Generation Z

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The illustration. Generation Z and Generation Y
Generation Z and Generation Y

As Generation Z (short gene Z ) is sloganized the successor to the generation of Y , respectively. Generation Z mainly includes those who were born between 1997 and 2012. A precise definition of the beginning and end of Generation Z is controversial, so a beginning between 1990 and 2000 is being discussed.

Framework conditions of socialization

According to the socialization theory of Klaus Hurrelmann , an intensive examination of body, psyche, social environment and physical environment takes place in the youth phase of life. The members of Generation Z therefore find significantly different economic, political and cultural conditions than previous generations. A particular influence was the confrontation with digital media, which, depending on age, took place in early childhood, while Gen Y only got to know technologies such as the World Wide Web , MP3 players , SMS , mobile phones , smartphones and tablet PCs in later youth . Therefore, Gen Zers are usually intuitively superior to older generations in this area.

In industrialized countries with a low birth rate and flourishing economy, members of Generation Z benefit from the so-called “skilled labor shortage”, which arose due to the lack of new school leavers. According to Klaus Hurrelmann, "[t] he training and the job market [...] have changed significantly", which means that job seekers can choose freely and no longer have to act like petitioners. More and more it is the companies who have to court their favor as future employees. This can have a long-term impact on motivation in the workplace and the working atmosphere.

This is already noticeable in school, as it is becoming less and less important to achieve top grades and an excellent degree, which among other things has the consequence that people are judged more on the basis of their performance outside the school system. So it is no longer necessary to obtain the university entrance qualification to earn a good income, as you can already see in many craft businesses. From this, Marc Goergen vom Stern derives an explanation for the high political commitment of the Gen Z-lers: “Optimizing the résumé is no longer the only goal, but also: to make the world a better place. Thanks to Facebook and Whatsapp, at least demonstrations for this are organized within a few hours. ”This interpretation is confirmed by the comprehensive analysis that Klaus Hurrelmann and Erik Albrecht present in their book Generation Greta .

Mentality and behavior

Handling of digital media

In her book Me, My Selfie and I , the American psychologist Jean Twenge describes the effects of the constant use of smartphones in what she calls the “iGeneration” (which, however, includes the younger generation of Generation Y). “The iGeneration will grow up more slowly. 18-year-olds now behave like 15-year-olds in the past, 13-year-olds like 10-year-olds in the past. They went out less often without their parents, they drank less alcohol, they had sex later and less. […] For example, the proportion of 14 to 17 year olds who had already had heterosexual intercourse fell by more than five percentage points between 2005 and 2014. (This could also be due to the high number of LGBTQ + members who are Gen Z) The proportion of 16 to 17 year olds who have experience with alcohol fell from 97 to 87 percent between 2001 and 2016. And the proportion of 12 to 19-year-olds who go to a party at least once a week fell from eleven to five percent between 2006 and 2017. ”Twenge attributes these“ development delays ”mainly to the fact that young people spend less time in analogue Spend life. Another explanation would also be the possibilities that arise from industrial prosperity, such as B. to remain a child longer, which was denied to the earlier generations, especially the post-war generation, as well as the decreasing demand for financial stability and family in order to ensure survival. Furthermore, the question arises to what extent the above-mentioned “experiences” improve character, and how new, unknown impressions made possible by the Internet will affect society later on.

Employment role

A decisive characteristic of Generation Z is that their relatives have mostly recognized “that the dreams of older people rarely come true.” That is why Z-lers value an honest boss with moral integrity, preferably also in a traditional medium-sized company, rather than an ambitious start-up visionary as a manager. Only six percent of Z-lers plan to start their own business, which is probably due to the poor conditions on the part of the state if they want to start a company.

It is also more difficult for Gen Z to get involved with a company in the long term, which explains the lack of loyalty to the employer, which is characterized in the magazine Computerwoche . Gen Z wants a clear separation in life between private life and work, which is why the so-called “work-life blending” works less and less.

The sentence “We have a flexible working time system” and the word “home office” tend to have a negative and deterrent effect, as these are usually seen as a system in which the employer would like to take advantage of his employees. Generation Z prefers their family and their private life above all. Occupation only comes second. And here, too, they tend to prefer to work in a small group of like-minded people, i.e. with other Gen Z's. Furthermore, they have no interest in dealing with problems that affect them outside of their working hours. There are also positive sides to this attitude. Christian Scholz says: “No matter how hard you pedal in the hamster wheel, it only leads to burnout and sick leave. That is why it is definitely positive not to see the world of work so doggedly and to set certain priorities on leisure and family. ”This is confirmed by many practical reports that Klaus Hurrelmann and Wolfgang Kring have gained from companies.

Consumer role

  • Typical “Z-lers” seldom make purchasing decisions without first consulting their friends online and offline.
  • Online shopping does not give them enough of what they want: to touch products and to have their needs satisfied immediately.
  • They are open to new retailers and, above all, to new retail concepts.

