Generation Z Speaks

Author: Emily Neal
                SU London Fall 2016

“We are supposed to be the kids who grew up with a highly sophisticated media and computer environment and are more internet savvy than Generation Y”

The world describes us as “Generation Z”. We are described as being very technological, always being on our phones or surrounded by some sort of technology. We are expected to be able to “change the way the world works with technology” and that expectation is unrealistic. First of all, the age range for Generation Z is from 1995-2012. That’s an extremely large age gap where so much has changed between those years. When I was born in 1995, iPhones were not created. I still used Dial-Up internet, my first phone was a flip phone, and I was in high school when I got it. It was one of those phones where it had the internet on it, but if you went on it, it was extremely expensive. You had to quickly exit out of it if you accidentally hit the button, everyone has been there and done that.

The iPhone came out in 2007, and I didn’t get one until 4 years ago. We are supposed to be the kids who “grew up with a highly sophisticated media and computer environment and are more internet savvy than Generation Y”, but once again, my generation did not grow up with the MacBook or iPhone, we didn’t even grow up with easy access to the Internet. We are expected to know everything about the newest technology, like the iPhone, and MacBook, we are expected to know the ins and outs of every social media app, and we are always told that growing up in this generation we are so lucky because we have a one-up against the older generations, but I have met some people from Generation Y who know more than me. Countless times I have been asked about technology and told “Oh you must know so much about technology and social media and you must be attached to your phone.” I know about social media yes, but I know just about as much as everyone else does who is older than me. I am not attached to my phone because I grew up without one and I remember what it’s like to live in the moment and not live looking through a screen.

We are also labeled as “too young to remember 9/11”. I vividly remember that day, and I’m sure other people my age remember it as well. Being at the lower end of the age range for Generation Z, we are put into the label that fits more for the year 2007 and above. It is unfair to say that we are expected to change the world of technology when we are just like everyone else, we were older when the iPhone was invented, we were older when internet became easy to access, and yet we are unfairly labeled.

We are, however, labeled as being smarter, safer, more mature, and wanting to change the world. That label I can stand behind…

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