What is Generation Z? - 6 Minute English

Neil: Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute English, I'm Neil.

Rob: And I'm Rob.

Neil: Rob, what generation are you?

Rob: Well what are my choices?

Neil: You can't choose what generation you are,

it depends on when you were born.

Rob: Oh, OK then, what are the different

generations?

Neil: Well, there are baby boomers, who

were born in between the 1940s and the early

60s. Then there was Generation X, born

between the mid 1960s and the early

1980s. Then there is Generation Y,

also known as millennials, born mid

1980s to late 1990s, and ...

Rob: OK, let me guess, Generation Z? Born

in the late nineties or early noughties?

Neil: You're very smart. So, which one are you?

Rob: Ah, that would give away my age,

wouldn't it! OK, I have to confess I am

Generation X. And what about you, Neil?

Neil: Yes me too, Generation X. But today

we're going to focus on Generation Z, also

known as Gen Z. What marks Gen Z in

particular is that they are the social media

generation. They have never known a time

without social media.

Rob: Oh, poor them!

Neil: Mmm, well, that's one view. Other

opinions are available. Before we look at

Gen Z in more detail, a question though.

No one can quite agree on who first used

the term 'social media', but we do know

from which decade it came. Was it...

a) the 1980s, b) the 1990s, c) the noughties,

that is the first decade of the 21st Century.

Rob, what's your answer?

Rob: Well, come on, it's quite a recent

thing. It's got to be c) the noughties.

Neil: We'll find out the answer later in the

programme. Now we're going to hear

from Hiral Patel who is an analyst for

Barclays. She appeared on BBC Radio 4's

You and Yours programme and was

asked whether there was much difference

between millennials and Generation Z.

Does she think they are the same or different?

Hiral Patel: Most people view Generation

Z as mini-millennials - and that's because

there is an obsession with the word

'millennial'. Our research shows

that Gen Z are different and that they have

their own set of values and preferences

which consumer brands need to cater for.

Our research found that Gen Z are

tech-innate, hyper-informed consumers,

and extremely savvy. This hyper-connected

world that we live in today is a new norm

for them.

Neil: So Rob, does Hiral Patel think there

is much difference between the two

generations?

Rob: Yes, she does. But she comments

that not everyone does. 'Millennial' is a

term that is used so frequently that many

people think it refers to all young people.

Gen Z, she says are not mini-millennials,

they are quite different and have their own

values and preferences.

Neil: And this is important for consumer brands,

for companies who want to sell to this

generation. They need to cater for that

generation, which means they need to

provide goods that Gen Z want.

Rob: And she describes Gen Z as being

tech-innate, hyper-informed consumers.

Neil: It's a bit of a mouthful but essentially

it means that they are extremely

comfortable with modern technology and

social media and as a result have a lot of

information about what's going on in the

world. This makes them savvy.

Rob: And being 'savvy' means being able

to understand situations well and make

clever decisions because of this

knowledge.

Neil: Now I think I'm pretty savvy when it

comes to modern connected technology

and media, but I didn't grow up with it, it's

new. For Gen Z, this level of technology is

what is normal, it's all around and always

has been, it's their norm, as Hiral Patel put

it. Here she is again:

Hiral Patel: Most people view Generation Z

as mini-millennials - and that's because

there is an obsession with the word

'millennial'. Our research shows that Gen Z

are different and that they have their

own set of values and preferences which

consumer brands need to cater for. Our

research found that Gen Z are tech-innate,

hyper-informed consumers, and

extremely savvy. This hyper-connected

world that we live in today is a new norm

for them.

Neil: Right time to review this week's

vocabulary, but first let's have an

answer to that quiz. In what decade was

the term 'social media' first coined? Was it:

a) the 1980s, b) the 1990s, c) the noughties

What did you say, Rob?

Rob: Yeah, well I said c) the noughties.

Neil: You're wrong. Perhaps unsurprisingly,

the 1990s is the answer. I'm sure most of

you got that one correct. Right, now, the

vocabulary.

Rob: Yes this week we've been talking

about 'generations'.

This a term used to describe people born

in a particular period of time, usually, but

not always a period of about 18 to 20 years.

Neil: And we were focussing on

Generation Z or Gen Z which includes

those born in the early noughties,

which is the first decade of the 21st

Century from 2000 to 2009.

Rob: The next expression was 'to cater for'.

This means to provide something that is

needed or wanted for a particular group.

And if you are trying to sell something,

you need 'to cater for' your target market.

Neil: And if your market is Gen Z you need

to be aware that they are tech innate,

hyper-informed. They have grown up with

connected technology and are very

knowledgeable.

Rob: This makes them extremely 'savvy'.

This adjective means 'smart and

intelligent'. In this context it means they

are able to make smart decisions

about what to buy because they are

connected so many sources of information.

And for Gen Z, this level of interaction and

connectivity is 'the norm'. It's what is

normal, what is usual for them. So where I

struggle sometimes with modern life and

technology - for Gen Z, it's easy.

Neil: Well that may be true but I'm savvy

enough to know that it's time to end the

programme. Do join us again next time

and remember you can find us on

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And let's not forget our app Rob!

Rob: Download it now. It's free!

Neil: Join us again next time. Goodbye.

Rob: Bye!