Political participation role

The Shell youth studies show that young people under the age of 20 are becoming politicized again. According to the interpretation of the co-editor of the studies, Klaus Hurrelmann, they are no longer under pressure because of the good prospects on the job market and can therefore orientate themselves politically. Many of them are internally alarmed because US President Donald Trump has terminated the climate treaty and global economic competition is threatening the painstakingly negotiated rules on environmental protection in Europe too. The under 20-year-olds are uneasy to see how powerful global companies in the consumer and nutrition industry are pushing products into the market whose added health benefits are dubious. The tobacco, alcohol and sugar industries are just examples. The Fukushima nuclear disaster has not been forgotten either, and its causes and consequences have not really been understood and dealt with; For many young people, a diffuse uncertainty continues to smolder here. For this reason, existential fears are, according to Hurrelmann, the impetus for a politicization that is gradually building up. In December 2015, Christian Scholz , futurologist at the Chair of Organization, Personnel and Information Management at the University of Saarbrücken , analyzed that there was a massive relationship disruption between established politicians and Generation Z, visible in the following seven "problems":

  • Problem # 1: Politicians make politics against Generation Z.
  • Problem # 2: Politicians know little about Gen Z issues.
  • Problem # 3: Politicians can barely communicate with Generation Z
  • Problem # 4: Politicians dominate news programs and talk shows.
  • Problem # 5: Politicians see little potential for voters in Generation Z.
  • Problem # 6: Politicians are no longer role models.
  • Problem # 7: Politicians overlook the upcoming conflicts with Generation Z.

The 18th Shell youth study, on which Klaus Hurrelmann worked, bears the subtitle “A generation speaks up”. The younger generation is once again expressing its own demands, especially with regard to the shaping of the future of society, and is increasingly demanding that the necessary course setting be made today. As future-relevant topics, environmental protection and climate change have become significantly more important. They form focal points both for the articulation of the demand for a say and for the call to action, which is addressed to the older generations, in particular to politicians.

On August 20, 2018, the then fifteen-year-old Swedish student Greta Thunberg went on a “ school strike ”. She announced that she would "strike" classes every Friday until the Swedish government complies with the Paris Agreement on Climate Protection . By February 2019, hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren and students followed her example, especially in Europe. Supported by social networks, the school and student initiative Fridays for Future was formed , which made the public aware of itself and its demands for climate protection, primarily through demonstrations. In Germany alone, around 25,000 young people took part in the rallies on Friday, January 18, 2019 at 50 locations during regular class hours. The demonstrators believe that the commitment to climate protection is more important than regularly completing their compulsory schooling on Fridays .

Although he predicted the politicization of Generation Z, the youth researcher Klaus Hurrelmann admits that he was “surprised by the high number of participants” [in the “climate strike” demonstrations 2018/2019]. It is also interesting that despite the good rapport between Generation Z and their parents, a clear attack on the environmental policy for which the older generations are responsible is evident. The rapid growth of the FFF initiative is an indication that a new generation of protesters is growing up, who operate specifically with rule violations in order to achieve maximum attention and the success of their political demands. It should be noted that fifteen-year-olds (like Greta Thunberg in August 2018) and even sixteen-year-olds generally do not yet have civil rights such as the right to vote ; in most local authorities this presupposes the age of majority .

According to the Shell Youth Study 2019, however, the existing affinity for populist positions cannot be overlooked. The debate about the refugee crisis has left its mark. The Shell Youth Study differentiates between young people as “cosmopolitans”, “cosmopolitan”, “not clearly positioned”, “populism-inclined” and “national populists”. There is a clearly recognizable polarization between the cosmopolitans and the national populists, but both groups together make up only about one fifth of young people.

criticism

Klaus Hurrelmann warns against premature typing. Following Karl Mannheim , he considers the identification of generations to be possible. He describes socialization as the personality development of a person in an intensive interaction between personal resources and the social and ecological environmental conditions.

This constant productive processing of the inner and outer reality, i.e. the physical and psychological dispositions on the one hand and the social and ecological living conditions on the other, only culminates in adolescence. Only in a few years will it therefore be possible to determine which technical, economic, cultural and political conditions will create a new “generation camp” that will produce a new “generation figure”. Because of the strong political influence of the majority of the young generation by the Swedish student Greta Thunberg, the symbolic designation "Generation Greta" is currently the most obvious.

