between 1965 and 1980. It currently represents 18.2% of the world population.
Generation Y or millennials. So called because they witnessed the end of the 20th century and the second millennium of the current era, they are the first generation that was born immersed in the technological revolution of the end of the 20th century. It covers those born between 1981 and 1997, and they are 22.4% of the world population.
Generation Alpha. The most recent generation to date covers individuals born between 2012 and 2022, for now, making it the first generation entirely born in the 21st century. It currently covers 17.2% of the world's population.