by Cheyenne Schoen |
When asked whether he remembered the “dial-up” tone of the internet booting up, freshman Andrew Huitt wore a puzzled look.
“Dial-up?” he said. “I don’t remember it. I don’t even know what that is.”
Most undergraduate students enrolled in 2016 were born between 1993 and 1997, which means the student body is evenly split between generations. Half are considered “Millennials,” born between 1980 and 1995, while the other half are members of “Generation Z,” born in 1996 and after.
Though the gap may seem small, clear differences exist between the two generations.
Junior history major Nicolas Vavuris remembers dial-up internet all too well. In fact, he relied on it as his primary internet source until just five years ago.
“I remember the modem noise and watching the pictures load line by line for five minutes,” Vavuris said. “I remember clicking on a link, making a pot of tea and coming back to find it still wasn’t loaded.”
Market researchers and trend forecasters have spent their lives figuring out how to appeal to the target audience of Millennials. With the rise of Gen Zers, however, marketers are looking for the secret to capturing their seven-second attention spans.
“You have these five and 10-year-olds growing up on the iPad,” Huitt, a marketing major, said. “Technology and having screens in front of us is the future. Traditional computers, what are they called, the ones that aren’t laptops? They’re not relevant anymore. I think today’s society is always on the move, things are becoming smaller and more mobile and more portable.”
Gen Zers are native techno geeks. Digital media practically runs in their DNA. They’re adept at using screens, apps and softwares because they haven’t known a life without it. Generation Z communicates in images, using emojis, symbols, pictures and videos to make their point. Some have even started calling them “iGen” or “@generation,” a nod to the technology that the group has grown up knowing for most or all of their lives.
On top of being more techy than their Millennial counterparts, Gen Zers have grown up in a post-9/11 world during a recession that crippled the U.S. economy. Because of this, they are predicted to be the opposite of the stereotypically spoiled Millennials — showing thrifty and hardworking tendencies. Additionally, Zers will be a generation highly open to diversity, as more of them are of mixed race.
| Millennial: Nicolas Vavuris | Generation Z: Andrew Huitt |
| Born: 1995
Idol: Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys Middle school anthem: “Right Round” by Flo Rida Favorite channel as a kid: Didn’t watch TV Joined Twitter: Never Remembers 9/11? Distinctly |
Born: 1997
Idol: Robin Williams Middle school anthem: “TiK ToK” by Ke$ha Favorite channel as a kid: Cartoon Network Joined Twitter: Freshman year of high school Remembers 9/11? Barely |