Marcel Schütz, organizational sociologist at the University of Oldenburg , looks Generation Z as the fictitious successor hype of Generation Y . He wrote on Friday in Berlin :

“Gradually new, equally self-proclaimed experts are entering the stage of the generational hype. The (next) 'Generation Z' is said to have seen the light of day between 1995 and 2005 (or - if you like it - a few years earlier or later). By the way, she lives almost purely virtually. That is bad for the Y-experts, now the first professors with market instinct are throwing their 'Z' prophecies on the market. "

According to Hannes Schrader, such forecasts cannot be ignored. Hannes Schrader warns the “Z-ler”: “Now it's your turn to let others tell you who you are, how you should behave and what you are responsible for. But listen carefully. Because what these people think of your generation determines how you will shop, live and work. What Angela Merkel says about you today will determine how much money you will earn in a few years. What advertising fuzzis tell their customers about you will determine where you shop, how and what you eat for breakfast. "

See also

literature

  • Wolfgang Kring, Klaus Hurrelmann : successfully attract Generation Z, lead and tie . NWB Verlag, Herne 2019, ISBN 978-3-470-00441-9 .
  • Rüdiger Maas: Generation Z for HR professionals and managers: results of the Generation Thinking study . Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich 2019, ISBN 978-3-446-46224-3 .
  • Reinhard Mohr : Generation Z or the expectation of getting older . Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2004, ISBN 3-596-15932-6 ; as an electronic resource: Fischer E-Books, Frankfurt am Main 2014.
  • Christian Scholz : Generation Z: How it works, what changes it and why it infects us all . Wiley-VCH, Weinheim 2014, ISBN 978-3-527-50807-5 .
  • Klaus Hurrelmann, Erik Albrecht: Generation Greta. What she thinks, how she feels and why the climate is just the beginning. Beltz, Weinheim 2020, ISBN 978-3-407-86623-3 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Dimock: Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins January 17, 2019, accessed January 19, 2019.
  2. ↑ Generation Z characteristics and its implications for companies | McKinsey. Retrieved December 5, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Analysis - Learning from Generation Z. Retrieved on December 5, 2019 (German).
  4. ↑ Generation Y and Gen-Z «Die-Gen eration-Z. Accessed December 5, 2019 (German).
  5. ↑ Business Insider: Generation Z: Latest Gen Z News, Research, Facts & Strategies | Business Insider. Retrieved December 5, 2019 .
  6. ↑ George Beall, Contributor George is a startup founder, investor, advisor: 8 Key Differences between Gen Z and Millennials. November 5, 2016, accessed December 5, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Klaus Hurrelmann, Gudrun Quenzel: Life phase youth. Beltz Juventa, Weinheim 2016, p. 60.
  8. ↑ Klaus Hurrelmann: Not without my parents. Generation Z. Die ZEIT 48, 2018m, pp. 76–77.
  9. ↑ Marc Goergen: "More eggs than NATO": Why Greta Thunberg is fighting for a better future . stern.de. January 2019, accessed February 18, 2019
  10. ↑ Klaus Hurrelmann, Erik Albrecht: Generation Greta. What she thinks, how she feels and why the climate is just the beginning. Beltz, Weinheim 2020, ISBN 978-3-407-86623-3 .
  11. ↑ Firmly under control . Der Spiegel (print edition) . Issue 41/2018. October 6, 2018, p. 47.
  12. ↑ Christian Scholz: Generation Y plus Z generation . humanressourcemanager.de. August 27, 2018
  13. ↑ 5 myths about 16- to 25-year-old - The serene Generation Z . tecchannel.de. 2018
  14. ↑ Christian Scholz: Young professionals are wired differently - on Generation Y follows Generation Z . computerwoche.de. 4th February 2015
  15. ↑ Wolfgang Kring / Klaus Hurrelmann: Successfully winning, leading, and retaining Generation Z. Herne: Kiehl
  16. ↑ Generation Z - the report . criteo.com. 2017
  17. ↑ Christian Scholz: Generation Z and politicians: Why they don't find each other . die-generation-z.de. 2nd December 2015
  18. ↑ Shell Germany (2019): Youth Study 2019. Mathias Albert, Klaus Hurrelmann, Gudrun Quenzel et al. Weinheim: Beltz
  19. ↑ Claus Hecking, Charlotte Schönberger: Interview with Greta Thunberg: "It is a good sign that you hate me". Spiegel Online , February 2, 2019, accessed February 5, 2019 .
  20. ↑ Maria Hendrischke: Students strike for climate protection: "It's our fucking future" . In: Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk , January 18, 2019. 
  21. ↑ Annette Kögel: Climate protection: "Act even more decisively and faster". tagesspiegel.de, February 16, 2019, accessed on February 16, 2019 .
  22. ↑ Ricarda Breyton: “The young people disregard guidelines - out of calculation. Interview with Klaus Hurrelmann ". welt.de, January 25, 2019, accessed on February 16, 2019 .
  23. ↑ Klaus Hurrelmann, Ulrich Bauer: Introduction to the socialization theory. Beltz, Weinheim 2020.
  24. ^ Klaus Hurrelmann, Erik Albrecht: The secret revolutionaries. Beltz, Weinheim 2013.
  25. ↑ Marcel Schütz: The imagined generation. In: Der Freitag , Community, September 25, 2015
  26. ↑ Hannes Schrader: Clichés: Generation Z, please take over! . zeit.de. October 16, 2016