Generation Z
Kyle McCormick, Tyler Fragola, Peyton Rail, Ashton Krol, Ava Tarzian, Anthony Surdich
Generation Z is widely recognized as a generation defined by technology. Born between 1997 and 2012, Generation Z was essentially the first generation with full access to technology such as smartphones, computers, and social media since birth.
There are many broad generational stereotypes of Gen Z that are useful in characterizing the generation’s relationship with technology. As a whole, this generation is extremely dependent and attached to smartphones and social media technologies. Technological advancements have had a huge impact on this generation, there isn’t much that occurs without the use of technology. Many important events have landmarked technological advancements for this generation. These include, Netflix being created August 29, 1997, 9/11 impacted our society (2001), the first smartphone was created (2007), Facebook was created in 2012, and the COVID-19 pandemic (2019-2022).
There are a variety of events that have made a large impact on this generation. We chose technologies including virtual reality, A.I. technology, smartphones, Zoom, entertainment streaming and social media because we felt these six have sculpted our generation. Virtual reality is one of the most popular video game platforms that recently emerged. Tech gurus believe that at a certain point in time, we will be able to coexist with others in a virtual world. Being able to live two simultaneously is going to be very interesting. AI tech is a new and very fast growing technology. It is utilized in many different fields and will only have an increased role in our society in the future. AI tech is used in automobiles, security, surveillance, smart speakers, and social media platforms. This technology performs these tasks better and more efficiently than a human. 98% of generation Z owns a smartphone and they are extremely popular amongst them. Smartphones play such an important role amongst this generation because of the increased efficiency that smartphones bring to them on a day to day basis. Generation Z has also become very dependent on smartphones and it was very important to include them in this chapter.
Zoom has also influenced our generation because of the large impact it had on youth during the pandemic. When in quarantine, there wasn’t much to do in the enforced isolation. Much time was spent on Zoom, especially for educational reasons, making it a large part of each day during the pandemic.The impact of entertainment streaming on the mind and body because it has had an enormous effect on my everyday life. It is something I believe everyone can relate to and it is an important topic that is not talked about enough. The discussion of the negatives of entertainment streaming can create a realization in people’s lives to want to improve their lifestyle. The impact of social media because it is so widely used by almost everyone born during Generation Z. There is such a reliance on social media for entertainment, news, and connecting that it seems impossible to live without. In addition, social media is always adapting and advancing leaving the door open for future generations to experience.
